


Romance by the Book

by ahowell1993



Series: Spencer/Maeve Series [1]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Father Figure Hotch, Maeve won't die, Minor Character Death, Out of Character Moments, Spencer and Maeve are very fertile, Temporary Character Death, William Reid is an Asshole
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-06-01 01:49:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 95
Words: 452,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15132440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ahowell1993/pseuds/ahowell1993
Summary: Over eight months after the Hankel case, 26 year old Spencer is reading a book while enjoying a cup of coffee at his favorite coffee shop when Dr. Maeve Donovan joins him at his table. After spending a few minutes together he knew that he needed to ask her out causing him to find the happiness he deserves while his confidence continues to grow. Maeve will live. 3x03 to 7x11





	1. Meeting Over Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This starts after Scared to Death in season 3 so there's no Rossi yet.
> 
> I posted this on Fanfiction, so I'll be adding chapters along the way.

Spencer was sitting at a table in his favorite coffee shop while wondering if Gideon was still alive when he heard a female voice.

"Since every table is taken, mind if I join you?" asked a young woman as she smiled when she saw that Spencer was reading Sherlock Holmes.

The recently turned 26-year-old genius looked up from his book and noticed a pretty young woman who looked around 25 years old standing by the chair across from him.

"Go ahead since I will be leaving for work soon." said Spencer as he took a bite of his brownie.

The woman sat down across from Spencer and smiled.

"I love Sherlock Holmes books." said the woman before taking a sip of her coffee.

Spencer finished chewing his brownie and made eye contact with the mystery woman.

"I always end up loving every book that I read." said Spencer.

"I'm Dr. Maeve Donovan." said Maeve as she held out her hand.

Spencer nervously shook Maeve's hand.

"Dr. Spencer Reid." said Spencer before pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Maeve gasped.

"I've read everything you published in psychology journals." said Maeve.

"Really?" asked Spencer as he thought about his mom telling him that he would know it when he meets the right girl.

Maeve nodded.

"I've been thinking about writing you a compliment, but now I don't need to." said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his watch before looking at Maeve while thinking about the therapist that Hotch sent him to after he got clean from his forced addiction to Dilaudid telling him that he should think about gaining a social life that doesn't involve his teammates.

"As much as I would love to talk about my published work I really need to get to work, but if I'm in town on Saturday would you like to go out for dinner so we can talk more?" asked Spencer.

"Its a date." smiled Maeve as she grabbed her purse and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and wrote her number that Spencer quickly glanced at.

"Your not going to take it?" asked Maeve.

"I have an eidetic memory meaning that I just memorized your number, and I really have to catch my train since I work in Quantico." said Spencer before rushing towards the door.

Maeve quickly got up and rushed towards Spencer.

"Wait." said Maeve.

Spencer turned around.

"Aren't you going to give me your number?" asked Maeve.

"Check the pocket of your sweater." said Spencer.

Maeve quickly checked before she started giggling when she saw Spencer's business card.

"How did you do that?" asked Maeve.

"A magician never reveals his secrets." said Spencer before hurrying away.


	2. Hotch Finds Out & First Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts two days after chapter one.

On Friday evening Spencer was packing up his desk for the weekend when Hotch was coming down the stairs.

"You heading home Reid?" asked Hotch as he noticed that Emily, JJ, and Morgan already left for the weekend.

Spencer pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose before he pulled on his chunky cardigan.

"Yeah." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at the clock and noticed that it was 7:30 PM before looking at the 26-year-old genius.

"Let me give you a ride home, and since I haven't had dinner we yet we can get something to eat." said Hotch.

"I don't need to get dinner." said Spencer.

"I know that you haven't eaten dinner yet, Reid. So we're going to get dinner before I take you home." said Hotch.

Spencer inwardly shook his head as he thought about how well Hotch knows him sometimes better than Gideon and the rest of the team did.

"Okay." sighed Spencer.

10 minutes later Spencer was sitting in the front passenger seat of Hotch's car when his cellphone vibrated causing him to see a text from Maeve  
who has been texting with him the past two days.

I'M WONDERING IF WE STILL ON FOR TOMORROW? ~ MD

Spencer typed his reply.

STILL ON FOR TOMORROW. ~ SR

A minute later Maeve sent a reply.

SHOULD WE MEET UP FOR BREAKFAST TOMORROW AT PADDY'S LIKE WE DID THIS MORNING AT 7?~ MD

THAT TIME WILL DO. ~ SR

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Who are you texting?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch and decide to trust him since he had no problem trusting Hotch to figure out his clues when he was held hostage by Hankel.

"Remember how I ended up late two days ago since I missed my train?" asked Spencer.

"Yes." said Hotch.

"I was at my favorite coffee shop, and due to every table being full a young woman asked me if she could sit with me, and apparently she's a fan of my published work while enjoying the same types of books like me." said Spencer.

"So what's her name and what does she do?" asked Hotch.

"Her name is Dr. Maeve Donovan and she's a geneticist like her mom, and despite the phone calls we had the past two nights and meeting each other for breakfast this morning we're having our first date tomorrow." said Spencer.

Hotch thought about the reports he received from the private psychologist that he's sending Spencer to.

"At least your making progress when it comes to gaining a social life outside the FBI, and how about you call me tomorrow and let me know how it goes." said Hotch.

"I promise since I promised you that I won't keep any more secrets from you after I got clean." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Dr. Moss wants me to track down my father and tell him how I feel, but I'm definitely not ready for that." said Spencer.

"Its OK if your not ready yet, and I really hate your father since leaving you alone with a paranoid schizophrenic is considered child abuse." said Hotch.

"Both aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon hate him too, and if it wasn't for them I'm not sure if my mom or I would have survived." said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

30 minutes later Spencer and Hotch were at Paddy's causing Spencer to give a rare laugh causing Hotch to inwardly smile.

"Maeve and I ate breakfast here this morning, and we're meeting here tomorrow at 7 AM." said Spencer.

"I just wanted one of their milkshakes." said Hotch.

"I'm going to have one too because I can put the antacids that Morgan gave me for my birthday on Tuesday as a birthday gift." said Spencer as he thought about how he can't stay away from dairy despite being lactose intolerant.

A few minutes later Spencer and Hotch both ordered chocolate milkshakes, cheeseburgers, and French fries and when they were waiting for their  
food Hotch looked at Spencer.

"So how are you doing since Gideon left us?" asked Hotch as he thought about the distraught phone call he received earlier in the week.

Spencer took a couple of sips of his milkshake before an elderly waitress came over with their food.

"Eat up boys, and would you like to get anything else for you or your son?" asked the waitress as she looked at Hotch.

Spencer choked on his milkshake while Hotch looked at the waitress.

"We don't need anything." said Hotch as he noticed that Spencer was hiding his laughter.

"I'll be back in 10 minutes to check on you two." said the waitress before walking away.

"So are you going to answer my question?" asked Hotch.

"I'm upset that he left me like my dad did, and when you didn't show up last week I was worried that you were going to leave me too." said  
Spencer as he poured some ketchup onto his plate before passing the ketchup to Hotch.

"I'm not planning on leaving you anytime soon because I consider you my second son." said Hotch.

"Despite the nearly 10 year age difference?" asked Spencer.

"I don't care about the age difference." said Hotch.

"It was funny when Eric Miller asked you if you were my daddy, and you probably know that I almost choked on my milkshake when the waitress thought that I was your son." said Spencer with an amused smile on his face.

"Well if things work out between you and Maeve and you two get married, I'll be glad to step in as father of the groom." said Hotch.

"OK." said Spencer before both men decided to focus on their meals while Spencer ended up telling him about how his mom was doing.

xxxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was leaning against his car outside Paddy's when Maeve got out of a taxi.

"Is this your car?" asked Maeve.

"It is." said Spencer.

"So where are you taking me after we eat breakfast?" asked Maeve as they entered the diner.

"I hope that going to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would be OK, and after lunch we can go to the Washington Monument while walking around the National Mall." said Spencer as he thought about how he and Maeve agreed that they would spend the entire Saturday together for their first date.

"Perfect for a first date." said Maeve.

"Well let's go inside and order our breakfast since we're suppose to be there when they open." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were sitting at a booth ordering their breakfast and some coffee.

xxxxxxxx

Seven hours later Spencer and Maeve were sitting under a tree not far from the Washington Monument taking in the beautiful fall weather.

"Despite talking about our education and our jobs these past two days, are you ready for us to talk about our families since you told me that your parents are divorced?" asked Maeve as she thought about how she was really enjoying her first date with Spencer.

"I'm nervous that you would walk away if I tell you about my mom." said Spencer.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Maeve.

"She institutionalized for paranoid schizophrenia, and I'm afraid that I will end up like her someday since its genetic." said Spencer.

Maeve grabbed Spencer's hand and squeezed it.

"I doubt that you would end up like her since most males end up schizophrenic between the ages of 18 and 25 and you told me that you just turned 26 on Tuesday, so your chances of becoming schizophrenic is much smaller now." said Maeve.

"Is this the geneticist in you talking?" asked Spencer.

"That's my professional opinion, and my personal opinion that I have faith that you won't end up like your mom." said Maeve.

Spencer's phone rang and he smiled when he saw that it was his cousin Justin calling him.

"Its my cousin Justin." said Spencer.

"Well answer it." said Maeve.

Spencer answered his phone.

"What's up?" asked Spencer.

"I'm getting married the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I'm hoping that you would be my best man." said Justin.

"I'll talk to my boss about taking time off so I can be in Las Vegas for Thanksgiving." said Spencer.

"You can bring a date if your seeing anyone." said Justin.

Spencer blushed.

"OK, but I have to get going." said Spencer.

"Stay safe during your next case." said Justin.

"I will." said Spencer before hanging up.

"What did Justin say to make you blush?" asked Maeve.

"My cousin Justin who's five years older than me is getting married on the Saturday after Thanksgiving this year, and he told me that I can bring a date so if things are working out between us would you be my date to my cousin's wedding?" asked Spencer.

"I would love to." said Maeve.

"Really?" asked Spencer.

"Despite you telling me that your on call 24/7 while having to travel all over the country I'm willing to try and make this relationship work." said Maeve.

Spencer looked at the line by the Washington Monument before looking at Maeve.

"The line has gotten smaller so should we go buy our tickets so we can go up there?" asked Spencer.

"Sure, and then maybe we can go to your apartment so I can see your book collection." said Maeve.

Spencer smiled as he thought about how they had similar tastes in books as he got up and held up his hand to help pull Maeve up.

"Maybe I will also cook dinner for us." said Spencer.

"I would love to join you for dinner at your apartment." said Maeve.

"We'll have to stop at the store and pick up ingredients since I was planning on making homemade pizza tonight." said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later Spencer was letting himself and Maeve into his apartment and Maeve gasped when she saw the leather furniture, green walls, built in book shelves that were filled with books, and stained glass on one of the walls.

"I love this apartment." said Maeve.

"Its a two bedroom and two bathroom apartment, and I've been living here since I graduated from the academy." said Spencer as he locked his door.

"With how you decorated this apartment, it reminds me of Sherlock Holmes." said Maeve as she started to look through Spencer's books.

"That's why I decorated my apartment like this." said Spencer as his stomach growled, "We should probably start preparing our homemade pizza." said Spencer as he thought about how they picked out the vegetables they wanted on their pizza.

Five minutes later Spencer and Maeve were preparing their homemade pizza, and an hour later Spencer was standing outside of Maeve's apartment building.

"So do you think we are going on a second date?" asked Spencer.

"I would love a second date with you, Spencer." said Maeve.

"Do you think tomorrow is too soon?" asked Spencer.

"Not at all because I want to spend as much time as possible with you just in case you have to go away on Monday." said Maeve before looking into Spencer's brown eyes, "Would you mind if I kiss you goodnight?" asked Maeve.

"Not at all." said Spencer.

Maeve stood onto her tiptoes a bit, and a few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were giving each other a gentle kiss on the lips before Maeve broke out of their kiss.

"Goodnight Spencer." said Maeve.

"Goodnight Maeve." said Spencer.

Spencer watched Maeve go into her apartment building, and as soon as Spencer got into his car he sent Hotch a text message.

DESPITE IT BEING 8 PM RIGHT NOW, MAEVE AND I DECIDED THAT WE WOULD HAVE A SECOND DATE TOMORROW AFTER SPENDING 13 HOURS TOGETHER. ~ SR

10 minutes later Spencer was back in his apartment when his phone vibrated causing him to see a text message from Hotch.

THAT'S GREAT, AND IF THERE'S NO CASE ON MONDAY YOU AND I CAN GO OUT FOR DINNER SO YOU CAN TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WEEKEND WITH MAEVE. ~ AH

Over three hours later Spencer went to bed while not knowing that he would be having his first full night of sleep without any nightmares in a long time.


	3. Children of the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of you might think that Spencer might be moving too fast in this chapter, but what happened prior to this story beginning, Spencer wants to live his life to the fullest even if it means being impulsive.

Spencer looked at Maeve as they finished eating their breakfast at Paddy's.

"I really enjoyed spending the weekend with you." said Spencer.

"I did too, and I hope that we can have many more dates." said Maeve.

"Me too." said Spencer before looking at his watch and realized that he has 10 more minutes with Maeve before he needs to start heading to work, "If I end up getting a case mind if I call you every night?" asked Spencer.

"I don't mind having you call me." said Maeve.

"So do you think its too soon to call you my girlfriend?" asked Spencer.

"I really like you so I do want to call you my boyfriend." said Maeve as she leaned forward and gave Spencer a kiss.

After kissing for 10 seconds Spencer and Maeve broke apart when they heard a wolf whistle from a passerby the blushing couple to break apart.

"I guess its official." giggled Maeve.

Spencer nodded as he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a key.

"I want you to have a key for my apartment." said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Maeve.

"Just in case we decide to meet up at my apartment when we're both done with work so you can already be in there instead of having to wait for me." said Spencer.

"Makes sense since you have a longer commute than me." said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were giving each other a quick kiss before Spencer quickly left to catch his train to Quantico.

xxxxxxxx

"The Halbert family. They were murdered in their home last night in the Denver suburb of cherry creek. It's the third home invasion like this in the last month." said JJ.

Spencer sighed sadly as he realized that there will be kids involved.

"They kill everyone." said Hotch.

"Parents, kids, pets if they have them. Always families, nice neighborhoods." said JJ.

"What do they take?" asked Morgan.

"Nothing they can't fit in their pockets... Cash, jewelry." said JJ.

"Hundreds of ways to get cash and jewels without killing entire families." said Hotch.

"That's why home invasions are so hard to profile... Multiple motives." said Morgan.

"National statistics show an uptick in home invasions over the last few years, 18% in Colorado." said Spencer.

"You know it's bad if they're inviting us back." said Hotch.

"Back?" asked JJ.

"Well, things went bad after the Jonbenet Ramsey case when a couple of agents publicly criticized local detectives." said Hotch.

"Well, they didn't need us to make them look bad." said Morgan.

"And that was in Boulder?" asked JJ.

"Yeah, but the statewide media ran with it, and it took on a life of its own." said Hotch.

"Well, I talked to a Lieutenant Nellis. Trust me. They want our help." said JJ.

"They need it. The first 2 invasions were 20 days apart. This last one was just 9 days later." said Emily.

"So they're killing in faster cycles, acquiring a taste." said Morgan.

"And getting better at it every time." said Hotch before giving a departure time.

A minute later Spencer was at his desk sending Maeve a quick text message.

I'M GOING TO COLORADO, AND I WILL CALL YOU TONIGHT BEFORE I GO TO BED. ~ SR

A minute later Maeve replied.

THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW, AND PLEASE STAY SAFE. ~ MD

xxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting next to Hotch on the jet.

"Home invasions typically involve the elderly and single females. The fact that entire families are being targeted suggests multiple unsubs." said Spencer.

"Could mean gang-related, revenge motive, personal business." said Morgan.

"I don't think any of these victims are running in gang circles." said JJ.

"Sewing circles, more like it. PTA Moms, gray-flannel dads... These guys are killing the Cleavers." said Emily.

Spencer instantly recognized Emily's reference to a TV show.

"Strange." said Spencer.

"The pattern?" asked Hotch.

"No, the Cleavers. Of all the names for a 1950s idyllic TV family, I mean, it's rife with violent implication. Kind of makes you wonder how the   
writers really felt about suburbia, huh?" asked Spencer as he thought about how much he wanted to have a family of his own someday.

"Focus, please." said Hotch.

"Uh, ok, what about, um, class-based uprising? Helter skelter?" asked Emily.

"There's no graffiti, no messages, at least not visible ones. There's no rituals." said Morgan.

"Manson's aim was to start a race war. There's no proof of any hate crime here." said Spencer.

"The parent murders are brutal, messy. The instruments vary. Uh, golf club, kitchen knife, iron." said Hotch as he paged through crime scene   
photos.

"Household implements, symbols of family." said Morgan.

"But the kids were different. They died by injection, pentobarbital." said JJ.

"It's a barbiturate sometimes used as an anti-convulsant for epileptics, anxiety disorders, and state executions." explained Spencer.

"The invasions are well planned. Phone lines are cut. Ligature marks show the parents were bound and gagged." said Hotch.

"Look like these guys had some robbery experience." said Morgan.

"And then found their true calling." said Emily.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer was writing on his little note pad as he listened to Carol talk.

"I came by about 9:00 to return the Pyrex. No one answered when I rang the bell, but lights were on inside." said Carol.

Spencer turned his head to look at the house before looking at Carol.

"Did you happen to look in the windows?" asked Spencer.

"Not then, no. I had my cell phone. I was gonna call, but I... I couldn't get a signal, which was strange." said Carol.

"Why was that strange? You always get a signal here. There's a tower on the next block. Uh, I left the dish. This morning, it was still here... So I   
came over. Th-that's when I looked inside." said Carol.

"And you called the police on your cell." said Spencer.

"Yeah." said Carol.

xxxxxxxxx

A short while later Spencer was at the police station with his teammates.

"These guys don't lack confidence. Targeting entire families is a high-risk endeavor." said Hotch.

"It's possible they're minimizing that risk by jamming cell phones inside the house. No one can call out." said Spencer.

"High tech. That narrows the profile, right?" asked Lieutenant Nellis.

"Not really." said Spencer.

"Oh, you can buy a hand-held jammer online for what, 100 bucks?" asked JJ.

"I could use one of those next time I go to the movies." said Lieutenant Nellis causing Emily to laugh just as Morgan's cellphone rang.

Morgan answered his phone as he put it on speaker.

"Hey, girl. You're on speaker. Behave." said Morgan as he thought back to Garcia's answer when Strauss called her.

"Or what, you'll spank me?" asked Garcia as she didn't even see the mixed reactions from her teammates and Lieutenant Nellis, "So I've been   
searching the area for unsolved robberies. I found four with similar elements... Phone lines cut, small valuables only." said Garcia as she continued   
to type.

"Occupants tied up?" asked Morgan.

"Yes, but no homicides." said Garcia.

"OK. Thanks, dollface. I'll call you back." said Morgan before quickly hanging up.

"Well, if this is our guys, something made them graduate to murder." said Hotch.

"If we can figure out what that trigger was, it might tell us how they choose their victims." said Emily.

"Well, that would help. I been looking into victimology, and so far, there's really nothing to connect the families. Different political affiliations, different careers, different school systems. At this point, it simply appears the unsubs are targeting their victims at random." said Morgan.

xxxxxxx

Over four hours later a pajama clad Spencer was pulling out his phone to call Maeve while Hotch who decided to room with him as his way to keep a better eye on him during cases took his shower.

"Hi, Spencer." answered Maeve.

"I hope I didn't wake you up." said Spencer.

"I decided to stay up a bit later since you promised to call despite the two hour time difference between us." said Maeve as she looked at her alarm   
clock that currently said 11:30 PM.

"How was your day?" asked Spencer.

"It went well, and I kind of wish that you cooked dinner for me again at your apartment again." said Maeve as she thought about how Spencer told   
her that cooking is basically chemistry for him.

"I promise that I will cook for you when I come home." said Spencer.

"So how's the case?" asked Maeve.

"Its going fine, but the hard part is that children were involved." said Spencer.

"So should I be in your apartment waiting for you when you come back from Denver?" asked Maeve.

"Yes." said Spencer before looking at the clock while realizing how late it was in DC, "Well I should let you get some sleep while I get some sleep   
myself." said Spencer.

"Stay safe, and love you." said Maeve quickly.

Spencer stayed silent for five seconds as he comprehended what Maeve said.

"Spencer?" asked Maeve.

"What you just said stunned me." said Spencer.

"When I said love you?" asked Maeve.

"We known each other for five days now and we finally made our relationship official today." said Spencer.

"I think its important to tell a loved one that you love them just in case anything happens." said Maeve as she didn't even realize that Spencer was   
blushing.

Spencer heard the bathroom door unlock.

"I have to go, and I love you too." said Spencer before hanging up just as Hotch came out of the bathroom.

"You ended up saying "love you" to Maeve?" asked Hotch.

"Despite knowing each other for five days now, this morning we decided that we would be boyfriend and girlfriend and Maeve said those words   
first." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "And with my near death experience that happened over eight months ago I want to live my life to   
the fullest especially since my mom asked me about when am I going to find a girl and give her some grandchildren when she called me on my   
birthday." said Spencer.

"So you are actually thinking about having kids?" asked Hotch.

"I do want to have kids of my own someday, and on Saturday I ended up telling Maeve about my mom and how I was afraid of turning out like her." said Spencer before smiling slightly, "With Maeve being a geneticist, she ended up telling me that most males end up schizophrenic between ages 18 and 25, and with me being 26, I am pretty much out of the high end so I have a much smaller chance now." said Spencer.

"I think Maeve is definitely a good influence on you, and I hope that you don't let this job ruin your relationship with her." said Hotch.

"I'm planning on making this relationship work because if I don't want to lose her to this job, I can just easily accept one of my many job offers." said Spencer before reaching into his messenger bag and pulled out the job offers he received over the weekend, "These are the latest offers I received." said Spencer.

Hotch took the job offers and looked at them.

"Thank you for keeping your promise on telling me about the job offers you received." said Hotch as he thought about a distressed Spencer telling him about thinking about quitting the BAU after Gideon ran away causing him to tell him to give himself some time while promising to be there for him when he needs him.

Spencer yawned causing Hotch to look at his youngest agent.

"We should probably get some sleep." said Hotch while thinking about the current time in DC.

Spencer got himself under the covers before removing his glasses and set them on the nightstand, and as soon as Spencer had his head on his   
pillow Hotch turned off the bedside lamp.

xxxxxxx

The next morning Spencer stood in the police department's bullpen with his teammates.

"We're looking for 2 men, probably white, given the neighborhoods that they hit, mid to late twenties, intelligent, and organized." started Hotch.

"These are career criminals. One or both has done hard time, but neither presents as a convict. They would appear clean-shaven, well dressed..." said Morgan.

"Neighborly. This helps them talk their way into the homes. They may also be using a ruse." said Emily.

"What kind of ruse?" asked Lieutenant Nellis.

"Given that the invasions have taken place in the evening, it could be anything. Could be door-to-door sales, person in distress, car trouble." said   
Hotch.

"Uh, Derrick Todd Lee used a tape of a baby crying to get women to open their doors in Baton Rouge. Never underestimate their creativity." said   
Spencer.

"These men share a very tight bond and a mutual compulsion to kill, but their signatures reveal two very distinct personalities." said Emily.

"One brutalizes the parents. This is the dominant one... Sadistic, remorseless, extremely volatile." said Hotch.

"The other prefers a needle. His injections are consistent with an angel of death. He's more withdrawn, sensitive, and he has a warped sense of   
mercy." said Emily as Morgan passed out a list of places that the drugs could have been accessed at.

"Agent Morgan is passing out a list of places where he might have access to the drug he uses. It's long, but..." said Hotch just as JJ entered the room.

"Hotch. There's been another one, and they're sending an ambulance." said JJ.

"Ambulance?" asked Emily.

"There's a survivor?" asked Hotch.

JJ nodded.

xxxxx

The next day Spencer was sitting at the table that was given to him and his teammates.

"Witness says these unsubs are using cats. We should find out where they might be getting them." said Hotch.

"There's plenty of strays out there. Nobody would notice if a few went missing." said Morgan.

"Or they could work someplace where they had access to animals." said Emily.

"Could overlap with the pentobarbital. Research labs, veterinary hospitals." said Spencer.

"I'll get Garcia to make up a list." said Morgan before walking away.

"Carrie said that they referred to each other as brothers." said JJ.

"It's not uncommon for duos to be related. The Hillside Stranglers were cousins. The Carr brothers perpetrated the Wichita massacre." said   
Spencer.

"Yeah, but these two are of different races, and Carrie said the Hispanic one did not speak Spanish, which makes me think…" said Emily.

"Raised in a white household. Maybe they're half brothers." said Hotch.

"What if they're adopted? Family destruction plays a role in the crimes. It could be a reflection of their own broken home." said Spencer as he   
thought about how his mom sometimes physically abused him during her episodes while having to deal with his father walking out.

"This guy expressed affection for Carrie. We know he took her photograph. We could use that." said Hotch.

Spencer instantly understood his boss's logic.

"If we release news of her survival, it might draw him out." said Spencer.

Emily sighed.

"Not comfortable with that?" asked Hotch.

"OK, but I would be more comfortable if we doubled her security." said Emily.

xxxxxx

Spencer looked at the crime scene photos before reading the autopsy reports, and after realizing that one of the children were being abused by a parent, he ended up thinking about the times that his mom slapped him during her episodes before going to find Hotch.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

A short while later Spencer was pointing his pen at one of the crime scene photos as he looked at his teammates and Lieutenant Nellis.

"This is the Laybourne house, where we believe our unsubs graduated from robbery to murder." said Spencer.

"Did you find a trigger?" asked Morgan.

"Not until I looked at the daughter's autopsy reports. Uh, check out the bruises on her torso." said Spencer as he pointed at a picture.

"She was beaten?" asked Hotch as he thought about how Spencer ended up telling him that there were times that his mom hit him when she didn't   
think that he was her son.

"But not by our unsubs. The coroner noted those bruises were several days old. Uh, it turns out she'd been to the emergency room 3 times in less   
than 2 years. The D.S.S had even been notified." said Spencer as he thought how hard he worked on making sure that people didn't know that his   
mother would hit him.

"So the Laybournes were abusing their daughter. Where's this going?" asked Hotch.

"One of the unsubs decimates parental figures, but we know the statistics there. It's... It's likely he was abused himself." said Spencer.

"So you're saying the unsub recognized the signs of abuse, flew into a rage, and killed the parents?" asked Hotch.

"Anger displacement. He's getting revenge for his own childhood abuse." said Spencer as he thought about how he had to commit his mom for the   
safety of himself and others.

"So you think what, the victims were beating their kids?" asked Lieutenant Nellis.

"Uh, the Laybourne case was just the trigger, but now they see all parents the same." said Spencer.

"That doesn't explain the kids." said Lieutenant Nellis.

Morgan decided to back Spencer up as he thought about Spencer telling him after the Fisher King Case how bad it was to deal with his mother   
after his father left until he was able to commit her.

"Maybe it does. Think of the family annihilators John List and Mark Barton. They thought they were saving their kids by killin' 'em." said Morgan.

"But what is he saving' them from?" asked Lieutenant Nellis.

"Life without their parents, without love, life like his." said Morgan.

"They're orphans. What if they both grew up in a third-party household?" asked Spencer.

"What, like a foster home?" asked Lieutenant Nellis.

"Didn't Carrie describe an aversion to eye contact?" asked Hotch.

"Oppositional defiant disorder." said Spencer.

"Often seen in kids who grew up in foster homes." said Hotch.

Emily entered the room.

"Guys, I think we may have found our girl's secret admirer." said Emily.

"Garcia traced the flowers?" asked Morgan.

"Yep. Paid for by phone with a credit card under the name Robert Serrano." said Emily.

xxxxxxxxxx

A Kevlar vest clad Spencer entered a house with Hotch and Morgan before finding a dead body in the living room and another dead body laying in a doorway.

xxxxxxxx

Nearly two hours later Spencer arrived at a city pound with Hotch and Emily, and when hearing the dogs barking Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Mind if I stay out here since dogs don't like me?" asked Spencer.

"Go ahead." said Hotch.

As soon as Hotch and Emily were out of earshot, Spencer pulled out his phone and called Maeve.

"Hi, Spencer." said Maeve.

"I hope I'm not bothering you." said Spencer.

"I'm at home reading a book right now while waiting for dinner to finish cooking." said Maeve.

"I'm still in Denver right now, and we have identified one of the two unsubs." said Spencer.

"As soon as your on your way home, text me." said Maeve.

"I'm already planning on it." said Spencer as he heard an oven timer go off in the background.

"Dinner should be done right now, so I will let you get back to work." said Maeve.

"Love you." said Spencer.

"Love you too." said Maeve before hanging up.

A few minutes later Spencer pocked his cellphone, Hotch and Emily came over to him.

"Supervisor left a message for Ervin to come in right away. Work emergency." said Hotch.

"He also said a man stopped by yesterday, got into a heated argument with Ervin." said Emily.

"The description sounded a lot like the one Carrie gave." said Hotch.

"The partner... Did he say what they were fighting about?" asked Spencer as they headed to the SUV.

"He couldn't hear it." said Emily.

"We need a name on this guy." said Hotch.

"Well, until we find Ervin, there's only one person that can tell us that." said Spencer.

"The foster mom." said Emily.

xxxxxxx

Spencer got out of the front passenger seat of an SUV and headed over to Mrs. Manwaring.

"What is all this?" asked a demanding Mrs. Manwaring.

"We have reason to believe that Gary may be on his way here to hurt you." said Hotch as Lieutenant Nellis followed them.

"Me? I don't understand!" exclaimed Mrs. Manwaring.

"These murder are rehearsals of what he wants to do to you." said Spencer.

"Because of what you did to him in this house." said Hotch.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" exclaimed Mrs. Manwaring.

"Ma'am, we don't have time to debate this. The fact is, you and your husband are in danger." said Hotch.

"I... I have to pick up the children at school." said Mrs. Manwaring.

"We'll send someone to pick them up. The only way we can protect you is if you go back inside." said Hotch.

Mrs. Manwaring looked at Spencer who nodded to her before she went inside.

xxxxx

Spencer was sitting outside a donut shop with Lieutenant Nellis as he recognized Gary and one of the kids causing him to call Hotch.

"Reid, what?" asked Hotch.

"We got him. He's at a donut shop 2 miles from the school. Black and whites saw the car, called it in." said Spencer.

"Kids?" asked Hotch.

Spencer instantly grabbed the binoculars that Lieutenant Nellis gave him and looked through them.

"Ah, we got a visual on Gary and the boy, but I don't see the girl." said Spencer just as there was a tap on the window causing him to recognize Sara.

"Are you the police?" asked Sara.

"Yeah." said Spencer as he rolled down the already open window more.

"He told me to give this to you." said Sara as she passed Spencer a note.

Spencer quickly read the note.

"We might have a problem, Hotch." said Spencer.

xxxxxx

A short while later Spencer was standing outside Lieutenant Nellis's car with his Kevlar vest on when Hotch who was donning his vest came over to them.

"Guys, guys, fall back, I don't want them feeling boxed in." said Hotch as he looked at the SWAT agents.

"I got sharpshooters lining up." said Lieutenant Nellis.

Spencer passed Hotch the note.

"Tell them to keep their safeties on. I want to talk to him first." said Hotch.

"Let's see." said Hotch as he motioned Spencer to hand him the binoculars.

Hotch looked through the binoculars as JJ approached them.

"Hotch?" asked JJ.

"Yeah?" asked Hotch.

"Got the clerk." said JJ.

Hotch pressed the phone to his ear.

"That guy sitting at the table with the little boy, I'd like to speak to him, please." said Hotch as Spencer looked through the binoculars that Hotch   
gave back to him as he listened to Hotch's side of the conversation.

"I'm the only thing standing between you and a bullet. And never see Ervin again? He told us what the Manwarings did to you in that house.   
They're the objects of your anger, Gary, not that little boy in there. No, it's not. It's not, Gary. And deep down, I think you know that he still has a chance. He doesn't have to be you." said Hotch before hanging up about 20 seconds later.

"What is it? What'd he say?" asked Lieutenant Nellis.

A minute later Morgan and Emily were getting Tyler to safety before Hotch who had his hand on Spencer's shoulder motioned him to come with   
him, and a minute later they approached Morgan and a SWAT agent who were arresting Gary before two SWAT agents led Gary away.

"I don't know what you did, but nice work." said Lieutenant Nellis.

"Thanks." said Hotch before looking at Spencer and JJ, "You two stay here and take statements." said Hotch.

xxxxxxxxxx

Spencer was taking some donuts that he bought for himself and JJ as he listened to a clerk talk to an officer.

"I didn't know anything was up until he, uh, came and got the phone. That's when I saw the piece." said the clerk causing Spencer to put down his donut and stand up, "Then I handed him the phone." said the clerk.

Spencer looked at the clerk.

"Excuse me, did you say piece?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, yeah, revolver of some sort. He had it stuck in his pants." said the clerk.

Spencer looked at the officer who was interviewing the clerk.

"Did you clear a gun?" asked Spencer.

"No." said the officer.

Spencer quickly pulled out his phone and called Hotch.

"Yeah, Reid?" asked Hotch.

"Hotch, the clerk said Gary had a gun, but we didn't recover anything here." said Spencer.

"You sure?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah." said Spencer.

"I saw Nellis turn him inside out. He had nothing on him." said Hotch.

Spencer looked around in his surroundings.

"I guess it's probably here somewhere. A gun doesn't just walk away." said Spencer.

After a few seconds a silence Spencer spoke up.

"Hotch?" asked Spencer before Hotch hung up.

xxxxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer sat down by the small table across the aisle from Hotch as Morgan and JJ boarded the jet.

"Tell me they restocked the bar." said Morgan.

"I called ahead." said JJ as Spencer watched Hotch talk on the phone.

"Do you... Do you mind waking him up? I just... I just want to hear his voice. Thanks." said Hotch.

A few minutes later after the jet was in the air, Spencer pulled out his phone and sent Maeve a text.

I'M GOING TO BE HOME FROM DENVER IN FOUR HOURS. ~ SR

A minute later his phone vibrated.

THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW, AND DO YOU WANT ME TO BE WAITING IN YOUR APARTMENT? ~ MD

Spencer thought for a minute before replying.

I WOULD LIKE YOU TO BE WAITING INSIDE FOR ME BECAUSE I REALLY NEED TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOMETHING THAT CAN POSSIBLY AFFECT OUR RELATIONSHIP SINCE I NEED TO COME CLEAN ABOUT A FEW THINGS. ~ SR

A minute later Maeve replied.

DOES IT HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO THAT FISH RESTAURANT I RECOMMENDED? ~ MD

Spencer typed his reply.

THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I NEED TO TALK TO YOU, AND I'M ABOUT TO GET SOME SLEEP SO WE CAN TALK WHEN I GET HOME. ~ SR

xxxxxxxx

Spencer unlocked his apartment, and he smiled when he saw Maeve asleep on his couch with a book open on her chest causing him to wake up the young woman.

"I'm home Maeve." said Spencer softly.

Maeve opened her eyes and she smiled when she saw Spencer.

"Sorry that I fell asleep on your couch." said Maeve as she got herself to sit up.

"Its OK since its late." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "The reason why I don't want to eat fish is because I was held captive for over two days by a man with dissociative identity disorder and one of the personalities burned fish guts." said Spencer.

Maeve saw a haunted look in Spencer's eyes.

"You don't have to tell me if your not ready." said Maeve.

"I have to since I'm going to be dealing with a life long battle of PTSD while having to deal with fighting to stay clean from a forced drug addiction." said Spencer as he ended up telling Maeve about his time in captivity and the aftermath, and when he was finished he looked at Maeve, "After getting clean, my boss promised not to report me as long as I attend therapy." said Spencer.

"Therapy is a good idea." said Maeve.

"So you don't mind dating a drug addict?" asked Spencer.

"You've been sober for a couple of months now, and as long as you stay sober I won't judge you at all while you promise to tell me if your craving for Dilaudid." said Maeve.

"Plus you can't tell anyone since my teammates and I can lose our jobs over this, but I know that you deserve to know the truth." said Spencer.

"I promise." said Maeve as she gave Spencer a gentle kiss on the lips.

Spencer looked at the clock and realized how late it is.

"I don't feel comfortable about sending you home this late so you can take my bed while I take the couch." said Spencer.

"Why not share your bed?" asked Maeve.

"You really want to sleep with me?" asked Spencer.

"With the case you just worked while telling me that your dealing with PTSD, I want to be right by you just in case I have to wake you up from a nightmare." said Maeve.

"Okay." sighed Spencer.

"Do you have anything I can sleep in?" asked Maeve.

"I might have something." said Spencer as he got up from the couch and headed to his bedroom where he found a pair of pajama pants and a Cal-tech t-shirt.

Over a half hour later Spencer and Maeve were laying in Spencer's bed together, and the next morning when they woke up, Spencer realized that he didn't have any nightmares at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Despite sharing Spencer's bed after knowing each other for a week, they haven't had sex yet while Maeve didn't want to leave him alone.


	4. Seven Seconds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Criminal Minds

Spencer looked at Maeve as he held up a spoon that contained pumpkin soup.

"What do you think?" asked Spencer.

Maeve tasted the pumpkin soup that Spencer was making.

"Delicious." said Maeve.

"Its my aunt Ethel's recipe." said Spencer.

"I take it that you decided to make pumpkin soup to get into the spirit of Halloween?" asked Maeve.

Spencer grinned.

"Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I always end up decorating my apartment around this time of the year to get in the mood for Halloween." said Spencer.

"Mind if I help decorate?" asked Maeve.

"I was hoping that you would help me." said Spencer as his stomach growled.

"First we should focus on eating dinner before we decorate." teased Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

45 minutes later Spencer and Maeve were finishing up on washing and drying their dishes when Spencer looked at Maeve.

"With how you've been staying the night every night since I got home from Denver, would you mind staying the night again?" asked Spencer nervously.

"I can, but I will need to stop at my apartment and grab some clothes for tomorrow." said Maeve.

"OK." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

20 minutes later Spencer and Maeve were in Maeve's apartment, and Spencer saw Maeve's bookshelves.

"Go ahead and look at my books while I grab some clothes, pajamas, and toiletry items." said Maeve.

Spencer started looking through Maeve's books, and while going through the books he ended up smiling at some pictures of Maeve as a little girl while causing him to realize that she looked a lot like her mom just as he heard Maeve's voice.

"I'm ready to go back to your apartment, and I ended up packing some of my own decorations." said Maeve.

Spencer turned around to see Maeve with a gym bag.

"Have you told your parents about me?" asked Spencer.

"Not yet, but I'm planning on telling them soon since I ended up bailing out on them tonight so I can spend time with you." said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer and Maeve were working together on decorating Spencer's apartment for Halloween before they settled onto the couch to watch "Hocus Pocus" before they did their nightly bedtime routines before crawling into Spencer's king sized bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next evening Spencer entered the mall with his teammates when Hotch addressed Agent James Franklin.

"Jim." said Hotch.

"We've been in lock down for almost 20 minutes. My team's already in motion." said Jim as walkie talkies were passed around.

"Another female, same age, same time of day, Taken from essentially the same location." said Emily as Spencer clipped his walkie talkie to his belt.

"What makes you sure Katie Jacobs is still in the building?" asked Morgan.

"The mall's got cameras installed at every entrance and exit. Surveillance video confirms Katie entering the building, But no sign of her leaving. Security paged her over the intercom, and their initial sweep came up empty." said Jim.

"Whoever killed Jessica Davis last week left that mall with her because he wanted time with his victim in privacy." said Spencer.

"Assuming it's the same offender, he wouldn't stray from his M. O. He wouldn't leave here without his victim." said Hotch.

"So if Katie's still under this roof, so is her abductor." said JJ.

"Garcia, report to the mall's security office. Reid, Morgan, I want you to find the head of security. We need all data from every search team. You guys start with Katie's parents. We'll treat the mall like a neighborhood, And we'll separate into areas of control. Come on." said Hotch.

Spencer quickly went with Morgan to find the head of security.

Xxxxxxxx 

Marie laid down a map while she talked to Spencer and Morgan.

"117 stores, uh, 69 storage closets, 73 dressing rooms, 6 men's rooms, 6 ladies' rooms, Exits to the rooftop via the north and south stairwells, 7 restaurants, each with separate kitchen, and 4 elevators." said Marie.

"Every team's gonna need a copy of this." said Morgan.

Spencer was running his hand over the map of the mall memorizing it as Morgan spoke to Marie.

"Well, aside from the stairwells, storage closets, And hundreds of shops, there's a whole underbelly beneath our feet- Subterranean level, air ducts, boiler rooms." said Morgan.

"Realistically, it'll take at least... 3 hours to cover this place." said Marie.

"Realistically, we have less than half that time." said Morgan.

"How do you figure?" asked Marie.

"99% of abducted children who are killed die within the first 24 hours, 75% within the first 3 hours, And what only law enforcement knows is Jessica Davis joined the 44% of children Who are abducted and killed within the first hour." said Spencer as Morgan's cellphone rang causing Morgan to answer it.

"Yeah. What do you got?" asked Morgan before listening to Garcia for a few seconds before looking a Spencer, "Can you stay with Marie?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Morgan walked with Marie towards the arcade.

"So she and her cousin came in here about 30 minutes ago, and that was the last time anyone saw Katie?" asked Spencer.

"That's right." said Marie.

Spencer put his hands into his pockets.

"10 minutes after the assault is generally the molester's lowest point of self-esteem." said Spencer.

"He could be panicking right about now, realizing he's got a witness." said Morgan.

"Richard Allen Davis strangled Polly Klaas just to prevent her from identifying him." said Spencer.

"A single abduction like this would normally be classified as a snatch-and-grab, But with the Jessica Davis abduction, It's more likely we're dealing with a preferential offender." said Morgan.

"Whose victims fall into a particular type. He came to this mall knowing what he was looking for, Because he feels safe here, familiar with his surroundings." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer sat across from Jeremy while Morgan stood near them.

"Jeremy, we asked your mom and dad if we could talk privately. Thought it might be easier that way." said Spencer.

"'Cause my dad thinks this is my fault." said Jeremy.

"No. Jeremy, your dad is just super upset right now, Because times like this, people get really emotional." said Spencer as he thought about the emotion he and his teammates dealt with when he was reunited with them after he killed Hankel since they thought the worse.

Morgan leaned forward a bit.

"Hey, kid... The moments right before a kidnapping like this are the most important. You gotta understand you're the only one who can help us with that." said Morgan.

"But-but I can't remember." said Jeremy.

"Jeremy, all we need is the last thing Katie did or said before you realized she was gone." said Spencer gently.

Jeremy started breathing heavily causing Spencer and Morgan to get concerned.

"Jeremy." said Morgan as Jeremy stood up, "What. What. What? Talk to me" asked Morgan as he grabbed Jeremy.

"I can't breathe." choked Jeremy.

"Uh, y-you're having a panic attack. Sit down." said Spencer.

Morgan helped Jeremy sit down.

"Jeremy, sit down. Sit down. Want you to put your head between your knees." said Morgan as he guided Jeremy's head to his knees, "Put your head between your knees. That's right. Just breathe. Just breathe." said Morgan as he looked at Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer stood with Morgan and Emily while he listened to Beth Jacobs tell everyone in the mall about Katie causing him to think about the future he can have with Maeve if their relationship lasts.

Spencer walked with Morgan and Jeremy through the arcade.

"So what are you youngsters playing these days?" asked Morgan.

"I like... D. O. A." said Jeremy.

"D. O. A.? As in "dead on arrival"?" asked Morgan.

"It's "dead or alive."" said Spencer.

"What do you like so much about it, Jeremy?" asked Morgan.

"The close combat. It's all about timing, how well you know your enemies. Plus I'm really good at it." said Jeremy.

"Hmm. Yeah, I bet you are, kid. So, uh, what was the first game that you walked to when you came in here earlier?" asked Morgan.

Jeremy led Spencer and Morgan to the game that he was playing before Morgan looked at Jeremy.

"I'm gonna ask you to close your eyes for a minute, all right? I want you to go back to when you first walked in the arcade a little earlier. Can you remember that?" asked Morgan as Spencer watched Jeremy's facial tics.

"Yeah." said Jeremy.

"You're doin' great, my man. OK, in your mind, I want you to try and picture what it sounded like in here. Picture what it smelled like. Was it crowded?" asked Morgan.

"It was loud." said Jeremy.

"Were the people loud, or were the sound effects loud?" asked Spencer.

"Both. Some kid was yelling at his game." said Jeremy as he flashed back to earlier.

A minute later Spencer noticed a look on Jeremy's face.

"What's making you so uncomfortable, Jeremy?" asked Spencer.

"Katie was crying." said Jeremy.

"What was she crying about?" asked Spencer.

"I don't remember. I- I couldn't hear." stuttered Jeremy.

"OK. Jeremy, go back to the video game." said Morgan.

Jeremy closed his eyes.

"I was winning." said Jeremy.

"And how did that make you feel?" asked Morgan.

"Awesome, proud of myself, kind of embarrassed." said Jeremy.

"Embarrassed? How?" asked Morgan.

"Like people were watching me." said Jeremy.

"Why were you self-conscious who was watching you?" asked Morgan.

"I could smell her shampoo." said Jeremy.

"Katie's?" asked Morgan.

"No." said Jeremy as he repeated what was said.

"So Katie was asking for ice cream?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah." said Morgan.

Spencer looked at Jeremy as he noticed that Jeremy was biting his inner cheek.

"Was there something else?" asked Spencer.

"No." said Jeremy.

"You did good, kid." said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer unlocked Katie Jacob's house with the keys that he was given before going through the living room while Morgan went through the kitchen.

"Somebody lit a fire last night." said Spencer as Morgan came into the room.

"Well, there's dirty dishes for 3 in the kitchen, So they eat together as a family." said Morgan.

Spencer opened up the DVD player and smiled when he saw "Babar" in the DVD player.

"Hey, my favorite movie from when I was a kid." said Spencer as he held up the DVD.

Morgan slightly chuckled.

"So they watch movies together, too. By a fireplace in a house that's in a cookie-cutter neighborhood. Norman Rockwell couldn't have painted this any cozier." said Spencer.

Morgan looked at a picture of Katie with her parents.

"That's what worries me." said Morgan

"We should probably go head up and search Katie's room." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was removing the sheets and blankets on Katie's bed, and he grimaced as he saw the stains.

"Katie's been wetting her bed." said Spencer.

"A lot of 6 year olds do. Could be bad dreams." said Morgan before checking her toys.

"Some kids won't get up at night, 'cause they're afraid of the dark." said Spencer as Morgan picked up a Barbie doll from Katie's toy bin.

"Or it could be a lot more complex than that." said Morgan as he showed Spencer the Barbie doll.

"Most girls covet their dolls like an extension of themselves." said Spencer.

"Reid, I know these signs- acting out on her toys, wetting the bed. She's obviously covering up something about that necklace." said Morgan causing Spencer to flash back to one of the last questions he asked Jeremy.

"And her cousin might be holding something back." said Spencer.

"Katie's in a lot of pain and not telling anybody, and I think I know why." said Morgan before he called Hotch causing Spencer to hear Morgan's side of the conversation before hanging up and looked at Spencer, "We should take this doll with us, and I think you should be the one to interview Jeremy again since you know that he's holding something back." said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered the room that Jeremy was being detained in and sat across from Jeremy.

"What's going on? Did you find Katie?" asked Jeremy.

"Jeremy, how old are you?" asked Spencer.

"13." said Jeremy.

"13 You know, when I was 13, I was starting to notice girls, too. I was curious, but, uh-heh. I was-I was, like, really awkward, So it was super hard for me to talk to them, and I, uh- I Found that incredibly frustrating." said Spencer as he thought about how hard it was to be one of the youngest students at Cal-tech when he started college a month before his 13th birthday.

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Jeremy.

"'Cause I think I understand you. You're, uh- you're in the arcade. Pretty girl walks in, and, uh... You get distracted by the-the scent of her hair, right?" asked Spencer.

"I guess. So what?" asked Jeremy.

"So you're- you're becoming a man. It's-heh. Believe it or not, it happens to all of us. There's nothing wrong with that at all." said Spencer as he thought about how hard it was to go through puberty in college.

"Never said there was." said Jeremy.

"And these video games that you play, these cool video games allow you to, to explore your violent side. Right? So, I mean, clearly you're intrigued. My only question is whether or not you acted on these curiosities, You've experimented yet." said Spencer.

"Shouldn't you be looking for my cousin right now?" asked Jeremy.

"I am looking for your cousin right now." said Spencer.

"Why are you asking me these questions?" asked Jeremy.

"Why are you avoiding them?" shot back Spencer.

After Jeremy stayed silent for a couple of minutes, Spencer looked at Jeremy.

"Hey, Jeremy, do you know what I do for the FBI?" asked Spencer as he made sure to change his tone.

"No." said Jeremy.

"Study human behavior." said Spencer.

Jeremy backed his chair away a bit.

"Like, uh, the way you're pushing your chair away from me," said Spencer as he leaned forward a bit, "It tells me that what I'm saying is making you uncomfortable, like, uh, you're trying to distance yourself from me, maybe from what I'm capable of reading about you." said Spencer.

"Whatever." muttered Jeremy as he continued to bite his inner cheek.

"Case in point: You bite your inner cheek. It's a- it's a nervous tic, like you're holding on to something. Doing it right now. You were also doing it inside the arcade, And I think you were doing it because maybe- I don't know- Maybe you remembered something more than what you told us." said Spencer.

"No. I told you everything." said Jeremy quickly.

"I don't know. I don't think you told us everything. I think something else happened inside that arcade, something something you haven't told anybody yet." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer and Jeremy were standing outside with Morgan watching Susan Jacobs being led to a police car.

"Is Katie gonna be all right?" asked Jeremy.

"She will eventually." said Morgan as he thought about how long it took for Spencer to be recovered from Hankel.

"I heard her call my mom's name. That's what I remembered before." said Jeremy.

"We get it, kid. That's your mom." said Morgan.

Jeremy thought about Spencer telling him that his father was also going away for a long time due to hurting his cousin.

"What's gonna happen to me now?" asked Jeremy.

"I don't know, Jeremy, but, uh, we're gonna make sure you're all right, OK?" asked Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer as he noticed social services causing him to let Spencer know that its time.

"Let's go." said Spencer as he placed a hand on Jeremy's shoulder and back and motioned him to come with him.

A minute later Jeremy was sitting in the backseat of a car, and Spencer pulled out a card that he wrote his personal number on earlier.

"I want you to have this." said Spencer.

Jeremy looked at the card and noticed that a cellphone number was written on.

"Why are you giving me this?" asked Jeremy.

"I know what its like to grow up in a broken home. There were times that I wished that I could have someone outside my family to talk to without child protective services getting involved, so if you ever need anything like homework help or need some advice just call my cellphone number and if I don't answer I will get back to you as soon as possible." said Spencer.

"Homework help?" asked Jeremy.

Morgan laughed.

"I ended up graduating high school when I was 12 years old and started college a month before turning 13, so if you failing a class and need a tutor or when your 17 and filling out college applications I can help write a letter of recommendation since I'm famous in the academic community." said Spencer.

Jeremy looked at Spencer and realized that Spencer would be a good mentor for him.

"Thank you." said Jeremy.

Xxxxx

An hour and a half later Spencer entered his apartment and he smiled when he saw Maeve sitting on his couch reading.

"Thank you for waiting for me here." said Spencer as he headed to the safe and locked up his gun before joining Maeve on the couch.

"Did you find that girl alive?" asked Maeve as she thought about recent events.

"She's alive, and this case wasn't connected to Jessica Davis." said Spencer as he took a deep breath, "Even though we have known each other for a week and a half, are you wanting kids someday?" asked Spencer.

"I definitely want kids someday, but what about you?" asked Maeve.

"Despite my mom having schizophrenia, I definitely want kids someday." said Spencer.

"Having kids would give you a reason why to stay sober." said Maeve.

"I know since my therapist told me that I should consider setting down with a girl and starting a family, and my mom's been pestering me about having grandchildren." said Spencer.

Maeve laughed as she scooted herself closer to Spencer.

"My mom and dad are like that too about wanting grandchildren." said Maeve.

"I know that when I become a father, I would make sure to be a better father than my own dad was." said Spencer as he wondered about where his father could be and if he found someone else to have normal children with.

"You will be a better dad than your own father was." said Maeve.

Spencer looked at the clock and noticed the time.

"Can you please stay the night again?" asked Spencer.

Maeve smiled as she pulled a bag out of its hiding place.

"I brought an overnight bag since you told me that you sleep better when I'm with you, and I was hoping that I could keep what I have in this bag here so I don't have to take clothing and pajamas back and forth." said Maeve.

"We can make room in my closet and dresser drawers." said Spencer.

"With seeing your claw foot bathtub in the master bathroom, would you mind if I take a bubble bath?" asked Maeve as she thought about how she made sure to bring her favorite bubble bath.

"Go ahead." said Spencer.

An hour later Spencer and Maeve were cuddling on Spencer's couch while watching "Frankenstein" to celebrate Halloween coming up before going to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Rossi will be in the next chapter and I'm thinking about having him figure out that Spencer is seeing someone while JJ, Morgan, Garcia, and Emily haven't even realized that Spencer has a girlfriend.


	5. About Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Criminal Minds

Spencer looked at Maeve as they made pumpkin pancakes together to celebrate the day before Halloween.

"I'm going to head to the office a bit earlier today so I can decorate my desk." said Spencer.

"I was also planning on going to work a bit early too to get some extra research in." said Maeve.

"I can't wait to meet David Rossi today." said Spencer.

Maeve laughed.

"You can tell me about meeting him after you get home from work." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were eating their breakfast before Spencer caught the subway that would get him to the train that would take him to Quantico while Maeve drove herself to work.

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch entered the bullpen and lightly shook his head when he saw Spencer decorating his desk for Halloween causing him to think about how much better Spencer has been since Gideon leaving due to Maeve entering his life.

"Excited about your favorite holiday?" asked Hotch.

Spencer grinned.

"Yep, and I brought a lot of candy and a costume to wear around here today." said Spencer as he grabbed a piece of candy and gave it to Hotch.

Hotch gave Spencer a rare smile as he took the piece of candy.

"Thanks, and David Rossi will be here soon." said Hotch.

Spencer grinned widely before he continued to focus on decorating his desk and desks of his teammates while a smiling Hotch headed up to his office.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer who was wearing a Frankenstein mask, monster hands, and a noose around his mask walked towards his desk while passing out candy to agents and civilian staff before noticing Morgan bent over his paperwork causing him to take the opportunity and lean over him while other amused agents watched what he was going to do.

"I'm going to eat you!" exclaimed Spencer in his monster voice.

Morgan physically jumped at a Halloween costume clad Spencer while Emily burst out laughing.

"Reid…" said Morgan as he righted himself.

Spencer partially removed his mask.

"Happy all hallows eve, folks. To paraphrase from Celtic mythology, tomorrow night all order is suspended, and the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily remooooved!" said Spencer in a spooky voice as he pulled out a shrunken head out of his paper bag and tossed it to a laughing Emily.

"See, that right there is why Halloween creeps me out." said Morgan as he thought about the excitement that Spencer has shown since joining the BAU in October of 2003.

"You're scared of Halloween?" asked a surprise Spencer.

"I didn't say I was scared, I said I was creeped out. There's a difference there, youngster. You should look it up." said Morgan as Spencer removed one of his monster hands.

"What creeps you out about it?" asked Emily.

"I don't know. People wearing masks. I don't like folks in disguises." said Morgan as he gestured to Spencer.

"That's the best thing about Halloween. You can be anyone you want to be." said Spencer as he thought about how lucky he was when it came to Maeve loving Halloween while tossing some candy onto Morgan's desk.

"Nah, I'm pretty good just being me." said Morgan.

"Yeah, why is it that neither of those points of view surprise me?" asked Emily.

"You know what, though? On the flip side, it does provide a pretty good reason to cozy up with a scary flick and a little Halloween honey." said Morgan as he winked at Emily.

"Halloween honey. Now I'm creeped out." said Emily.

Spencer quickly noticed Strauss with David Rossi coming towards them.

"Guys, he's here." whispered an excited Spencer.

Spencer quickly removed his mask while forgetting to remove his noose while he saw Rossi smile at them before he headed up to Hotch's office.

A few minutes later Spencer was removing the noose he had around his neck and his remaining monster hand when Hotch came over with Rossi.

"SSA David Rossi, this is SSA Emily Prentiss." said Hotch as he gestured to Emily.

"Sir." smiled Emily as she shook hands with Rossi.

Hotch looked at Morgan.

"SSA Derek Morgan." said Hotch.

Morgan shook hands with Rossi.

"It's an honor, Agent Rossi." said Morgan.

"Please, just Dave." said Rossi.

Hotch looked at the excited 26 year old starstruck genius.

"And Dr. Spencer Reid." said Hotch.

"Sir, if I could talk to you later about your work with the Scarsdale Skinner. Psycho-linguistics is an incredibly dynamic field, and the fact that your profile of his reading habits ultimately led to his capture is something I find so incredibly intrig- -." rambled Spencer.

Hotch inwardly smiled as he thought back to Spencer's excitement when he met Max Ryan.

"Reid, slow down. He'll be here for a while. You can catch up with him later." said Hotch.

"Sorry." said Spencer.

"No problem, doctor." said Rossi as he realized that Spencer must be a couple of years younger than his late son.

"Maybe you guys can talk on the jet." suggested Hotch.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be great." said Spencer.

"The jet?" asked Rossi as he thought back to one of the conversations he had with Gideon when the BAU was just formed.

"We have a jet now." said Hotch.

"Are you serious?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah. It comes in pretty handy. Come on. JJ's waiting." said Hotch.

A few seconds later Morgan was playfully slapping Spencer on the head, and less than a minute later Spencer was in the conference room with his teammates taking a seat next to Emily.

"Carrollton, Texas, is a suburb just outside of Dallas. 4 days ago, Michelle Colucci found this flier on her front door." said JJ as she showed a picture that she was sent.

"She found it?" asked Morgan.

"Meaning she wasn't actually missing?" asked Emily.

"Yet. She took the flier to a friend's husband, Detective Yarbrough, at the Carrollton P. D. Who told her it was probably just a Halloween prank, and he sent her home." said JJ.

"Well, I don't blame him. Halloween brings out the fool in everyone." said Morgan as he thought about Spencer rambling about Halloween earlier.

"Still, he stopped by Michelle's house later to check on her. The door was open, and when he went inside, he found this." said JJ before showing more pictures, "He still thought maybe it could be some kind of a prank, until yesterday. Michelle was found floating in a small creek just outside of Carrollton. She had been sexually assaulted... And her face had been removed." said JJ.

Spencer was glad that he could hold himself together.

"Removed? It wasn't animals or fish?" asked Rossi.

"The Dallas county M. E. Say that the edges of the wounds were smooth, not torn. A very sharp instrument had been used. He also found water in her lungs." said JJ just as Garcia entered the room.

"Oh, my god! What is that?" asked Garcia as she covered his face.

"Technical analyst Penelope Garcia, this is SSA David Rossi." said Hotch.

"Is it gone, JJ?" asked Garcia.

JJ clicked to the next picture.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're safe." said JJ.

Garcia uncovered her face.

"OK. Just to, um... Carrollton, Texas, has nearly 117,000 residents, a diverse population with A... it's all in there. I'm sorry." said Garcia as she shook hands with Rossi, "Very happy to meet you, sir. I'll be in my office. Sorry." said Garcia as she left the room and closed the door.

"She's different." said Rossi as he thought about Spencer's introduction earlier.

Hotch instantly thought about how the FBI recruited Spencer and Garcia for their skill set.

"You have no idea." said Hotch.

"Uh, so, the unsub tells her she's going to go missing to psychologically torture her, then tortures her physically. Textbook sadist." said Emily.

"A sophisticated one. That's elaborate." said Hotch.

"Number one." said Morgan as he looked at a picture of a mask.

"That particular mask is known as a false face. It's most commonly worn during Halloween and Mardi Gras." said Spencer.

"Creepy. I rest my case." said Morgan.

"False face." said Hotch.

"Her face- he mocks it, then destroys it." said Emily.

"Oh, and, Hotch- local media has the story. It broke big." said JJ.

"Tell Carrollton we'll be there first thing in the morning. Let's stop this one at one." said Hotch.

"Yes, sir." said Hotch as everyone closed their files while Hotch looked at Rossi, "If you want to take some time to get situated, maybe start on the next case?" asked Hotch.

"I'm not back to get situated, Hotch, I'm here to work." said Rossi.

"Everybody get your things together. We're going to Texas." said Hotch as he thought about how his teammates deserve one more night in their own beds before they left for Texas.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was entering his apartment and he smiled when he saw Maeve sitting on his couch reading a book.

"You like my cardigans way too much." said Spencer as he gave Maeve a quick kiss.

"They're comfortable while smelling like coffee and old books." said Maeve.

"I'm leaving for Texas in the morning so should we go out for dinner or make dinner together?" asked Spencer.

"How about we go out." said Maeve.

"OK, but I want to switch my contacts for my glasses." said Spencer as he quickly headed to the bedroom.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half hour later Spencer and Maeve were sitting in Paddy's drinking milkshakes when an older couple approached them causing Maeve's eyes to go wide.

"I didn't know that you two were coming here this evening." said Maeve as she looked at her parents.

Joe and Mary looked at Spencer who was looking nervous.

"Now I see why you've been busy lately." teased Mary Donovan.

"I was going to tell you guys soon." said Maeve before looking at her parents, "This is my boyfriend Dr. Spencer Reid." said Maeve.

"Nice to meet you, Sir." said Spencer as he nervously shook hands with Joe.

"Joe please." said Joe.

Spencer looked at Mary and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." said Spencer.

"Please call me Mary." said Mary.

Maeve looked at Spencer who nodded.

"Would you two like to join us?" asked Maeve.

"Are you sure that you want us to interrupt your date?" said Mary.

"You two might as well join us since I'm going out of town for work tomorrow morning." said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were sitting across from Joe and Mary, and after Mary and Joe took their orders Joe looked at Spencer.

"So how long have you been dating my little girl?" asked Joe.

"Nearly 16 days." said Spencer.

"So what type of doctor are you?" asked Mary.

"I'm an academic doctor just like you and Maeve." said Spencer.

"What is your PhD in?" asked Mary.

Maeve smirked.

"I have three PhDs in mathematics, engineering, and chemistry while holding two BAs in psychology and sociology." said Spencer.

"How were you able to get those degrees so quickly?" asked Mary as she realized that Maeve has met her match.

"I ended up graduating high school at 12 years old due to having an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory meaning that I can't forget anything, while reading 20,000 words per a minute." said Spencer.

Joe and Mary exchanged impressed looks.

"So do you work for a university like Maeve does?" asked Mary.

"I was recruited by the FBI when I was 21 years old, and when I graduated the academy at 22 years old, I've been placed in one of the hardest units to get into." said Spencer.

"What unit do you work for?" asked Joe.

"I'm a profiler for the Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia." said Spencer as he ended up giving a brief description about his job before their food arrived.

Xxxxxxxx 

45 minutes later the two couples were leaving the diner together when Mary looked at Spencer.

"As soon as you get back from Texas, I expect you to come over for dinner with Maeve." said Mary as she thought about her decision to put some much needed weight on Spencer's thin frame.

Joe looked at Spencer.

"I approve you dating my daughter, so you better not hurt her." said Joe.

Spencer gulped as Maeve's parents walked away while Maeve looked at Spencer.

"They loved you." said Maeve.

"We should head back to my place since I have an early morning tomorrow morning." said Spencer.

"Want me to stay the night again?" asked Maeve.

"Yes, please." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was sitting next to Emily on the jet, and after going through files for awhile, Hotch looked at his teammates.

"Let's go over victimology. Would you like to join us, Dave?" asked Hotch.

Rossi got up and walked closer to his new teammates while Hotch looked at his youngest agent.

"Reid, what have you got?" asked Hotch.

"Uh, Michelle Colucci was single, lived alone, no boyfriend and no ex-husband." said Spencer.

"Dating?" asked Emily as she noticed Rossi opening up a little black notebook.

"There's nothing in the reports." said Morgan.

"She was an architect. Friends and co-workers say she's a class workaholic. Basically a loner who rarely went out of the house." said JJ.

"So she's extremely low risk." said Emily.

"If it wasn't someone she knew personally, it's possible she was being stalked." said Spencer.

"Interesting." said Rossi.

"What's that?" asked Spencer.

"Oh, I'm just thinking out loud." said Rossi.

"Something to add?" asked Hotch.

"No. Sorry to interrupt." said Rossi.

"Well, she's pretty. It could be that the unsub met her casually and... Made her part of some kind of fantasy." said Morgan.

"And he tries to act on it and she rejects him?" asked Hotch.

"So he tortures her, out of anger?" asked Emily.

"Masks often represent a state of mind. This one's blank, expressionless. Doesn't really coincide with anger." said Spencer.

Morgan held up the crime scene photo.

"Reid, it's hard to imagine he did this out of anything less than rage." said Morgan just as Garcia's face popped up on the laptop.

"Hey, guys." said Garcia.

"What's up? You got something for us?" asked Morgan.

"A list of Michelle Colucci's clients. She designed office space. Mostly big corporate remodeling plans." said Garcia.

"No private clients, one on one contact?" asked Hotch.

"Doesn't look like it, no." said Garcia.

"Thanks, baby girl." said Morgan.

"Yeah." said Garcia before her face disappears.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later an officer was leading Spencer and his teammates to Detective Yarbrough.

"It's right this way, ma'am." said an officer.

A few seconds later JJ was looking at Detective Yarbrough.

"Detective Yarbrough?" asked JJ.

Detective Yarbrough looked at JJ and the five agents that were with her.

"FBI? We got another flier this time metro Dallas. Enid white. Her roommate called Dallas P. D. This morning. Enid never game home after walking her dog last night." said Detective Yarbrough.

"So she is missing." said Spencer.

"Well, he wallpapered the neighborhood with fliers for two blocks around their apartment." said Detective Yarbrough.

"Outside. That's different." said Morgan.

"No one saw him putting them up?" asked Emily.

"Dallas PD is still canvassing, but nothing so far. They're waiting for you on the new scene." said Detective Yarbrough.

"Mind if I keep this?" asked Hotch as he gestured to the flier in his hand.

"Not at all." said Detective Yarbrough.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"Morgan, you and Prentiss go to Michelle Colucci's house. JJ And I will talk to Enid's roommate. Dave, do you mind walking the disposal site with the detective and Reid?" asked Hotch as he thought about the adjustment period that Spencer was going to be dealing with when it comes to someone taking Gideon's place.

"Whatever you need." said Rossi.

"We'll regroup in an hour." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer walked through the small wooded area with Rossi and Detective Yarbrough.

"We went over this area pretty thoroughly, and there's no evidence left." said Detective Yarbrough.

"I just want to stand where she was." said Rossi before looking at Spencer, "Dr. Reid, do we still keep all the old files in the fourth floor storeroom?" asked Rossi.

"I think some are up there. You know, most of our information's on computer now." said Spencer.

"Right." said Rossi.

"Have you had a chance to go through our data since you've been back?" asked Spencer.

"Not yet." said Rossi.

"You'll be amazed. The original team- I mean, you interviewed something like, uh, 45 serial killers, right?" asked Spencer.

"Something like." said Rossi.

"Today we have interviews with over 1,000 offenders. Serial killers, child abductors, sex offenders- I'll go through it with you sometime if you like, answer any questions-." said Spencer.

"Sounds good." cut in Rossi.

"Michelle's body was found right here. I really thought it was a prank." said Detective Yarbrough.

"You can't really blame yourself for that." soothed Spencer as he thought about how Hotch blamed himself for sending him and JJ right into the hands of their unsub while JJ blamed herself for giving in to his decision to split up causing him to be abducted.

"She made herself dinner." said Detective Yarbrough.

"Excuse me?" asked Spencer.

"She had time to make herself dinner. I mean she was home for a while before he... There was time to help her." said Detective Yarbrough as Rossi looked at the scene.

"Water. Obliterates a body... Destroys evidence. But you weren't in the water that long, were you, Michelle?" asked Rossi.

"She had rocks tied to her to weigh her down." said Detective Yarbrough.

"She floated to the surface before there was any other damage." said Spencer.

"Just what was done to her already." said Detective Yarbrough.

"The salient point is that it was the first thing the unsub wasn't good at." said Spencer.

"Green river dumped most of the bodies in the water. But they weren't weighed down." said Rossi.

"Yeah. We know now it's 'cause he didn't care if they were found. He had no connection to them." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was talking with Detective Yarbrough when Hotch and JJ came back.

"We got anything?" asked Hotch.

Spencer quickly straightened up.

"Agent Rossi pointed out that since the victims were weighted down, it suggests the unsub didn't want them found. It suggests some sort of connection between them." said Spencer.

"Detective, how long was Michelle missing?" asked Hotch.

"She was found on the fourth day. So if she wasn't in the water long, then he held her for three." said Hotch as his cellphone rang causing him to get a phone call from Garcia, "Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"I've been running all of Enid White's credit cards." said Garcia.

"And?" asked Hotch.

"She made a purchase at 9 AM this morning at a sporting goods store in Dallas." said Garcia.

"This morning?" asked Hotch.

"What did she buy?" asked Spencer.

"A shotgun." said Garcia.

Spencer shared a horrified glance with Hotch while JJ and Detective Yarbrough had shocked looks.

"Thanks." said Hotch before hanging up and looked at his team and Detective Yarbrough, "She can buy a gun that easily?" asked Hotch.

"This is Texas." said Detective Yarbrough.

"There's no license or waiting period for most rifles or shotguns." said Rossi.

"Is there video surveillance of guns sales in sporting goods stores?" asked Hotch.

"There's supposed to be." said Detective Yarbrough.

"JJ, call the store. Find out if it was Enid or the unsub using her credit card." said Hotch.

"Right away." said JJ before walking away just as an officer approached them.

"Detective Yarbrough. There's an urgent call from a woman on one." said the officer.

Detective Yarbrough quickly answered the phone.

"Detective Yarbrough." said Detective Yarbrough.

"My name is Enid White." said Enid through the phone.

"Where are you, Enid?" asked Detective Yarbrough.

"The news reports said that the police didn't believe that other woman when she saw the missing fliers." said Enid.

"That was a mistake, Enid." said Detective Yarbrough.

"I have a gun. I don't think I can stay awake very much longer." said Enid.

"Enid, this is Agent Hotchner of the FBI. We believe you, and we want to help you. Can you tell us where you are?" asked Hotch.

"El Royale motel in Dallas. It's room 6. I saw the fliers. Hurry, please. He's gonna kill me." said Enid.

"Don't move, Enid. We're on our way." said Detective Yarbrough.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was standing by Hotch as they started to give the profile while Rossi was in another room.

"He's a white male. His shoe prints have been examined and put him at about 5'11, 165." started Morgan.

"So we've narrowed it down to anyone of average weight and height." said Detective Yarbrough.

"Exactly." said Morgan.

"There's a sophistication and patience in what this unsub does that suggests a level of maturity. We believe this puts his age in the mid-30s to 40s range." said Emily.

"Michelle Colucci was taken from the primary crime scene and disposed of at the tertiary crime scene four days later. That means she was held somewhere for at least three days. You can't really just hold a victim anywhere for days on end, so he most likely has access to a house of some kind." said Spencer as he thought about how his teammates couldn't find him unless he gave them clues.

"And he's also fairly tech savvy. The fliers were made on a computer. And it's probable that he used a device to intercept Enid White's phone call." said Morgan.

"Witnesses in Enid White's neighborhood say they may have seen a white man putting up fliers, but none of them could describe him, even with all the media attention this case has received." said Hotch.

"Great." said Detective Bowie.

"Actually, what that tells us is that there is absolutely nothing remarkable about this man. He is exceedingly average." said Emily.

"As you said, Detective Yarbrough, average height, average build." said Morgan.

"It extends to his professional life as well. He most likely works in a field where he doesn't stand out, doesn't really make a mark." said Spencer.

"His lack of distinction is part of his psychopathy. We have hundreds of interactions with people every day. Most of those involve someone overlooking someone else. Most of us don't pay any attention to being ignored, but to this kind of unsub, each oversight is intentional. Especially when it comes from his object of sexual desire. He begins to obsess over her until she's all he can think about. And the rage builds until he has to attack that person." said Hotch.

"So he's pissed off that nobody notices him?" asked Detective Yarbrough.

"Have you seen me?" asked Morgan.

"Wait. That's not about the women." said Detective Bowie.

"No. The masks are about the women- number one, number two. The fliers probably refer to him." said Emily.

"Removing his victims' faces transfers his feelings of being ignored into a mission and it gives him a sense of power." said Spencer.

"And the power can make him arrogant, but it doesn't make him notable." said Hotch.

"So how the hell do we catch an invisible man?" asked Detective Yarbrough.

"I'm pretty sure we can get him to contact you." said Hotch.

"What?" asked Detective Yarbrough.

"Well, the crime scenes show he wants to deliver his message to the police. He isn't going public." said Emily.

"Hopefully, by playing on his anger.." said Hotch before looking at the TV, "JJ, how did they get that?" asked Hotch.

"Not from me. I- Hotch, I called all the local police departments and I stressed withholding the mask." said JJ.

"I called them." said Rossi.

"What?" asked Hotch.

"I said the FBI thinks the masks mean he's impotent." said Rossi.

Spencer exchanged looks with his teammates before Hotch looked at Rossi.

"Can I speak to you for a second?" asked Hotch.

Hotch and Rossi left the room.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was sitting at a conference room table when Morgan patched Garcia in.

"Garcia, talk to us." said Morgan.

"So, Michelle Colucci recently drew up the plans for a remodel of three floors of a company called Techco Communications. It's a high-tech communications company in downtown Dallas." said Garcia.

"And Enid White?" asked Hotch.

"Worked there until two months ago." said Garcia just as Detective Yarbrough entered the room.

"He's on two." said Detective Yarbrough.

"The unsub?" asked Hotch.

"Demanded to speak to the FBI." said Detective Yarbrough.

Rossi answered the phone.

"This is FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi." answered Rossi.

"You called me impotent." said the unsub.

"Did I?" asked Rossi.

"I'm not impotent." whispered the unsub.

"Why are you whispering?" asked Rossi.

"You lied. You lied." whispered the unsub.

"Is someone around you? Are you at work?" asked Rossi.

"You have to tell the news the truth." said the unsub.

"I'll get you on the news, then you can correct me yourself." said Rossi.

"No, you, you, you correct it." said the unsub.

"By the way, I was, um, looking at the police security tapes for the day Michelle Colucci went missing." said Rossi.

"What?" asked the unsub.

"You watched her long enough to know she didn't have visitors. She was a loner. Yet you knew that Detective Yarbrough was coming over. You must have been right here in this station when he told her. Now, your face is gonna be on one of those tapes, and when I find it, I'm gonna paper this city with it, just like you did with those women. Everyone will see it. They won't be able to ignore you now. But you won't inspire fear, you'll inspire hatred and ridicule, because the only power someone like you has is a mask, and once that mask is removed, you'll be as insignificant as you've always been- a loser!" shouted Rossi.

"You just signed Enid White's death warrant." said the unsub as everyone heard papers being through before the unsub hung up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered a building with his teammates.

"Is the building sealed?" asked Hotch.

"Top to bottom." said Detective Yarbrough.

"Yarbrough, make sure it stays that way." said Hotch before addressing Garcia, "Garcia, which floors did Michelle Carlucci remodel? Got it-7, 8, 9." said Hotch before hanging up.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"Morgan, take 7. We're looking for a rank-and-file employee who made a scene in the last 20 minutes or was here and gone. Prentiss, 8, Reid, 9. Don't approach him. Just... Try to get a name, maybe a picture." said Hotch.

Spencer quickly walked away so he could head up to the ninth floor.

Xxxxxxxx 

An employee lead Spencer over to Max Pool's desk, and after finding a picture of Enid on Max's computer he quickly called Hotch.

"Yeah, Reid?" asked Hotch.

"I found a picture of Enid White on Max's computer." said Spencer.

"Got him." said Hotch before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

As Enid White was being taken to the ambulance by paramedics, Spencer ended up giving his teammates candy so they could help him pass out candy before they headed to the SUV so they could fly back to Quantico.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer settled for his flight home, and after the jet was in the air, Spencer sent Maeve a text message.

I'M FLYING HOME RIGHT NOW. ~ SR

A minute later his phone vibrated.

I'M STILL AWAKE RIGHT NOW, SO DO YOU WANT ME TO BE WAITING FOR YOU IN YOUR APARTMENT? ~ MD

Spencer quickly thought about it.

YES PLEASE. I'M GOING TO START ON MY PAPERWORK RIGHT NOW SO I CAN COME STRAIGHT HOME. ~ SR

A minute later Maeve replied.

I'LL SEE YOU AT YOUR APARTMENT. ~ MD

A few seconds later Spencer was pocking his phone and grabbed what he needed for his post case summary while not noticing that Rossi was watching him the entire time.

Xxxxxxxx 

Before Rossi walked away, he looked at Hotch.

"I wonder if you and everyone else know that Dr. Reid is hiding a secret of his own since I've noticed that he's been making a couple of phone calls while texting someone just like you did with Haley." said Rossi before leaving the room.

Hotch smiled a bit as he realized that the newest member would realize that Spencer has a girlfriend.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer quickly entered his apartment and he smiled when he saw Maeve getting his living room ready for their classic horror movie marathon.

"I'm home." said Spencer.

"Welcome home." said Maeve as she gave Spencer a peck on the lips.

"We found the victim alive, and as a way to distract children who were trick or treating at the crime scene, I decided to pass out candy to the children causing my teammates to follow through." said Spencer as he thought about how JJ, Emily, and Morgan asked him to give them candy to pass out.

"Ready to finish celebrating Halloween?" asked Maeve.

"I'm going to quickly go shower and change." said Spencer as he carried his go bag to his bedroom.

25 minutes later Spencer and Maeve were curled up together on Spencer's couch watching "The Addams Family" and its sequel "Addams Family Values" while snacking on popcorn and candy.


	6. Identity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts on 11-03-2007.
> 
> Let's just say that Spencer and Maeve had over than 10 dates because they consider getting together for dinner and watching movies every night a date despite Maeve always sleeping over since Spencer's getting a good night sleep because of her.

Spencer looked at Maeve as he sipped his wine at an Italian restaurant that they had dinner reservations at.

"Do you remember giving me permission to send a photo of us together to my mom?" asked Spencer.

"She finally got back to you?" asked Maeve as she took a sip of her own wine.

Spencer blushed a bit as he nodded.

"She said that you are pretty and she can't wait to meet you during Thanksgiving." said Spencer.

"I can't wait to meet her too since you already met my parents and they love you." said Maeve.

"I just hope we're not moving too fast." said Spencer.

"We decided that we need to spend nearly every minute of our free time together since we don't know when your going to be called away for work, and there's something that feels right about moving this fast." said Maeve.

"I think so too." said Spencer.

At that moment their food arrived, and when Spencer started eating he didn't realize that Rossi was sitting 20 feet away from them.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Spencer and Maeve entered Spencer's apartment, and a few minutes later Maeve was pulling Spencer into a kiss.

A few minutes later Maeve broke out of their kiss before looking into Spencer's eyes while thinking about how they shared one bottle of wine.

"Do you want to take this to the bedroom if your ready?" asked Maeve.

Spencer thought about it as he thought about how many dates they had despite knowing each other for 23 days.

"Are you sure?" asked Spencer.

"I want to, and I'm clean and on the pill." said Maeve as she thought about her last check up.

"I'm clean too, but I've never done this before." said Spencer.

"Then I'll teach you." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were undressing themselves in Spencer's bedroom before heading towards the bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer has completed his paperwork and was sitting on the edge of Morgan's desk rambling about Star Wars while thinking about the marathon he had with Maeve.

"A popular theory among leading astrophysicists estimates that the hyper matter reactor would need about 10 to the 32nd jewels of energy to destroy a planet the size of earth. Now, Lucas said it took 19 years to build the first death star, right?" asked Spencer as Morgan noticed painters coming out of Rossi's office, "But if you look at the new essential chronology, There's a testbed prototype for a super laser that spans..." rambled Spencer while Morgan got up.

"Where are you goin'?" asked Spencer.

"Taking back the last 5 minutes of my life." said Morgan as he headed towards the stairs that led to Rossi's new office.

"You can't go in there." said Spencer as he followed Morgan.

"Don't you want to know about this guy?" asked Morgan.

"I do." said Emily as she got up.

"Got it all memorized... His books, his bio." said Spencer.

"Yeah, books have sold over a million copies." said Morgan as Emily followed him while Spencer stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"So?" asked Spencer.

"There's a million reasons not to come back, if you know what I'm sayin'." said Morgan as he made a gesture for money.

A few seconds later Spencer was standing outside Rossi's office while Morgan and Emily walked around the inside of Rossi's office while not realizing that Rossi was listening in from a short distance.

"Huh. Taupe walls. That's a negative color. Cold, distant. You know, emotionally, Taupe is linked to loneliness And the desire to escape from the world." said Emily.

"I just figured the guy's walls would be covered with plaques and commendations." said Morgan as Spencer checked his surroundings from the bullpen.

"Huh. Maybe he doesn't want to be reminded of past victories. It's a new chapter for him." said Emily.

Spencer took a few tentative steps into Rossi's office.

"What happened to the moratorium on inter-team profiling, guys?" asked a nervous Spencer as he thought about the team's rule about not profiling each other.

"Come on, Reid, team? I don't think this guy knows the meaning of the word." said Morgan as he found a piece of artwork, "Oh, I found something." said Morgan.

Spencer checked his surroundings before joining Morgan and Emily while not realizing that Rossi was coming towards his office.

"Looks like some type of religious art. Original, maybe? Definitely expensive." said Morgan as he handed Spencer the piece of artwork.

Spencer instantly thought about one of his mother's books.

"It's renaissance art. If that's original..." said Spencer.

"Is it?" asked Emily as she thought about Spencer telling her that his mom was a 15th century medieval literature professor.

Spencer examined the artwork more.

"I don't know, it's kinda hard to tell. Means he's into the classics." said Spencer.

"What else?" Morgan.

"Uh, Italian, strict Catholic upbringing. Probably believes in redemption." said Spencer.

A smirking Rossi stood in the doorway as he thought about how Spencer was correct on most of his guesses unlike Morgan and Emily.

"Well, I believe in a lot of things. Catholic, yes. Italian-American, 52 years. Strict upbringing, not so much. Now, the artwork, that's 15th century, original. Cost more than my first house. And as for the wall color, it's just a base coat. Painters will come in and finish tomorrow. Now, if you're all finished, I think JJ and Hotch are ready for us." said Rossi before looking at Morgan, "Isn't that how a team works?" asked Rossi.

Spencer quickly left the office causing Morgan and Emily to follow him as a smiling Rossi set his artwork down.

A minute later Rossi entered the conference room.

"Great Falls, Montana. Over the past 14 months, 3 women have been reported missing. Michelle Lawford, Jennifer Hillbridge, and Darcy Cranwell. All young Caucasian brunettes. After an extensive search, all were presumed dead by local authorities." said JJ.

"So at least we know he has a type." said Emily.

"And now there's a fourth woman, Angela Miller. This morning, she and her car went missing from a small grocery store while her husband and son were inside." said JJ as she showed a picture of Angela.

"This morning?" asked a surprised Spencer.

"Montana's requesting our help?" asked Rossi.

"40 minutes later, state troopers spotted Angela Miller's car on the highway." said JJ as she sat down.

"And when troopers tried to apprehend the driver, he blew himself up with a grenade, putting one of the troopers in the ICU." said Hotch.

"Are they sure that she wasn't in the car with him?" asked Spencer.

"They went through the wreckage, and it appears she's still missing." said JJ.

"Troopers get a look at the guy?" asked Morgan.

"Caucasian, stocky, brown hair, mustache. Early forties. He has a scar on the left side of his face." said JJ while Morgan sat down.

"Do you think Angela Miller's still alive?" asked Morgan.

"Since the other missings were never found, we don't know, but he only had her for 40 minutes, So we have to assume she is." said Hotch before telling his teammates that he would see them the next morning while knowing that Spencer would appreciate another evening with Maeve before heading to Montana.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was getting an early start on a topographical map as a way to pass time during the long flight while Emily watched him.

"You know, I could have gotten you a coloring book at the airport." teased Emily.

"I'm creating a topographical map, weighing down and geocoding all key locations looking for algorithms." said Spencer.

"Yeah. That's exactly what I thought you were doing." said Emily as Rossi watched the intense focus that Spencer was showing.

Hotch who was dipping his tea bag into his tea decided to explain about the map he asked Spencer to do.

"It's called a jeopardy surface. It's a way of narrowing down where the unsub could reside." said Hotch.

As Spencer drew a line on his topographical map with a red sharpie he continued to explain.

"And by default, where he may be stashing Angela Miller." said Spencer.

"You know, it says here the guy had a fully loaded gun, so we know he had options. Why the grenade?" asked Morgan while Hotch sat down.

"He wants to be remembered. And he wanted to be sure To take as many cops with him as possible. He knows he's out gunned. So he waits. Times it to the last second. Boom! There are some very committed people in those parts." said Rossi.

"Who love their fire power." said Hotch before exchanging glances with Rossi.

"Almost as much as they hate us." said Rossi.

"Militia." said Morgan.

"And they're heavily armed." said Spencer as he continued to work on his map.

"Yeah, but hand grenades?" asked Emily.

"It's not uncommon for militia members to have military experience. Oftentimes, they resent the structure and they get discharged, And they form their own paramilitary governments." said Spencer.

"Dental records are on their way to Garcia. I'll tell her to check the military first." said JJ.

"Prentiss and I will go meet the husband." said Hotch.

"I can walk the other abduction sights." said Morgan.

"Everybody else, set up base, work on geographical profiles. Establish contact with the locals, and tread carefully. They'll be watching us." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was getting the bulletin board they were given to use set up when JJ came into their work area on the phone.

"Hi, this is Agent Jareau with the FBI, and..." said JJ as she clicked the end call, "That's the third time I've been hung up on." said JJ.

"Try not saying FBI." suggested Rossi.

"Who was that?" asked Spencer.

"Contact for a local militia newsletter." said JJ.

"Yeah, drop the FBI part." said Spencer as he hung up his topographical map.

"A woman is missing. You'd think these people would want to help us." said JJ.

"They do want to help. The missing woman, not us." said Rossi.

JJ's cellphone rang and she answered it while putting her phone on speaker.

"Go ahead, Garcia." answered Garcia.

"You were spot on, crime fighters. Military records match. Francis Goehring, 42 years old. Did a year in the army but for a bad conduct discharge. Highlight of which was an arrest during a bar brawl in which three other people were hospitalized. He also appears in the federal database For... get this, aggressive militia groups." said Garcia.

"Aggressive militia groups. Is there any other type?" asked JJ.

"Uh-Huh. That's your federal government at work. We specialize in redundancy." said Garcia.

"You see a last known address?" asked Rossi.

"A compound just outside of town it's coming your way. Oh, he also has a wife that doesn't appear to live with him. Diane Marie Goehring, Lives in Shelby a few hours away." said Garcia.

"Have the state police bring in the wife. Reid and I will go make friends with his neighbors." said Rossi as he thought about using the drive to get to know Spencer a bit better.

"Thanks, Garcia." said JJ before hanging up.

A few minutes later Spencer was in the front passenger seat of an SUV when Rossi looked at Spencer who was smiling at a text message.

"I take it that you have a secret girlfriend that your not talking to our teammates about?" asked Rossi.

Spencer looked at Rossi through his sunglasses in shock.

"How do you know?" asked Spencer.

"The phone calls and text messages." said Rossi before chuckling a bit, "Aaron was the same way when I started working with him, and over the weekend I was at one of my favorite Italian restaurants where I saw you with your girlfriend." said Rossi.

"I've only known Dr. Maeve Donovan for 26 days." said Spencer as he blushed a bit.

"Does anyone on the team know about your girlfriend?" asked Rossi.

"Hotch knows since I ended up confessing to him that I had a date when he was giving me a ride home on the 12th, and if we're back in DC on Friday, Hotch is going to meet Maeve." said Spencer.

"When I saw her with you, I have to say that you did catch a good one." said Rossi.

Spencer smiled softly as he thought about Maeve's twinkling blue eyes and her laughter.

"My mom once told me that I would know it when I meet the right girl, and I already met her parents since they reside in DC." said Spencer.

Rossi thought back to Spencer mentioning to Morgan that he's going to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving.

"What about introducing her to your parents during Thanksgiving?" asked Rossi.

"I take it that Hotch didn't tell you that my parents is an extremely sensitive topic?" asked Spencer.

"He didn't." said Rossi.

"My mom was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia long before I was born, and when I was 10 my father walked out on my mom and me and I haven't seen or heard from him ever since." said Spencer.

"He left you with a paranoid schizophrenic?" asked Rossi as he thought about how a man could do that to a 10-year-old boy while thinking about that if James was alive and in Spencer's situation he wouldn't have done what Spencer's father did.

"He did, so I had to juggle finishing high school so I can graduate at 12 before starting at Cal-tech a month before my 13th birthday so it was hard to tell people about my home life since I didn't want to be taken away from my mom." said Spencer.

"Who took care of your mom when you left for Cal-tech?" asked Rossi.

"My aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon helped take care of my mom while they worked together on bringing me back and forth from Las Vegas, Nevada to Pasadena until I could get a drivers license." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Shortly after my 18th birthday I ended up committing my mom to Bennington Sanitarium in Las Vegas since she wasn't taking care of herself and how abusive she got when she didn't recognize me."

"You did the right thing for your mom." said Rossi.

"I know, but can we please talk about something else?" asked Spencer.

"Is there allergies I should know about?" asked Rossi.

"I'm deathly allergic to beta lactams, so I can't be given any Penicillin or any other beta lactams." said Spencer as he listed a few medications that he can't be given.

When Spencer was done listing the medication, Rossi looked at him.

"Any other allergies that I should know about?" asked Rossi.

"Last year I ended up developing an onset allergy to latex so everyone on the team switched to latex free gloves for my benefit." said Spencer.

"So do you have any medication on you just in case of accidental exposure?" asked Rossi as he thought about dealing with agents who developed an allergy to latex on the job before he retired.

Spencer reached into the pocket of his pants and showed Rossi an EpiPen.

"I carry an EpiPen on me at all times." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Rossi was pulling up in a trailer park, and a minute later Spencer was knocking on the door causing the manager to open the door.

"What the hell do you want? Can't you read?" asked the manager.

"I'm not a salesman, I'm with the FBI." said Spencer as he pulled out his badge and showed it to the manager.

"FBI? You're not serious. You look like a pipe cleaner with eyes. I could snap you like a twig." said the manager just as Rossi came over.

Rossi who was impressed at how Spencer reacted looked at the manager as he stood in front of Spencer.

"But then, he isn't alone." said Rossi as he showed his badge, "We're here because this was the address listed for Francis Goehring." said Rossi.

"I haven't seen him in months." said the manager.

"We'd like to see his residence." said Rossi as he opened the door, "Francis Goehring abducted 3 women. We're looking for a fourth." said Rossi as he held up a picture of Angela.

The manager looked at the picture.

"He took her while her husband and son were in a store. This isn't about us, it's about a woman from your community." said Rossi.

"I'll show you his place." said the manager before looking at Spencer, "Piece of advice, pipe cleaner, Way you're wearing' that gun... Begging' someone to take it off you." said the manager as he led Spencer and Rossi to Francis's residence.

Xxxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer and Rossi were entering Francis's house, and as Rossi walked further into the house, Spencer looked at the mail.

"Mostly just junk mail. Catalogs for firearms... Survival preparedness." said Spencer as he thought about how he was taught how to survive in the desert.

"He doesn't sleep here." said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the mail that was on top of the fridge.

"Postmarks are new. He probably just uses this address for mail." said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the books that were in the house.

"Odd choice of reading material." said Rossi.

"Uh, speaking of reading material, I've, uh, read all your books.

"Thanks." said Rossi as he thought about how he spent part of the weekend looking up some of Spencer's published work while he broke a lock.

"Um... One thing that always kind of struck me as odd Is that you really just sort of glance over Ruby Ridge." said Spencer as he noticed a look on Rossi's face, "I mean, you don't... You don't have to tell me, I..." said Spencer.

Rossi opened up the trunk and found a picture.

"This picture seems old. It's part of a past life. We need to find where his new life is." said Rossi before thinking about how Spencer spent the flight, "How's that map of yours coming along?" asked Rossi as he thought back to Hotch telling him that Spencer's their best geographical profiler.

"I've got it narrowed down to about a 30 mile radius." said Spencer.

"Well, Hotch seems to think he was on foot. That's a long walk." said Rossi as he lifted something out of the trunk.

"I'm still refining it." said Spencer.

"Good." said Rossi before looking at tapes, "Hello. Home movies." said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

After getting the tapes out of the house, Rossi looked at Spencer.

"So do you want to tell Aaron about your new nickname or should I?" asked Rossi.

"You can, and since meeting Maeve, I noticed that I actually put on a couple of pounds since I'm eating more regularly despite having a fast metabolism." said Spencer.

"So do you know how to cook?" asked Rossi.

"I had to learn as a child to survive, and cooking is basically chemistry for me since I have to follow the instructions and make sure I don't burn the food to get edible results." said Spencer.

"Good analogy." said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was sitting on the edge of a desk while watching the videos with Emily and Rossi.

"An earthly kingdom... Cannot exist without the inequality of persons. Martin Luther understood the weak will always serve the strong. Like me. He had dreams. And ideas." said Francis as he got up and walked away.

"It's funny, he uses the chair like it's a throne and he's framing himself intentionally with a low angle to give him power and dominance in the frame." said Spencer before they listened to Francis again.

"In feudal times, the lord lived on high ground to spot the invader. He had serfs to serve his kingdom. The lord never had to leave his castle. The serfs would bring him everything. They were the appendages of his will." said Francis.

"There's 11 more tapes of this?" asked Emily.

"It's his manifesto." said Spencer.

"First, I will build a compound, a kingdom. Second, I will arm, protect and fortify my kingdom. Third, I will keep women as serfs to serve my every need. This is my right. As a man with free will in America, I will make my kingdom a reality." said Francis.

"Well, we know he's moved out of his house. My guess is that kingdom is the reality now." said Rossi.

"Hey, he talks about keeping women to serve him. It's possible all these women are still alive." said Emily just as JJ entered the room.

"Excuse me. Goehring's wife is here." said JJ.

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting at a nearby desk with his topographical profile on hand Emily took the lead on interviewing Diane.

"Thank you for coming to speak with us, Mrs. Goehring." said Emily.

"Did I have a choice?" asked Diane.

"We need your help." said Emily.

"If I don't have to be here, good bye." said Diane as she started to get up.

Emily grabbed the picture that Spencer and Rossi brought with them.

"Um, is this you? That is you, isn't it?" asked Emily.

Diane looked at the picture.

"Where did you get this?" asked Diane.

"Um, have you seen this woman?" asked Emily as she showed Diane a picture of Angela.

"Today on the news." said Diane.

Emily laid out pictures of the other missing women.

"Well, you probably saw these three women on the news as well and we think they all share one thing in common." said Emily.

"What?" asked Diane.

"They all look like you. A pattern, a type. You and all of these women fit a type. When was the last time you saw your husband?" asked Emily.

"I... I haven't seen him since we threw him out." said Diane.

"We?" asked Emily.

"The militia. They saw what... What he did to me, and threw him out." said Diane.

"What he did to you?" asked Emily.

Diane was starting to cry.

"Francis killed himself yesterday." said Hotch.

"He's... He's dead?" asked Diane.

"After being caught driving Angela Miller's car." said Rossi.

"Can you think of anywhere that he would have taken these women?" asked Emily.

Diane shook her head.

"Your husband was sadistic. He hurt you, made you do horrible things. He treated you like a slave. Did what he wanted, whenever he wanted. He did the same thing to those other women, Except they didn't have the militia to save them." said Rossi.

"Francis said that his dream started with 9 acres. What's he talking about?" asked Hotch gently.

"My parents' land. When... When... When they died, he made me give it to him." cried Diane.

Hotch gave Spencer a look causing Spencer to pick up his map and join Hotch, Emily, Rossi, and Diane.

"Where is it?" asked Hotch.

Diane pointed out the area that Spencer had colored in on his map.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer, JJ, and Emily approached Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, and Sheriff Williams.

"Angela's been dead for no more than half an hour. The partner was just here." said Hotch.

"He can't have gotten far. We set up road blocks within a 40 mile radius." said Sheriff Williams.

"Sheriff, somebody around here must know who Goehring's partner is." said Hotch as Spencer removed his sunglasses and slipped them onto the front of his shirt.

"We should try Goehring's pals, the militia. Maybe they can help." said Rossi.

"Militia leader is Harris Townsend. He owns a bar called the Horse Post." said Sheriff Williams.

"I'd suggest sending Morgan." said Rossi.

"What? All due respect, Rossi, But you've got an entire team to pick from. You're choosing me? Are you serious?" asked Morgan.

"No offense, but do you really want to do that?" asked Sheriff Williams.

"Take JJ with you." said Hotch.

"They know we're here. But you're the last face they expect." said Rossi.

Morgan nodded.

"Let's do it, JJ." said Morgan before he and JJ walked away.

"Sheriff, we need to get into the house." said Hotch.

"Not until I get the all clear. Goehring blew himself up. God knows what else he's got in there." said Sheriff Williams.

Hotch looked at Spencer, Emily, and Rossi.

"Search what you can until we get in. Anything to build a workable profile." said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer and Rossi were entering a work shed.

"Keeps everything neat." said Rossi.

"Obsessively so. His trailer was organized, but this is different." said Spencer just as Rossi opened up a safe.

"Uh-Oh." said Rossi as he and Spencer took in the sight of no guns while cartridges and casings were in the safe.

A few minutes later Spencer and Rossi were approaching Sheriff Williams.

"We found some cartridges and different casings." said Spencer as he held up a box to the sheriff.

"The gun racks were empty. He took his entire arsenal with him." said Rossi.

Sheriff Williams looked at the box that Spencer was holding.

"7.62 millimeter. He's got an assault rifle." said Sheriff Williams just as Hotch approached them.

"And I found 2 sets of men's shoes of different sizes." said Hotch.

"We found fresh tire tracks. Small pick-up truck." said Sheriff Williams.

"I know it doesn't narrow it down much, but let the troopers know they're looking for a man in a pick-up." said Hotch.

"If he's as prepared as Goehring, he'll have a police scanner and a 2-way radio." said Rossi.

"We can tune into the state geological survey frequency. Nobody ever listens to that." said Sheriff Williams.

Emily who was by the garden looked over at Spencer, Hotch, Rossi, and Sheriff Williams.

"Hey, guys?" asked Emily.

Less than a minute later Spencer was at the garden with Hotch, Rossi, Emily, and Sheriff Williams.

"There are 3 sections of roses, different heights, different levels of maturity." said Emily.

"Three different women." said Hotch.

Emily crouched down causing Spencer to follow suit.

"These appear to be the most recently planted. The tags are still on them. Guys..." said Emily as she noticed beetles crawling in the dirt.

Spencer looked at the beetles that were in the dirt as he quickly recognized them.

"Carrion beetles." said Spencer.

"Like in a cemetery." said Emily.

"Sheriff, let's get some shovels. We need to start digging." said Hotch as they realized that the three other missing women were dead.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer followed Sheriff Williams, Hotch, Rossi, and Emily into Francis's house.

"Didn't find any explosives, nothing rigged, but be careful." said Sheriff Williams.

"Odd. Goehring kept his house almost cozy." said Rossi while Spencer followed Emily towards the kitchen while they donned their gloves while they noticed what was on a cupboard.

"One, all actions must serve to please the master. 2, insubordination will result in punishment... This is his new manifesto." said Emily.

"Notice the "master" is singular and capitalized, emphasizing there's only one dominant partner." said Spencer as he removed a photo from the fridge.

"So his partner is more of a servant." said Emily.

"Or a serf. Watching the house, minding the lawn, Helping him abduct women..." said Spencer as he handed Emily the photo.

"OK, so if his partner is a serf, what are the female slaves for?" asked Emily as Rossi joined them.

"Oh, I think I can answer that." said Rossi.

A few minutes later Spencer was in a room where the victims were being tortured.

"Now we know why the victims were taken so far apart. They tortured them. It took time for them to die." said Spencer as he looked at the chair.

Hotch who was crouching down by the closet noticed something.

"This is where he kept them. The blood's fresh." said Hotch.

Emily found a metal contraption and held it up.

"What the hell is this?" asked Emily.

Spencer had a disgusted look on his face.

"The pear of anguish." said Spencer.

Emily quickly put it down while Rossi saw something under the bed.

"I've got something here." said Rossi just as he lifted up the bed to show an array of tools causing Spencer and Hotch to have shocked looks on their faces, "Homemade torture tools. They covered the floor in something. The bodies are probably wrapped in whatever it was. They must have kept these women in that box for months, Judging by these tools, There will be a considerable amount of mutilation. We need to do what we can to help their families give a proper burial." said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was back at the station with his teammates.

"Goehring's partner is early to mid-twenties. 5'8". Slight build. Shy and retiring, But groomed by a separatist armed with assault weaponry. Like Goehring, he's unlikely to surrender if he's cornered. His obsession with cleanliness and order is deeply ingrained." started Hotch.

"This will be reflected in his home and his vehicle." said Emily.

"We've located hair samples in the cabin. We believe are his, medium-Short length and blonde." said Spencer.

"He's the submissive partner, but having just lost Goehring... The man he was dedicated to and heavily dependent upon... He's in crisis." finished Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Emily were talking to Garcia through the laptop that they always brought along on cases.

"That's it. The whole tamale. Every horrific frame. I'm done." said a tired Garcia.

"No luck seeing the partner?" asked Emily.

"No." said Garcia.

"He... I scanned every frame. He's holding the camera." said Garcia.

"You OK?" asked Emily.

"No." said Garcia.

"I'm sorry." said Emily before looking at Spencer, "This is Jennifer Hillbridge, The second woman abducted." said Emily.

After watching the video for a minute Spencer noticed something.

"The cameraman frames Goehring, but never her. Watch. He never stays on her that long." said Spencer.

Emily realized that Spencer was telling her.

"He's more interested in Goehring than the torture. He's lingering on his biceps Like he's caressing Goehring's body." said Emily.

"Why the hell?" asked Sheriff Williams.

"The unspooled tapes... That wasn't to destroy evidence. It was from jealousy." said Emily.

"What?" asked Sheriff Williams.

"He's in love with Goehring." said Emily.

Spencer watched the video for a bit.

"He's teaching him how to tie the perfect knot." said Spencer.

"So he can be the perfect serf." said Emily.

"It would be part of his servitude to clean his house, help abduct girls, bury the bodies, get supplies, plant the roses." said Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer as she realized that Spencer named a place where they could find the partner.

"He had to buy roses, and a lot of them." said Emily.

"Someone must have seen him." said Sheriff Williams.

"Let's get to the nurseries." said Emily causing Spencer to get up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at a female nursery employee.

"Avoids eye contact. Speaks very little, but when he does, he would sound meek, almost feminine." said Spencer.

The woman shook her head.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer opened up the lid of a grill and saw a bunch of burned up pictures before heading into the trailer where Hotch and Emily were.

"He's destroyed everything he owns." said Hotch.

"He has no identity. He burned his face off his pictures." said Spencer as he showed a picture.

"Why?" asked Hotch.

"A submissive depends upon a dominant partner not only for instruction, but for purpose and meaning." said Spencer.

"So he's starting over, wiping the slate clean." said Hotch.

"Yeah, but as what?" asked Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through books with Emily when Hotch entered the room with Sheriff Williams.

"Sheriff, he's taken on Goehring's persona. We have to assume he's going to behave the same way. He's heavily armed, and he's committed to his cause." said Hotch.

"If he's caught, he's not only willing to die, but to take as many of us with him as possible." said Rossi.

"He's got a hostage, which means I'm going to need the best sharp shooter you've got." said Hotch.

"That's fine. But we don't even know where this guy's headed." said Sheriff Williams.

"The team's been working the profile, and we think we've got something." said Hotch as he saw Spencer, Morgan, and Emily.

"In the tapes, Goehring makes several mentions of "ideal land"." said Emily.

"He also said that "lords live on higher ground to better surveil the land and spot invaders"." said Spencer.

Morgan who was holding an open book looked at Hotch, Rossi, and Sheriff Williams.

"He studied medieval defense strategies, so he'll probably go to a place where he can protect himself." said Morgan as he held up the book.

"High ground, easily defendable." said Emily as she headed over to the bulletin board, "This picture was on Goehring's fridge. Do you know where that is?" asked Emily.

Sheriff Williams looked at the picture.

"That's Black Eagle Peak. Militia groups used to use it for training drills till the state stopped them." said Sheriff Williams while Spencer grabbed his map and passed it to Sheriff Williams.

Hotch noticed that it was in the comfort zone.

"Ideal land." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that night Spencer smiled as he quickly entered his bedroom and saw Maeve sleeping in his bed causing him to quickly head into the bathroom where he took a quick shower before joining Maeve.

"Spencer?" asked Maeve.

"I'm home." said Spencer.

Maeve turned herself so she could face Spencer.

"Welcome home." said Maeve as she smelled her boyfriend's shampoo and body wash.

"I missed you Maeve." said Spencer.

"I missed you too." said Maeve as she kissed her boyfriend while knowing what was going to happen next.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer was allowing Hotch into his apartment and a minute later Hotch was meeting Maeve before all three adults sat down for the dinner that Spencer and Maeve cooked together.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour and a half later Spencer was walking with Hotch to Hotch's car when Spencer looked at his boss.

"So what did you think about her?" asked Spencer.

"She can definitely keep up with you, and I hope that you don't let this job break you two apart since I noticed how happy you are with her." said Hotch.

"I already met her parents last week when we ran into them at Paddy's, and Maeve's going with me to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving since my mom wants to meet her." said Spencer.

"So after Maeve meets your mom, are you planning on telling the rest of the team about her?" asked Hotch.

"I'm planning on it since Rossi already knows about her." said Spencer.

"You should go enjoy the rest of our weekend off with Maeve, and I'll see you on Monday." said Hotch as he clapped his youngest agent on the shoulder before getting into his car.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were watching a movie that ended up causing them to have a make out session that led them to Spencer's bedroom.


	7. Lucky & Penelope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Criminal Minds

Spencer looked at Maeve as they made breakfast together.

"Should we plan on going out for our one month anniversary?" asked Spencer as he worked on scrambling eggs and frying bacon.

Maeve who was dicing potatoes for the diced hash brown recipe that her mom taught her to make looked at her boyfriend.

"We should." said Maeve before she started to focus on dicing more potatoes so she could fry them.

"I can't believe that its going to be a month." said Spencer.

"Me too, and I am glad that I approached you that day." said Maeve.

"If it wasn't for you, I would be staying later at the office instead of leaving at 5 PM." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

20 minutes later Spencer and Maeve were sitting down at Spencer's kitchen table eating breakfast before the young couple gave each other a quick kiss before leaving for their respective jobs.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour and a half later Spencer was sitting in the conference room.

"Bridgewater, Florida. Local girl, Abbey Kelton, 19, Left her parents' home to go to the local junior college. She never came home. Three days later, joggers found her. Part of her. In a nearby park." said JJ.

Emily instantly noticed the missing fingers.

"What did that to her?" asked Emily.

"Bridgewater's off of I-75, Which is often referred to as alligator alley for reasons that are now apparent. Everything below the waist had been eaten." said JJ.

"Ah, the circle of life." said Rossi.

"Suddenly I don't feel so guilty about my alligator wallet." joked Emily.

"Alligators didn't cut off her fingers, slit her throat, or carve this into her chest." said Hotch as a photo was passed around.

"An inverted pentagram." said Morgan.

"Locals believe the killing was committed by a satanic cult." said JJ.

"Some things never change." said Rossi.

"Killer satanic cults don't exist. They were debunked as a suburban myth." said Emily.

Rossi nodded, causing Emily to get confused.

"What?" asked Emily.

"Rossi's the one that debunked them." said Spencer as he saw the small smile that Rossi gave him.

"Oh, right. Thanks." said Emily.

"Cult or not, the killing was ritualized. This will turn serial if it hasn't already." said Rossi as he looked at the picture.

"So killer satanic cults don't exist, but satanic serial killers do?" asked JJ.

"Lasciate ogni speranza ch'entrate." said Rossi in Italian as he slapped the file against the table before leaving the room.

"Oh. Thanks for clearing that up." said JJ.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"Uh, it's from Dante's Inferno. Uh, "abandon hope, all ye who enter here."" said Spencer.

"So that was a yes." said JJ.

"A big yes." said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was at his desk sending Maeve a text message.

HEADING TO BRIDGEWATER, FLORIDA. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU ~ SR

A few minutes later Rossi was by Spencer's desk.

"So you know Italian?" asked Rossi.

"I take it upon myself to learn other languages so I can challenge myself when reading nontechnical books in foreign languages." said Spencer.

"And Italian is one of them." said Rossi.

"Yes." said Spencer as he ended up listing a few languages that he has picked up over the years.

Xxxxxxxx 

"But we never found any evidence of a killer satanic cult. In reality, there are only two types of violent satanic criminals." said Rossi.

"Uh, type one Teen satanists Assume the satanic identity to rebel. Minor crimes, theft and vandalism To churches, schools, symbols of authority. When combined with drugs and alcohol, they may turn violent." recited Spencer.

"Yes, in extreme cases, deadly. That was out of my book word for word." said Rossi.

"Oh, trust us, we know." said Morgan while Hotch briefly smiled.

"Uh, killings are accidental, usually resulting from their hobby getting out of control. Killings won't turn serial-." recited Spencer.

"Hey, Reid." said Morgan as he gestured to Spencer to be quiet.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"Sorry." whispered Spencer.

"OK. So that's one type. What's type 2?" asked Emily.

"The adaptive satanist is the one you have to worry about. The typical serial killer rationalizing his fantasies by blaming them on outside forces." said Rossi.

"Like Satan." said JJ.

"Yes. He adapts satanic beliefs To fit his specific homicidal drives. He doesn't kill because he believes in Satan. He believes in Satan because he kills." said Rossi.

"Well, let's hope it's the teenagers. Whether you're religious or not, the presence of satanic elements can affect even the most experienced investigators. And we're not immune, so keep an eye on the locals and keep an eye on each other." said Hotch.

"I-I hear you. I saw "The Exorcist"." said JJ.

"My mother took us to church every Sunday until I moved out. This whole devil thing doesn't spook me at all." said Morgan.

"Maybe that's because you never truly bought the God part either." said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"No offense, kid, but you don't know what I believe." said Morgan.

"Well, I mean, logic dictates that if you believe in the one, you have to reconcile the existence of the other." said Spencer as he thought back to how he read the Bible while reading other religions texts when it came to religion.

"People's reaction to Satan is what gives it appeal to these offenders. It has power, And it would be a mistake to underestimate it." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood in the medical examiner's office with Hotch, Emily, and Detective Jordan.

"We found Abbey's car at a gas station near her home. No sign of foul play. Dr. Fulton?" asked Detective Jordan.

"The gators got to her sometime during the night. Her nose was broken at least 48 hours prior." said Dr. Fulton.

"About the time of the abduction." said Emily.

"Blitz attack." said Hotch.

"What was the cause of death?" asked Spencer.

"Her throat. It was cut roughly 8 hours prior to the discovery of the body." said Dr. Fulton.

"Sexual assault?" asked Emily.

"State of the body makes that impossible to determine." said Dr. Fulton.

"The pentagram." said Hotch.

"That was done postmortem." said Dr. Fulton.

"And the fingers?" asked Hotch.

"All severed at the first knuckle." said Dr. Fulton.

"When?" asked Hotch.

"I was unsure when the fingers were removed until I found this..." said Dr. Fulton as he grabbed a dish, "The contents of her stomach. The condition indicates they were fed to her Just prior to her death." said Dr. Fulton.

"All 10 fingers." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at the conference room table going through files when Emily came into the room.

"Dr. Fulton confirmed it. Maria Lopez was frozen shortly after her death." said Emily.

"Well, that explains why we haven't been able to find the other victims. He's keeping them." said Morgan.

"How you get the cannibalism?" asked JJ.

"He didn't take them for sex, and he took their legs. He was trying to tell us by feeding the fingers to Abbey Kelton. Fingers were a message. "I've killed before" was only part of it. "I'm eating them" was the other." said Hotch.

"Cannibalism, the greatest taboo. That explains his drive to blame his appetite on an outside force." said Rossi.

"Why would anyone want to eat human flesh?" asked JJ.

"It's like a sexual urge, a cross-wiring of the two most basic human drives- sustenance and sex." said Spencer.

"It all fits." said Morgan just as Emily's cellphone rang.

"Hey. Garcia, I'm putting you on speaker." said Emily as she placed her cellphone onto the table.

"So I can't find any patients in Florida who have the charming cocktail of being both a satanist and a cannibal. However, Hazelwood mental institution is the place to go when looking for Florida's most dangerous kinds of wackos, and they had a fire in 1998 that destroyed all their records." said Garcia.

"How far away is Hazelwood?" asked Hotch.

"70 miles." answered Spencer.

"Uh, JJ, tell 'em we're on our way." said Hotch as he decided that Spencer would go with him due to his understanding of mental institutions, "Uh, Reid." said Hotch.

"Let's do it." said Spencer as he closed up his file and got up with his messenger bag.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer followed Hotch and Dr. Nash into Dr. Nash's office.

"As I told Agent Jareau on the phone, we have no existing record of that patient you described." said Dr. Nash.

"But your records only go back as far as 1998. We were hoping that perhaps you would remember him?" asked Hotch.

"I'm sorry. I don't. Jim Lorenz was in charge of the adolescents."

"Adolescents?" asked Spencer while he sat down.

"Only reason we release a patient disturbed is if he had been admitted as a minor and turned 18. "said Dr. Nash.

"Could we speak to Dr. Lorenz?" asked Hotch.

"He died in the fire. He was leaving when he heard the alarm. He came back inside, and became trapped." said Dr. Nash.

"Why would he come back?" asked Hotch.

"He was a very dedicated man." said Dr. Nash.

"Could it be because there was something in his office that he felt was worth risking his life for?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Nash stayed silent.

"Dr. Nash?" asked Hotch.

"There is something." said Dr. Nash as he started rummaging through his desk, "The grounds people found it in a tree just below his office. Jim, uh, must have thrown it out of his window just before he... I started reading. I had to s-stop." said Dr. Nash.

Spencer started going through the journal.

""The-" Uh, "the patient's symptoms "Go far beyond normal psychosexual, oral biting fixation of a typical 7-Year-old boy."" read Spencer while Hotch called Rossi.

"Rossi, we've got something. I need a name, Reid." said Hotch as he watched his youngest agent go through the journal.

"Admitted after biting a large piece of flesh out of his nine month old sister."" read Spencer.

"A name." said Hotch.

"Believes he is possessed by a flesh-eating demon."" read Spencer.

"Reid." said Hotch.

"Floyd Feylinn Ferrel." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was looking at a picture that Rossi gave him to identify.

"Francisco Goya, known the black paintings. Lorenz's notes say that Feylinn was exposed to them as part of his therapeutic art therapy." said Spencer as he put down the painting.

"I don't think it worked." said Emily.

Hotch passed Morgan the book that he was looking at.

"He kills them after 72 hours. Tracey's been go for 24. See if you can find out where she is." said Hotch.

"I'll do what I can." said Morgan before walking into the interrogation room.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next evening Spencer and Maeve were slow dancing on the dance floor when Spencer's cellphone rang causing the 26-year-old genius to stop slow dancing and answer his phone.

"Dr. Reid." answered Spencer.

"Garcia's been shot." said Hotch as he gave Spencer the address of the hospital before hanging up.

Maeve looked at her pale boyfriend.

"What happened?" asked Maeve.

"My friend Penelope has been shot and I'm suppose to meet my team at the hospital." said Spencer.

"Well I'm coming with you so I can support you." said Maeve as she took Spencer's hand and pulled him to their table where they flagged down their waitress.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Spencer quickly paid the bill, Spencer and Maeve quickly caught a cab that would take them to the hospital.

Xxxxxx

Spencer and Maeve quickly ran into the waiting room where JJ looked at Spencer who was wearing a suit while holding hands with an auburn haired young woman who was wearing a blue dress.

"She's in surgery. There's no word." said JJ.

"This is crazy." said Spencer as Maeve squeezed his hand.

JJ looked at Maeve.

"Who are you?" asked JJ.

Spencer looked at his best friend.

"This is my girlfriend of a month and three days, Dr. Maeve Donovan." said Spencer.

JJ looked at the younger woman.

"Jennifer Jareau, but please call me JJ." said JJ as she shook hands with Maeve, "Sorry that I had to meet you this way." said JJ.

"We were having a date night to celebrate our one month anniversary when Spencer got the call, and I insisted on coming with." said Maeve.

"Its a bit sooner than we planned since I wanted Maeve to meet my mom first before introducing her to you and the rest of the team." said Spencer.

JJ instantly thought about her own secret boyfriend Detective William LaMontague who was currently in New Orleans.

"Its OK, Spence." said JJ.

Hotch looked at Maeve.

"I wish that I could see you again under better circumstances." said Hotch.

"Its OK because I wanted to be here for Spencer." said Maeve.

JJ looked at Hotch in shock.

"You knew, Hotch?" asked JJ.

"I've known all along, and I had dinner with them last week Friday." said Hotch.

JJ looked at Spencer as she thought about how both she and Hotch were still at the office when Hotch got the call.

"You actually got Hotch to leave the office?" asked JJ.

"Yep." said Spencer just as Rossi and Emily entered the room causing Emily to look confused at the sight of the mystery woman holding Spencer's hand.

"What do we know?" asked Rossi.

"Police think it was a botched robbery." said Hotch causing looks to be exchanged.

"Where's Morgan?" asked Emily.

"He's not answering his cell." said JJ.

"I'll call him again." said Spencer as he gently tugged Maeve's hand and motioned her to come with him.

Two minutes later Spencer and Maeve were walking back to Hotch, JJ, Emily, and Rossi.

"Morgan's phone just keeps going straight to voice mail." said Spencer.

"Where the hell is he?" asked Emily before looking at Maeve who was still holding Spencer's hand, "Who are you?" asked Emily.

Spencer looked at Emily and Rossi.

"I would like to introduce you two to my girlfriend of one month and three days, Dr. Maeve Donovan." said Spencer.

"David Rossi." said Rossi as he shook hands with Maeve.

"Nice to meet you." said Maeve before letting go of Rossi's hand.

Emily shook hands with Maeve.

"Emily Prentiss, and I also wish that I could meet you under better circumstances." said Emily.

"I do too." said Maeve.

Spencer looked at Emily.

"I was going to tell you about Maeve after she meets my mom during Thanksgiving." said Spencer.

"Its OK." said Emily.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were sitting on a couch holding hands.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Maeve yawned causing Spencer to look at his girlfriend.

"You should go home and get some sleep since you have work tomorrow." said Spencer.

"Should go back to my apartment?" asked Maeve.

"Yes, and I'll walk you out." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was curling up on the couch as he watched Emily take hold of JJ's hand.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Morgan entered the room causing JJ to stand up.

"She's been in surgery a couple hours." said JJ.

"I was at church. My phone was off." said Morgan.

"There's nothing you could have been doing here." said Spencer.

"The police got any leads?" asked Morgan.

"I spoke to the lead detective. He doesn't think we'll get anything from the scene." said Hotch just as the trauma surgeon came over.

"Penelope Garcia?" asked the trauma surgeon.

"Yes." said Hotch.

"Yes." said Emily.

"The bullet went in her chest and ricocheted into her abdomen. She lost a lot of blood. It was touch-and-go for a while, but we were able to repair the injuries." said the trauma surgeon.

"So what are you saying?" asked JJ.

"One centimeter over and it would have torn right through her heart. Instead, she could actually walk out of here in a couple of days. And I'd say that's a minor miracle." said the surgeon as he saw the smiles and sighs of relief from Garcia's family, "She needs her rest. You can see her in the morning." said the surgeon.

"Thank you." said Hotch.

"Thank you." said Emily.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"David and I will go to the scene. I think the rest of you should be here when she wakes up. I don't care about protocol. I don't care whether we're working this officially or not. We don't touch any new cases until we find out who did this." said Hotch.

Before Hotch could walk away, Spencer looked at Hotch.

"If we find the guy by next week Wednesday, am I still able to continue my plans for Thanksgiving?" asked Spencer.

"You can since its been awhile since your mom seen you." said Hotch before he and Rossi walked away while Spencer pulled out his phone and sent Maeve a text.

PENELOPE HAS SURVIVED SURGERY. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

A couple of hours later Spencer entered Garcia's hospital room with JJ, Emily, and Morgan when JJ gave Garcia a kiss on the forehead.

"Hi. No tears. I'm afraid if I start crying I'll come unstapled." said a tired Garcia.

"How are you feeling?" asked Morgan gently.

"Oh... Confused... Stupid, and... in pain." said Garcia.

"Are you up for some questions?" asked JJ.

"I never saw it coming. He seemed... Deliciously normal." said Garcia.

"You know him?" asked Spencer.

Garcia looked at Morgan.

"You were right. I should have trusted it." said Garcia.

"What are you talking about?" asked Morgan.

"It's that guy I told you about. The one I met at the coffee shop. I wanted to believe he was interested in me." said Garcia.

"Forget that." said Morgan.

"I let my guard down." said Garcia.

"Do you have any idea why he would have done this?" asked Emily.

"Did he threaten you? Did he want something?" asked Spencer.

"I just thought he liked me." cried Garcia as she started to feel pain.

"OK. Um... We're gonna- we're gonna come back in a little while." said JJ.

"We need a name." said Emily.

"James Colby Baylor." said Garcia before looking at JJ while Spencer left the room with Morgan and Emily, "JJ, can you stay for a sec?" asked Garcia.

Spencer exited Garcia's hospital room with Morgan, and a few seconds later Morgan punched a whiteboard.

"We need to stay calm." said Spencer firmly.

"Don't tell me what to be." said Morgan.

"Do you remember anything she said about him?" asked Spencer.

"No." said Morgan just as Hotch approached them.

"I just talked to Hotch. They think he used a revolver." said Emily.

"Who the hell uses a revolver?" asked Morgan.

"Somebody who doesn't want to leave shell casings behind as evidence." said Spencer.

"What about witnesses?" asked Morgan.

"None so far. And he staged it to look like a robbery." said Emily.

"Which means if he's smart enough to use forensic countermeasures, odds are the name he gave Garcia is probably bogus." said Spencer just as JJ approached them, "What did she say?" asked Spencer.

JJ looked at Spencer as she thought about the close bond Spencer has with Garcia since they bonded over attending Cal-tech.

"She made me promise not to talk about her like a victim." said JJ.

Spencer and Morgan stood outside of Garcia's hospital room as a nurse attending to Garcia.

"I asked her to go out last night. But she was pissed at me. She blew me off." said Morgan.

"So you ended up in church?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah. What does it mean? On one hand, if she'd gone out with me, she would have never got shot. On the other hand... What are the odds that the first time I pray in 20 years, she's on the table?" asked Morgan just as a nurse exited the room.

"She's asking for you." said the nurse.

A few seconds later Spencer and Morgan were in Garcia's hospital room where Morgan took ahold of Garcia's hand.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" asked Morgan gently.

"Good news, bad news. The morphine's wearing off." said Garcia before looking at Spencer, "When I was in the ambulance, I could hear the song Heroes playing in my head. I kept flashing in and out of consciousness. Everything was really bright. And I remember thinking, wait... Is David Bowie really God?" asked Garcia.

Spencer and Morgan lightly chuckled.

"We have a, uh... We have a sketch artist coming in." said Spencer.

"I'm still a little hazy." said Garcia.

"It's OK. Anything you tell us will help." said Morgan.

"Yeah." whispered Garcia.

"This guy say what he did for a living?" asked Morgan.

"He said he was a lawyer." said Garcia.

"Did...did people know him where you went?" asked Spencer.

"He said he wanted to show me a place. It was half an hour away." said Garcia.

"You drove together? What kind of car?" asked Morgan.

"White. 4-door sedan. American. It smelled new." said Garcia.

"Rental car maybe?" asked Spencer.

"Maybe. I don't know. I don't look at things like you guys do. I don't see danger-." said Garcia before gasping in pain.

"OK, take it easy. Take it easy. What else can you remember?" asked Morgan.

"He smelled good." said Garcia.

"He seem nervous?" asked Spencer.

"I thought he was just afraid to kiss me good night." said Garcia as Morgan wiped a tear that was streaming down her face.

"Hey. You sure you're up for this?" asked Morgan.

"I could hear him walking. He leaned over me and I held my breath so he'd think I was dead." said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer and Morgan entered Garcia's hospital room where JJ, Emily, and Garcia were all smirking when they saw him.

"What?" asked Spencer.

"I just found out that you have a girlfriend from JJ and Emily." said Garcia.

Morgan looked at Spencer in shock.

"So that's why you've been happier this past month while making sure to leave at 5 when we're home." said Morgan.

Spencer blushed a bit.

"I wanted to keep Maeve to myself for awhile, and I was planning on introducing you guys to Maeve after Thanksgiving since I wanted her to meet my mom and other family members in Las Vegas before I introduced her to you guys." said Spencer.

"JJ and Emily already told me that you wanted Maeve to meet your mom before introducing her to us, so how about after James is caught you, continue your plans to take Maeve to meet your mom and stand up in your cousin's wedding." said Garcia.

"I thought that you would keep me from following my plans so you can interrogate my girlfriend." said Spencer causing some laughter.

"You haven't visited with your mom in awhile, and I want to be my normal self before I interrogate her." said Garcia.

"OK." said Spencer.

"Can I please see a picture of her?" asked Garcia.

Spencer pulled out his phone and showed Garcia, Emily, JJ, and Morgan a picture that was taken shortly after Maeve jumped onto his back.

"Her mom took that picture when Maeve and I were having a picnic with her parents at a park." said Spencer.

Garcia looked at the picture and decided not to ask how old Maeve is because of the quote "A lady never reveals her age or weight" while knowing that Spencer would never care about the age of a woman he datesp> "She's cute." said Garcia.

"She's smart and the most beautiful girl in the world." said Spencer.

"What does she do for work?" asked Garcia.

"Dr. Maeve Donovan is a geneticist at Mendel University." said Spencer.

Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Garcia all raised their eyebrows as they realized that Maeve's practically a genius like Spencer.

"So she's a female version of you." teased Morgan.

"I've definitely met my match." smiled Spencer.

"Your definitely in love with her." said Emily.

Spencer blushed.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three days later Spencer was in Garcia's hospital room with Morgan.

"Penelope, I know it's gotta be hard to keep reliving this." said Morgan.

"I just don't know what else there is to remember." said Garcia.

Spencer looked at Garcia.

"Let's start with the behavior. That's all-that's all profiling really is, just noticing behavior." said Spencer.

Morgan got closer to Garcia.

"Sweetheart, any details you can remember will tell us who he is. OK?" asked Morgan.

"Mm-hmm." said Garcia.

"All right, so let's go back to when you first arrived at that restaurant. Was he nervous?" asked Morgan.

"No. The opposite, actually." said Garcia as she repeated the conversation she had.

"So he was trying to impress you by showing you how he can take charge." said Morgan.

"I guess so." said Garcia.

"Tell me about his watch." said Spencer.

"It's a fake Rolex." said Garcia.

"You sure about that?" asked Morgan.

"I know my knockoffs." said Garcia.

"Clearly he was playing with it, though, 'cause he wanted you to notice. I mean, he wanted you to think that it was real." said Spencer.

Morgan noticed a look on Garcia's face.

"Garcia, are you OK?" asked Morgan.

"I'm feeling really exposed." said Garcia.

"You're doing just fine. Just fine." soothed Morgan.

Garcia started explaining the conversation she had with her attacker, and when she was finished Spencer thought about his own father who's a lawyer.

"City attorneys don't try murder cases." said Spencer.

Garcia looked at Spencer as she thought back to Spencer telling her that his father is a lawyer.

"What?" asked Garcia.

Spencer explained about how lawyers worked before he and Morgan headed back to the BAU.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at his teammates as he headed to a chair.

"He knows enough to use legal terminology, but he's not actually a working lawyer." said Spencer.

"I think we're looking at someone who failed out of law school or didn't pass the bar." said Morgan.

"Did Garcia say if he gave any details about the cases he was supposedly working?" asked JJ.

"No specifics." said Spencer.

"If he failed out of the system, it could explain why he's got a working vocabulary and not much more." said Hotch.

"It could also explain his anger. Even in his lie, he rails against other people's incompetence." said Emily.

"Well, he's clearly a narcissist. The clothes, the watch, the subtle hints at where he went to school. He's faking humility when he's saying New Haven and Cambridge instead of Yale and Harvard." said Rossi.

"JJ, we need an analyst who can, uh, put our information through the legal databases." said Hotch.

"I'm on it." said JJ before leaving the room.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting by Garcia's bed when Hotch came into the room.

"Hey." said Garcia.

"How are you feeling?" asked Hotch.

"You know, I've had better dates." said Garcia.

Morgan noticed the serious look on Hotch's face.

"What's going on?" asked Morgan.

"We found an encrypted file on your computer. Are you involved in something that I need to know about?" asked Hotch.

"No." said Garcia.

"Hotch, what's going on?" asked Morgan.

"Could this be connected in any way to whoever shot you?" asked Hotch.

"I don't think so." said Garcia.

"I need the password." said Hotch.

"Is this really necessary?" asked Morgan.

Hotch looked at Morgan.

"Yes." said Hotch before looking at Garcia, "The password." said Hotch.

"Gilman street." said Garcia.

"Thank you." said Hotch.

"They don't honestly think Garcia's a security risk, do they?" asked Spencer.

"I don't know. We've been ordered by internal affairs to stop working the case." said Hotch.

"What?" asked Morgan.

"And until this is cleared up..." said Hotch before looking at Garcia, "You've been suspended. I'm sorry." said Hotch.

"Right." said Garcia.

As soon as Hotch left the room, Garcia started to take off her monitors.

"What are you doing?" asked Spencer.

"I need to get out of here." said Garcia.

Morgan put his hands on Garcia to keep her in bed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Please, baby, listen to me. We're gonna get it straightened out. I'm gonna find out who did this to you. Okay? I don't give a damn what IA wants me to do or doesn't want me to do, but right now you need to rest." said Morgan firmly.

"But...one of the last things I said before he shot me was, "everything happens for a reason." Derek, if I lose faith in that, then nothing in my life makes sense." said Garcia.

"I get that." said Morgan.

"No, you don't." said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Garcia was slowly pacing in her hospital room.

"After my parents died, I... kind of went off the rails for a while. I dropped out of Cal-tech." said Garcia before looking at Spencer as she remembered meeting 14-year-old Spencer at Cal-tech, "I lived underground, basically. But I kept teaching myself code. It was like the one thing that kept me together." said Garcia.

"Why are you looking at pretty boy?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"Our time overlapped at Cal-tech, and we ended up meeting for the first time when I was 14." said Spencer.

Garcia looked at Morgan.

"Our boy wonder was a legend on campus." said Garcia.

Spencer decided to get back on topic.

"So they offered you a job?" asked Spencer.

"Mm-hmm." nodded Garcia.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"Like Frank Abagnale. The bureau figured if you can't beat 'em, hire 'em." said Spencer.

"Yeah. something like that." said Garcia.

"Garcia, what's on the encrypted file?" asked Morgan.

"I'm required to keep a record of everything the team does. And after my system got hacked and Elle got shot, I just didn't want anyone else to be able to get at you." said Garcia.

"We'll talk to the doctor, see if he'll clear you to leave." said Spencer before leaving the room.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that night Spencer rushed into Garcia's apartment with JJ.

"What's going on?" asked JJ.

"I don't know. this guy's getting seriously bold, and I can guarantee it's not over." said Morgan.

JJ crouched down by JJ.

"You OK?" asked JJ.

"I don't know what he wants from me." said Garcia.

"Could you know something about him?" asked Spencer.

"I don't know." said Garcia.

"Maybe you have something he wants?" asked Spencer.

"I don't know who he is. I'm so scared." said Garcia.

"I know." said JJ.

A few minutes later Emily entered the apartment with Hotch and Rossi.

"Hey. did you get a look at him?" asked Emily.

"Nothing solid." said Morgan.

Hotch looked at Garcia.

"Garcia, we need to get you back to the hospital." said Hotch.

"No." said Garcia.

"You know what? You should still be there. We need her someplace safe." said JJ.

"I feel safe with all of you." said Garcia.

"We can take you to the BAU." said Hotch.

Garcia looked at a corner wall in her apartment.

"Garcia?" asked JJ.

"OK?" asked Spencer.

"When we were at dinner... They wanted to seat us by a window, but he insisted on sitting at the worst table in the place. And he sat with his back to the corner." said Garcia.

Hotch looked at Detective Walker.

"Detective. Can you clear the room for just a minute?" asked Hotch.

"I got a dead cop downstairs. I consider this part of the crime scene." said Detective Walker.

"I know. Just a couple of minutes." said Hotch.

"Do what you gotta do." said Detective Walker.

"Thank you." said Hotch.

As soon as Detective Walker and his colleague left the apartment Spencer looked at Garcia.

"Tell us about the car." said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Garcia.

"Just go with him." said Morgan.

"You said it was white, 4-door, American. what else?" asked Spencer.

"That's it. It was just a car." said Garcia.

"No, come on, think. Anything. Go back." said Morgan.

Garcia flashed back to getting into the car.

"The seat belt was buckled behind his back." said Garcia.

Spencer exchanged looks with his teammates.

"Why does that matter?" asked Garcia.

"It wasn't a rental. It was for surveillance." said Morgan.

"Agents don't wear seat belts. They need to get out in a hurry." said Emily.

Rossi instantly had enough.

"All right, let's cut the crap. You need to be straight with us. Right now. Look at me, not them." said Rossi.

"I'm not hiding anything." said Garcia.

You got shot. most people get shot for a reason. Eyes here!" demanded Rossi.

"Ease up, Rossi." said Morgan.

"You got a roomful of people here willing to believe that an FBI agent has tried to kill you. We need to know everything you do on company time that we don't know about." yelled Rossi as he noticed a look on Garcia's face, "What?" asked Rossi.

"Come on, man." said Morgan.

"It's nothing bad." said a scared Garcia.

"Spit it out!" demanded Rossi.

"It's ju- I counsel victims' families and they know where I work, so sometimes they ask me to look into cases for them." said Garcia.

"What does that mean?" asked Rossi.

"It just means that the cases, the unsolved ones, I tag them, so whoever's investigating them knows that the FBI considers them a priority." said Garcia.

"You're not authorized to do that." said Hotch.

"I know. I was just trying to help." said Garcia.

"But whoever's working those cases thinks you're watching them." said Emily.

"I just wanted to put pressure on them so that they don't slide." said Garcia.

"How many cases are we talking about?" asked Hotch.

"I don't know. 7, 8 maybe. I need to get into my system." said Garcia.

"You can't. You're suspended." said Hotch.

"Wait a minute, Garcia. On your date, you said this guy was pressing you to find out if you were working murder cases." said Morgan while Garcia nodded, "Hotch, we gotta look at those files." said Morgan.

"I told you, I'm sick of this jagoff being in front of us." said Rossi.

"Dave's right. We'll go back to the BAU Morgan, Reid, Prentiss, you stay here and make sure no one forgets to log out of the system. Garcia should not have access." said Hotch while JJ stood up.

"Understood." said Morgan before sending Garcia to bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer sat in Garcia's living room when Morgan looked at Garcia's closed bedroom door.

"What is she doing in there?" Morgan.

"Do you really want to know?" asked Emily.

A couple of minutes later Morgan was pulling papers out of a printer.

"Those are all the cases I flagged." said Garcia.

"OK. Everybody take a copy. We need to see if any of the agents overlap in all of the cases." said Morgan as he passed Spencer and Emily each a copy.

A few minutes later Emily looked at her teammates.

"There aren't any agents working on these cases. But the same deputy was a first responder in 3." said Emily.

"What's the name?" asked Morgan.

"Jason Clark Battle." said Emily.

"What are the cases?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, all 3 were drive-bys, at close range, shot with a revolver." said Emily.

Garcia hooked up the information to her TV and showed a picture.

"Is that him?" asked Emily.

"Yeah." said Garcia.

"He's been honored twice as a hero." said Emily.

"So why is he stuck at deputy?" asked Garcia.

"Because even to his superiors, something was off about him." said Morgan.

"Makes sense. The showy clothes, the subtle bragging. He presents himself as a prominent attorney when he's actually just a deputy sheriff." said Spencer.

"Underapprecied in the world and overappreciated in his own mind." said Morgan.

"I don't understand." said Garcia.

Morgan looked at Garcia.

"I think you may have stumbled upon an angel of death." said Morgan.

"I thought those are nurses who put people out of their misery." said Garcia.

"Yeah, that's one model. The other is someone who puts people at risk in order to save them." said Spencer.

"So he shot them so that he could save them?" asked Garcia.

"Yeah. and when he couldn't, he made it look like a random murder. It's how he was able to be the first responder." said Emily.

"It's called hero homicide complex. It's most commonly found in firemen who set fires in order to save the day." said Spencer.

"Garcia. You flagged these cases. He thought you were onto him." said Morgan.

"I wasn't." said Garcia.

"But you're the only person in the world who was gonna make the connection. In his mind, he had to eliminate you." said Emily.

A minute later Morgan was calling Deputy Battle's boss.

"Deputy Battle, please. Ok, what time is his shift over? No, no message. thank you." said Morgan before hanging up and looked at his teammates, "OK, he didn't sign out to a location. His shift is over at midnight. Until then, I do not want this guy knowing that we are onto him." said Morgan.

"Why? What's the profile say?" asked Garcia.

"He'll keep getting bolder trying to cover his tracks. And if that doesn't work, he'll die shooting." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through a file when Garcia realized that someone logged into her system.

"OK, that's funky." said Garcia.

"What's going on?" asked Spencer as he got up and made his way to Garcia.

"He just logged in to my system. There's a link up on my screen." said Garcia.

"Maybe it's a mistake." said Emily.

"No. He's good. He's not careless." said Garcia.

"Could he be trying to show you something?" asked Spencer.

"He could be baiting me." said Garcia.

"What do you mean?" asked Emily.

"If he's with internal affairs, and I follow his lead, whosoever login I use could lose their job." said Garcia.

"What's your gut say?" asked Morgan.

"He's a hacker. We have a code." said Garcia.

"You trust it?" asked Morgan.

"I have to." said Garcia.

"Do it. Make contact." said Morgan.

A minute later Spencer was shocked to see security footage of the bullpen.

"It's the BAU." said a shocked Emily.

"God, that's him." said Garcia.

Morgan quickly pulled out his phone and called Hotch.

"Hotch, it's Morgan. He's in the BAU Deputy sheriff, mid-bullpen, just past my desk. Got him? Don't let him know we're onto him. He's a classic narcissist with a hero homicide complex, and he's spiraling. If you let him know we're onto him, he's gonna start shooting." said Morgan before hanging up.

After watching the footage for a minute, Morgan voiced their thoughts.

"We gotta slip somebody in behind him." said Morgan.

"Can you get us the cameras outside the bullpen?" asked Spencer as he thought about JJ's office.

A minute later Garcia saw footage of JJ in her office

"Oh, my girl." said Garcia.

Morgan picked up his phone and called JJ.

"Come on, JJ, pick up the phone. Pick it up." said Morgan just as JJ picked up the phone, "JJ, it's Morgan. Listen to me. Listen to me very carefully." said Morgan as he explained what he wanted her to do.

A minute later Emily noticed something.

"He knows they know." said Emily.

"This is crazy. We gotta get over there." said Morgan as he, Spencer, and Emily got up.

"I'm going with you." said Garcia as she slowly got up.

"No, you are not." said Morgan.

"You do not have time to argue." said Garcia as she slowly got up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by Morgan, Garcia, and Emily while Morgan covered up Jason's body.

"It's really over?" asked Garcia.

"Yeah. It's really over. Now can we please get you back to the hospital?" asked Garcia.

Garcia looked at Agent Fuchs.

"I…" said Garcia.

"Oh, don't worry about your reinstatement papers. He'll sign them as soon as his hand stops shaking." said Emily just as Spencer walked away to walk over to his desk and get started on his paperwork.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer looked at the date on the calender on his desk and smiled when he saw that he and Maeve will still make their flight before heading up to Hotch's office so he could give him his paperwork.

"You can still catch that flight to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving so Maeve can meet your mom." said Hotch.

"I know, and Justin will be happy that I won't be bailing out as his best man." said Spencer.

"Are you OK with the rest of the team knowing about your girlfriend before you introduced Maeve to your mom?" asked Hotch.

"I'm OK with them knowing, but Garcia told me I should expect an interrogation within the next couple of weeks." said Spencer.

"You should head home." said Hotch.

"Goodnight." said Spencer as he walked out of Hotch's office.

The next evening Spencer and Maeve were flying to Las Vegas, Nevada for Thanksgiving.


	8. Maeve Meets Diana & True Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to include the wedding that Spencer stood up in because I just wanted to focus on the moments between Spencer/Diana, Spencer/Maeve, and Maeve/Diana before including the episode True Night.
> 
> Let's just say that Diana Reid had Spencer at 32 years old, so she's currently 58 years old.

Spencer stood outside the day room at Bennington Sanitarium while holding Maeve's hand, and a minute later he looked at Maeve.

"Ready?" asked Spencer.

"Yes." said Maeve.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were standing in front of Diana.

"Hi mom." said Spencer.

Diana looked up from her journal and smiled when she saw her son with the woman she has seen in recent pictures.

"Its been a long time since you've visited, Spencer." chastised Diana as she got up and pulled her son into a hug.

"I'm sorry mom, and I promise that I'm not going to wait almost a year this time to visit." said Spencer.

"Its OK since you kept up with your daily letters." said Diana before looking at Maeve who was waiting patiently, "So are you going to introduce me to your girlfriend or not?" asked Diana.

"Mom, I would like to introduce you to my girlfriend Dr. Maeve Donovan." said Spencer before looking at Maeve, "Maeve, I would like to introduce you to my mother Dr. Diana Reid." said Spencer.

"Its nice to finally meet you, Dr. Reid." said Maeve.

Diana looked at Maeve.

"Please call me Diana since my son now is the Dr. Reid in my family, and you look much prettier in person." said Diana as she hugged Maeve.

"Thank you." said Maeve.

"Sit down you two." said Diana.

A few seconds later Diana looked at Maeve.

"So Spencer has told me that your a geneticist." said Diana.

"I decided to follow my mom's footsteps." said Maeve.

"So your not afraid of my schizophrenia?" asked Diana.

"I'm not." said Maeve.

"So your not afraid of giving me grandchildren when you two are ready?" asked Diana.

"Mom." groaned a blushing Spencer.

Diana looked at her son.

"Having grandchildren would give you a reason to visit me more often, and having kids would get you to eat regularly." said Diana.

"I've already put on a couple of pounds since meeting Maeve last month." said Spencer.

"I noticed that." said Diana before looking at her son, "Could you please go get me some water?" asked Diana.

"Sure, mom." said Spencer as he got up and left the room.

As soon as Spencer was out of earshot, Maeve looked at Diana.

"We have talked about having kids someday." said Maeve.

"What did Spencer say?" asked Diana.

"He does wants to have kids, and I have told him that he's pretty much out of the high range for males to become schizophrenic." said Maeve.

"I like you." smiled Diana before looking at the photo album that she had nearby, "Want to see some pictures of Spencer as a baby and a little boy?" asked Diana.

Maeve nodded, and for the next five minutes Diana and Maeve went through Diana's photo album together before Spencer came back with water for him, his mom, and Maeve causing his eyes to go wide.

"Are you really showing her those pictures?" asked a blushing Spencer.

Maeve looked at her boyfriend.

"My parents already showed you pictures of me as a child, so I deserve to see some of you." said Maeve.

"Come sit with us." said Diana.

Spencer shook his head as he sat down between his mom and girlfriend on the couch while listening to his mom tell Maeve the story about him trying to walk across the backyard fence when he was four years old before it was time to eat Thanksgiving dinner with Diana.

Xxxxxxxx 

A couple of hours later, Spencer entered his and Maeve's hotel room and looked at Maeve.

"Mind if I show you something very cool?" asked Spencer.

"Does it have to deal with you leaving our hotel room for over 10 minutes when I went to the restroom?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"As soon as we get to our rental SUV, I will need to blindfold you." said Spencer.

Maeve smirked.

"At least I spent the past month making blindfolds fun for you again." said Maeve as she thought back to Spencer telling him about two of his worst days in high school.

"Let's bundle up a bit before we head to the SUV." said Spencer.

10 minutes later Spencer was putting a blindfold around Maeve's eyes before he got into the driver's seat of the SUV.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over a half hour later Spencer pulled over the SUV, and looked at Maeve.

"Just give me a few minutes to get the rest of your surprise arranged, so please don't peek." said Spencer.

"OK." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer was leading Maeve out of their rental SUV, and as soon as he led Maeve to the blankets that he set up.

"I'm going to remove your blindfold." said Spencer.

"OK." said Maeve.

Spencer removed Maeve's blindfold causing Maeve to see an already turned on lantern sitting by already laid out pillows and blankets, and when she saw a telescope already set up on the tripod, she ended up looking up at the sky.

"Oh my gosh." said Maeve as she took in the sight of the stars in the desert sky, "There's more stars here than in Washington DC." said Maeve.

"With the climate in the Mojave Desert, there's always a clear view at night." said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her boyfriend.

"Let's get onto these pillows and blankets and enjoy whatever hot beverage you stopped for at the gas station." said Maeve.

"Its hot chocolate." said Spencer as he and Maeve settled onto the bed of blankets before wrapping each other in a large blanket to stay warm.

Maeve looked around at her surroundings and noticed how they were the only people in the area.

"After stargazing for a bit, I should continue making blindfolds more fun for you again." smirked Maeve.

Spencer gulped as he felt Maeve moving her hand up and down his chest from underneath the blanket they were wrapped around with.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three days later Diana was hugging Maeve goodbye before Maeve looked at Spencer.

"I'll give you some alone time with your mom, so I will head to the SUV." said Maeve.

"OK." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer looked at his mom.

"Since meeting Maeve last Thursday and spending time with Maeve every day, do you want to tell me what you think about my girlfriend?" asked Spencer.

"I really like Maeve since she makes you happy, so I hope that she's the girl who ends up becoming my daughter-in-law." said Diana.

Spencer smiled at his mom.

"I love her, and I do hope that she's the girl I end up marrying and start a family with." said Spencer.

Diana smiled as she got up and moved over to her dresser where she pulled out a jewelry box and passed it to Spencer.

"I want you to have this ring for when your ready to ask Maeve to marry you, since I don't know when the government would allow you to take time off to visit me again." said Diana.

Spencer shook his head as he opened up the box and looked at the vintage ring before looking at his mom.

"Isn't this the ring that your mom wore until her death?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded.

"Its perfect." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three weeks later Spencer was sitting at the round table for briefing.

"These are victims 6 and 7 within a 2-week span." said JJ.

"All killed with a bladed weapon?" asked Emily.

"Yeah. The attacks are getting progressively worse." said JJ.

"The first 5 were lone victims." said Spencer.

"He's getting bolder." said Morgan.

"And more vicious." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at JJ.

"Tell LA we can be there by 9:30." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer got out of the front passenger seat of an SUV and looked at Morgan.

"Should have listened to me." said Spencer.

"It wouldn't have saved that much time, Reid. Let it go." said Morgan.

"The interchange between the 405 and the 101 freeways is consistently rated the worst interchange in the entire world." said Spencer.

"Why do you know that?" asked Morgan.

"It's a government report." said Spencer.

"So what?" asked Morgan.

"So you work for the government. What, you don't read the reports?" asked Spencer as an officer lifted up the crime scene tape for them.

"On traffic patterns in a city 2,500 miles from where I live?" asked Morgan.

"2,295 miles." corrected Spencer.

"Don't make me smack you in front of all these people." said Morgan as he pointed at the crowd of spectators just as an officer approached them.

"I'm Brady, LAPD." said Detective Brady.

"Derek Morgan. Dr. Reid. The rest of the team's in an SUV behind us." said Morgan.

"Yeah, stuck in traffic." grumbled Spencer before becoming serious, "Uh, so you had 2 more victims last night?" asked Spencer.

"They were discovered a little after 3:30 by a cleaning crew finishing up in the building." said Detective Brady.

"So that's 7 victims over the past 2 weeks." stated Morgan.

"Bodies are in the alley. What's left of them." said Detective Brady.

"Same victimology?" asked Spencer.

"We don't have positive ID on either one of them yet, but the clothing fits. You really think this is only one guy, huh?" asked Detective Brady.

"The level of overkill suggests an unsub in a psychotic break. Multiple unsubs in violent psychotic breaks operating in the exact same location is exceedingly unlikely." said Spencer.

Detective Brady looked at Spencer before looking at Morgan.

"Yeah, it's probably one guy." said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at Detective Brady as he fiddled with his latex free gloves.

"Do you know that a domestic cat loose in a normal neighborhood is the equivalent of a small-scale ecological disaster?" asked Spencer.

"Excuse me?" asked Detective Brady.

"They'll kill anything they can- Bugs, rodents, birds, other cats, small dogs if possible. Anything." said Spencer.

"That got something to do with this?" asked Detective Brady.

"An unsub in a violent psychotic break is worse." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was heading to the crime scene with his teammates as they talked to Detective Brady on the phone.

"Same type of victims?" asked Morgan.

"All gang-bangers." said Detective Brady.

"Good riddance, you ask me." said Detective Benson.

"Who's that?" asked Hotch.

"It's Benson. He's from the gang task force." said Detective Brady.

"If anyone had a violent end coming..." said Detective Benson.

"What's the scene like?" asked Hotch.

"It's actually the gang leader's personal house. Guy named Glen Hill." said Detective Brady.

"Street name is Reaper. Guess why." said Detective Benson.

"Only Benson and me have been inside. I didn't do much. I kind of backed out the minute I saw him." said Detective Brady.

"How many?" asked Rossi.

"Six. 4 inside, 2 outside." said Detective Brady.

"No survivors at all?" asked Morgan.

"Never thought I could feel sorry for these gang-banging sons of bitches." said Detective Brady.

"We'll be there in a few minutes." said Hotch before Morgan hung up.

"He actually went to the gang-bangers' house." said Morgan.

"The other victims were in alleys and dark corners. It could be the unsub was initially just defending himself." said Spencer.

"Like Bernie Goetz, riding the subways with a gun, waiting for someone to confront him." said Rossi.

"Except he's seeking them out now." said Hotch.

"Because psychotics in a break always devolve." said Spencer.

"Only a matter of time before he becomes dangerous to those closer to him." said Rossi.

A few minutes later Spencer was getting out of the back seat of the SUV and ducked under the crime scene tape so he could get into the house.

"TSK?" asked Hotch.

"Twenty-third street killers." said Detective Brady.

"Looks like they tried to fight back." said Rossi.

Spencer looked around the room he was in.

"They failed." said Spencer.

"Are sure this isn't some kind of gang retaliation kind of thing?" asked Detective Brady.

Rossi looked at Detective Benson.

"You're on the task force. Ever see a street gang do something like this?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah, but... One guy?" asked Detective Benson.

"One guy with a weapon, psychotic rage, and surprise on his side." said Morgan.

"Yeah, just look at any school or workplace shooting." said Spencer.

"So what do we do now?" asked Detective Brady.

"Ready doing it." said Rossi.

"An unsub in a psychotic rage stands out." said Spencer.

"Agent Jareau's got the media playing the press conference every hour. She's putting the profile out to the public. Someone in this man's world knows he's in crisis. Hopefully they'll recognize the description." said Hotch just as Emily approached them.

"Hotch. You need to see this." said Emily.

Hotch left the room with Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

A couple of hours later, Spencer walked towards Hotch and Rossi who were both carrying a bunch of boxes.

"That's a lot." said Spencer.

"There's more." said Hotch.

"Did you find the murder weapon?" asked Spencer.

"Didn't need to." said Hotch.

"Why is that?" asked Spencer.

"Mr. McHale is a very sick young man." said Rossi.

Spencer took one of Jonny's drawings out of the box.

"This is exactly- -." said Spencer.

"Yeah." said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Emily.

"Can you go get the mug shot of Glen Hill?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah. Give me a minute." said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through the boxes with Morgan when Morgan's cellphone rang, causing Spencer to listen to Morgan's side of the conversation.

"Hey, how you feeling, baby girl? Don't tell me you're a fan of this guy. Well, sweetheart the victims looked like before he killed them." said Morgan.

"Sometimes for an artist, the only difference between insanity and genius is success." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer pulled a phone out of the box he was looking through.

"Is this his phone?" asked Spencer.

"It was on the floor when we took him down." said Morgan.

Spencer removed the cellphone from the evidence board and looked through the recent calls.

"Looks like all the calls he makes are to the same number." said Spencer.

"Dial it. Maybe it's somebody who can help us. Or at least help him." said Morgan.

Spencer called the number and put the phone on speaker while Morgan grabbed a ringing phone from a small box.

"Hey, this is Vickie. I can't come to the phone right now 'cause I'm out living my life. Leave it at the beep." said Vickie through the phone.

"Vickie?" asked Spencer.

JJ approached them.

"Vickie. That was his girlfriend." said JJ.

Spencer looked at the recent call list.

"All these calls were made within the last 2 days." said Spencer.

"Sometimes what an unsub does actually makes sense." said JJ before walking away.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting across from JJ reading one of Jonny McHale's comic books when Morgan exited the galley area.

"Just leave it alone until I get there. Hard-head. Don't make me spank you when I get back." said Morgan.

"Don't listen to him, Garcia. He's all talk." called out Spencer.

Morgan reached out and clapped Spencer on the head.

"Ow." said Spencer before he looked at JJ, "JJ, he just hit me." said Spencer.

"You boys behave or I will ground you both." said JJ before noticing what Spencer was reading, "Is that one of Jonny McHale's books?" asked JJ.

"Yeah, it's, uh, it's called Blue. It's about a girl who thinks she's a real human being, right? But it turns out she's a robot that was built by her uncle." laughed Spencer.

"So it's Pinocchio." stated JJ.

"Yeah, it is like Pinocchio, only, uh, set in a high school in outer space." said Spencer.

"Oh, by the way, what happened to Vickie's phone?" asked JJ.

"Phone?" asked Spencer.

"The one that Jonny kept calling, with her message on it?" asked JJ.

"Oh, we gave them both back to him." said Spencer.

JJ sighed as she thought about Will.

"You know, I couldn't imagine having nothing left of someone but a voice message. I think I'd never stop listening to it." said JJ.

"Yeah, its sad. I would never stop listening to Maeve's voice." said Spencer before looking at JJ, "Hey, did you know that Carlo Lorenzini, the guy that wrote Pinocchio, was said to be obsessed with the human nose?" asked Spencer quickly.

"Wow." said JJ.

"As a matter of fact, Pinocchio wasn't even the first character- -." rambled Spencer.

"Interesting. Coffee?" asked JJ as she got up.

Spencer thought about how Maeve gave him advice about cutting back on coffee in the evenings so he could sleep at night.

"I'm all right. Thank you, though, for asking." said Spencer.

A few minutes later JJ looked at Spencer as she drank her coffee.

"Why didn't you take my offer for coffee?" asked JJ.

"My mom has always told me that I'm so skinny due to all the coffee I drink, and when it comes to dating a geneticist, Maeve has been having me switch to healthier lifestyles." said Spencer.

"Maeve's definitely good for you since I noticed that you put on a couple of much needed pounds." said JJ.

"She's also the reason why I'm sleeping better too." said Spencer.

"When we all got to officially meet Maeve on Saturday, I definitely liked her." said JJ.

"I'm just nervous about the upcoming girls night that you, Emily, and Garcia convinced her to join you guys on." said Spencer.

"With how Maeve is a lot like you, I have a feeling that she won't give too much details." said JJ.

Spencer looked into JJ's eyes.

"I've never told you guys about what my mom gave me before Maeve and I had to catch our flight back to DC." said Spencer.

"Did she give you a book?" asked JJ.

"Nope." said Spencer.

"Then what?" asked JJ.

"Even though its probably too soon to think about proposing to Maeve, my mom decided to give me my grandmother's engagement ring since she knows that its going to be awhile before I can go to Las Vegas to visit her again." said Spencer.

"If you have it with you, you must show me." said JJ just as Emily approached them.

"Did I hear something about engagement rings?" asked Emily.

Spencer blushed a bit while JJ looked at Emily.

"Spence's mom decided to give Spence an engagement ring for when Spence is ready to ask Maeve to marry him." said JJ.

"I want to see it." said Emily.

"Please don't tell Garcia yet." said Spencer.

"She told me that if you tell us about having an engagement ring on the jet, she wants a picture taken." said JJ.

Spencer groaned as he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a small jewelry box, and both women gasped when they saw a vintage engagement ring.

"Its beautiful." said Emily causing JJ to nod in agreement as she took a picture of the engagement ring and sent it to Garcia.

"We've only known each other for two months, but with what happened to me earlier this year, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with Maeve." said Spencer.

"I take it that you probably looked up statistics about couples who got engaged after dating for two months?" asked Emily.

Spencer blushed a bit.

"I did." said Spencer.

"What did you find out?" asked Emily.

Spencer gave Emily the answer he found out causing Emily to look at Spencer.

"Just follow your gut." said Emily.

Spencer closed the jewelry box and slipped it into his messenger bag while he thought about what Emily said.

Xxxxxxxx 

A couple of days later Spencer met up with Joe Donovan at the park in his neighborhood.

"Why did you want to meet with me, Spencer?" asked Joe.

"Even though I've been dating your daughter for two months, do you think its too soon for me to ask for your blessing to ask Maeve to marry me?" asked Spencer.

Joe smiled at Spencer.

"You remind me of when I was your age, Spencer." said Joe.

"Why?" asked Spencer.

"I ended up asking Mary to marry me after dating her for two months, and its one of the best decisions I made since we've spent our 30th wedding anniversary in June." said Joe before looking at Spencer seriously, "So you really want to ask my daughter to marry you?" asked Joe.

"I love her, and I really want to spend the rest of my life with Maeve." said Spencer.

Joe started asking Spencer certain questions, and after Joe was finished asking Spencer questions, he looked into Spencer's eyes.

"You have my blessing." said Joe.

"Thank you." said Spencer.


	9. Birthright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts a half hour after the last chapter so its still December 15th, 2007 in the beginning of this chapter, and Maeve ended up moving in after Thanksgiving since the lease of her apartment was up in December (With how Maeve was staying over every night when Spencer was home, Spencer asked Maeve to move in with him).

Spencer entered his apartment and he smiled when he saw Maeve sitting on his couch reading a book causing him to join Maeve on the couch.

"Want to go for a walk?" asked Spencer.

"Sure." said Maeve.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were donning their winter jackets before they left the apartment building.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half hour later Spencer and Maeve were sitting on a bench in a nearby park when Spencer looked at Maeve.

"Do you want to know what my errand was about?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"I was at this park with your father earlier because I wanted to ask him a question." said Spencer.

"What type of question that I couldn't answer for you?" asked Maeve.

"He was able to answer my question, but now it depends on your answer." said Spencer as he got up and knelt down on the ground causing Maeve to gasp, "Dr. Maeve Donovan spending the past two months with you has made me happier than ever. So would you have the honor of becoming my wife?" asked Spencer as he pulled his grandmother's engagement ring out of his navy blue military style pea coat jacket's pocket.

Maeve took in the sight of the vintage engagement ring that was in Spencer's gloved hand.

"Yes." said a teary eyed Maeve as she removed the glove off her left hand.

Spencer placed the ring on Maeve's left ring finger before pulling Maeve into a kiss while ignoring the clapping and wolf whistles from people who were watching the proposal.

"Its a perfect fit." said Maeve.

"I checked one of your rings in your jewelry box and had it re-sized." said Spencer before looking into Maeve's blue eyes, "I hope that its not too soon for us to take this step." said Spencer.

"My parents only dated for two months before they got engaged." said Maeve.

"Your father told me, and one of my teammates told me to go with my gut since you changed me for the better." said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her fiance.

"I don't want to wait to get married, so how about we call my parents and your teammates and ask them to meet us at the courthouse this evening." said Maeve.

"OK, and I should probably call Hotch first and find out if he can contact a judge in the DC area that can squeeze us in today." said Spencer.

"You should do that before you contact the rest of your team." said Maeve.

A few seconds later Maeve was calling her parents while Spencer called Hotch before contacting the rest of his team.

Xxxxxxxx 

Four hours later Spencer and Maeve were standing inside of a courthouse in Arlington, Virginia when Spencer's teammates came inside.

"What was the cryptic message about?" asked Garcia as she took in the sight of Spencer wearing a suit and Maeve wearing a dress.

Spencer and Maeve smiled at each other before Maeve held up her left hand causing Spencer's female teammates to gasp.

"You did it." said JJ.

"Congratulations, Reid." said Emily as she hugged Spencer.

"Who knew that the baby in the family would be the first to get married." teased Morgan as he patted Spencer on the back.

"Since we're currently in a court house, are you two eloping?" asked Garcia.

Spencer and Maeve nodded.

"I don't want our job to interfere with wedding planning and the day of the wedding, and I know that some of you would be upset with me if I didn't ask you guys to be here while we elope." said Spencer before looking at Hotch, "Thank you for calling a judge that is willing to squeeze us in today." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Judge Bishop owed me a favor, so he didn't have a problem getting you two in this afternoon when I explained why I needed him to marry you two as soon as possible." said Hotch.

Garcia looked at Maeve.

"Are you OK with eloping instead of having a big white fairytale wedding?" asked Garcia.

"I love Spencer, and I don't want to wait too long to become Dr. Maeve Reid." said Maeve.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"At least you didn't run away to Las Vegas to elope, but don't think that you'll be getting away from having a bachelor party." said Morgan

Spencer groaned before Garcia looked at Spencer.

"What about your mom getting to watch you get married?" asked Garcia.

"My mom is well enough to watch through video chat, so I have my laptop with me." said Spencer as he patted his messenger bag.

"I'll be glad to get that set up." said Garcia.

Maeve saw her parents coming towards them.

"There's my mom and dad." said Maeve.

A minute later Mary and Joe approached Spencer, Maeve, and Spencer's teammates.

"This is your team, Spencer?" asked Joe.

Spencer nodded as he quickly made introductions before Maeve decided to ask about the garment bag that her mom was holding.

"Is that what I think it is?" asked Maeve.

Mary nodded.

"Here's something borrowed for you, and I believe that it will fit you." said Mary.

Maeve looked at her mom.

"It will be another hour before the judge will see us, so how about you help me put it on." said Maeve.

Garcia looked at Maeve.

"Can JJ, Emily, and I join you two?" asked Garcia.

"Sure." said Maeve.

Joe looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"Did you two pick up wedding bands?" asked Joe.

"We went to a jewelry shop before coming here." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Maeve was being taken to a room that she could change in.  
Xxxxxxxx 

An hour and a half later Spencer and Maeve were standing in front of a judge while Spencer's teammates, Maeve's parents, and a teary eyed Diana who was Skyping in from Vegas when the judge looked Spencer and Maeve.

"By the power invested in me, and the state of Virginia, I now declare you husband and wife." said the judge before looking at Spencer, "You may now kiss your bride." said Judge Bishop.

Spencer pulled Maeve into a gentle kiss while ignoring the tears that were falling down Emily's, JJ's, Garcia's faces while Morgan wolf whistled, and when Spencer and Maeve were done clapping, Rossi looked at everyone.

"Let's go out for dinner, and its my treat." said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later a grinning Spencer set his messenger bag down under his desk before looking at his wedding band when Morgan and Emily looked up from their own desks.

"We both beat you here." said Morgan.

"I wanted a bit more time with my wife." said Spencer.

"So did you and Maeve stay locked in your apartment yesterday?" asked Morgan.

Spencer blushed.

"My man." grinned Morgan.

Emily tossed a crumpled up piece of paper at Morgan's head before looking at Spencer.

"At least having off through Christmas and New Years will be your honeymoon." said Emily.

"I know." smiled Spencer.

"So did you two make arrangements for a weekend get away before spending Christmas with Maeve's family?" asked Emily.

"Joe and Mary are sending us to a bed and breakfast in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia in their place." said Spencer.

"That's nice of them." said Emily just as Garcia made a beeline for Spencer.

"So should we start expecting cute baby geniuses soon?" asked Garcia.

"Can't I adjust to married life with Maeve for a couple of months first?" asked Spencer.

"OK, but I hope that there's a baby genius for me to spoil by the end of next year." said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates when JJ entered the room.

"Uh, everyone's here. Sorry I'm late. Last night in Fredericksburg, a 20-year-old woman, Molly McCarthy, was abducted. She's the third to go missing in the last 6 weeks. All disappeared from public places. No one's seen them since." said JJ.

"Until now." said Rossi.

"A couple days ago, body parts with cigarette burns were recovered from a national park which was once the site of the Battle of Chancellorsville." said JJ.

"Were they able to make an ID?" asked Hotch.

"It was the first victim, taken 6 weeks ago. Decomp indicated that she had been dead just over a week." said JJ.

"So he likes spending time with them." said Hotch.

"How'd she end up like that?" asked Emily.

"ME found microscopic tool marks on the bone." said JJ.

"I remember reading about a case like this in Spotsylvania county. Similar markings on the bone." said Spencer.

"It was the winter of 1980, also Fredericksburg. 5 women, 16 to 24. Buried in pieces. Same markings. Same civil war battlefield." said JJ.

"Killed the same time of year and left at the same dump site?" asked Rossi.

"It's like an anniversary." said Morgan.

"That case is still open." said JJ.

"Back then the victims were drug addicts and runaways." said Spencer.

"If he spends that much time with them, there's a chance these 2 women could still be alive." said Hotch.

"Wait. We think this could be the same killer? That's a hell of a cooling-off period." said Emily.

"BTK resurfaced after a 25-year hiatus." said Morgan.

"True, but he didn't kill anyone. He only taunted the police." said Spencer.

"Marks on the bone and where he dumps them- that's a very specific signature. Hard to copycat details that were never made public." said Rossi.

"Garcia, check the MO against girls missing in other states. It could explain the long absence." said Hotch.

"I'm on it." said Garcia before leaving the room.

"If this is the same unsub, what's he been doing for the past 27 years?" asked Rossi.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"With Fredericksburg being a half hour away by car, we're driving out there." said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was calling his wife.

"You have a case?" asked Maeve.

"Going to Fredericksburg, Virginia so its a local one." said Spencer.

"So do you think you will help solve the case before we head to Williamsburg on Friday?" asked Maeve.

"I believe so, but right now I'm heading to an SUV since we're driving." said Spencer.

"Please stay safe, and I love you." said Maeve.

"I'll try, and I love you too." said Spencer before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting in the back seat of an SUV going over a file.

"The killer has an obvious disregard for women. He sees them as disposable and worthless. You know, he'd need a lot of time and privacy to do this to them." said Spencer.

"Seclusion. Time. Back then, the theory was he was a seasonal worker on one of the farms." said Hotch.

JJ noticed a sign.

"There's the dump site." said JJ.

"It's funny he always dumps the bodies in this battlefield, no matter what the risk." said Spencer.

"It's a respected landmark. He's flaunting. It makes him feel important." said Hotch before making a turn.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer walked across the field towards the Sheriff.

"Sheriff Ballantyne, Jennifer Jareau." said JJ as she shook hands with Sheriff Ballantyne.

"Appreciate you all coming down so quickly." said Sheriff Ballantyne as he shook hands with Hotch.

"Aaron Hotchner." said Hotch before gesturing to Spencer, "This is Dr. Spencer Reid." said Hotch.

Spencer waved.

"Crime scene's right up here. I figured if this is the same killer as before, I didn't want to waste any time before I got your help." said Sheriff Ballantyne as he led Spencer, Hotch, and JJ to the crime scene.

"The other agents are meeting John Caulfield, the sheriff from the original case." said JJ.

"Yeah." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"You know him?" asked Spencer.

"No, not personally, you know, I just heard stories." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"How do you mean?" asked Hotch.

"Well, you know, by all accounts, he was a decent sheriff, good man." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"Right." said Hotch.

"Truth is, we don't get a lot of murders down here, and this case broke him." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"How so?" asked Spencer as he thought about how the Hankel case almost broke him completely until he asked Hotch for help.

"Ah, same old-you know, he started drinking, marriage busted up. Finally they, uh, asked him to retire." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

Spencer stopped walking for a second as he realized that he was glad that Hotch gave him a second chance.

A few minutes later Spencer was walking through a small wooded area while Sheriff Ballantyne pointed at certain scenes.

"There were about 20 kids partying 100 yards that way. Molly McCarthy was taken here. We found a blanket, sweatshirt, and a pair of shoes over there." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"How does someone not see or hear them?" asked JJ.

"t was dark. He had the advantage. Molly's boyfriend was the last person to see her. Said she was alone for a minute, maybe less." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"He's patient, works fast." said Hotch.

"He's perfected his MO." said Spencer.

"If our unsub's pushing 60, he's gotta be strong enough to carry her a long way without her struggling." said Hotch as he watched JJ walk away a bit and put her head in her hands.

Spencer looked at Sheriff Ballantyne.

"I've seen a lot of properties on unmarked dirt roads with no visible street signs, nothing on any maps." said Spencer.

"Yeah. If you don't live around here, it can be hell finding your way around." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"He's definitely local." said Hotch.

"Can you show us the various entrances to this place?" asked Spencer.

"Sure." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

Hotch looked at JJ before looking at Spencer.

"I'll catch up." said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer was walking away with Sheriff Ballantyne.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was standing by a picnic table near the latest crime scene.

"I got 2 sets of parents waiting for an ID." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"I can help you with that." said JJ.

"Thanks. He didn't spread them around this time. They were in plain sight." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"He's taunting us. He's basically saying, "I'm doing this and there's nothing you can do to stop me."" said Spencer.

"Nobody can get in here without showing their ID at the gate." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"I have a copy of that visitors list, but there's a hundred ways in. These fences back up to personal properties." said JJ.

"He knows these grounds as well as anyone. He could have jumped the fence, disposed of his victims, and walked right back out." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was standing in the bullpen of a police station when JJ came over with Sheriff Ballantyne.

"There's been another abduction." said JJ.

"Name's Tara Ricker. Family called this morning. She didn't come home last night. We're still trying to locate the vehicle." said Sheriff Ballantyne.

"Well, we know he kills after he takes another victim, so we're running out of time here." said JJ.

"All right, what do we know?" asked Hotch.

"Definitely a copycat. Same MO, Same dump site." said Emily.

"Only you never released any of that to the press." said Rossi.

"No." said John Caulfield.

"He had to learn it from someone- a family member, a friend maybe?" asked Spencer.

"Mary and Robert Wilkinson had a son." said JJ as she looked at Spencer.

"Are you suggesting there is a genetic predisposition to killing?" asked John.

"It's one factor, along with psychology and socialization." said Hotch.

"If you have a combination of genetics and a son who grew up without a father searching for his own identity, it could be a stressor." said Rossi.

"I remember Charlie Wilkinson, when he was 15, killed a neighbor's cat. He put it in a bag and hit it against a tree." said John.

"How old is Charlie Wilkinson?" asked Emily.

"Mary was pregnant with him when Robert died." said John.

Emily quickly did the math.

"That's 27 years ago. That makes him roughly the same age Robert was when he started killing." said Emily just as Morgan's cellphone rang.

"What do you got for us, girl?" asked Morgan.

"I just found the reason why Karen Foley was lying." said Garcia before she started explaining.

Xxxxxxxx 

Morgan looked at Spencer before focusing on the road.

"Have you ever considered getting a house?" asked Morgan.

"I've been thinking about getting a house since Maeve and I are both avid readers." said Spencer.

"I was shocked at the amount of her books when I helped Maeve move into your apartment." said Morgan as he thought about how he, Hotch, Rossi, JJ, Garcia, and Emily helped Maeve pack up her belongings and move into Spencer's apartment, "Right now I am working on a Victorian house in DC that has four bedrooms, a room that already has built in bookshelves which will be perfect for a library, two and a half bathrooms, and an attic that would make a good home office. The house is also five blocks from the Van Ness metro station so you can still take the subway you usually take. So when I get back from Chicago, how about I show you two the house." said Morgan.

"Really?" asked Spencer.

"I want you two to be the first to see the house before I show other people who are looking for a house. So after this case, you should tell Maeve and let me know if she wants to see the house." said Morgan.

"I promise." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by Hotch as he watched JJ and Morgan talk to Charlie's pregnant wife, and when Chrissy nodded, Hotch motioned Spencer to follow him.

"Let's go." said Hotch.

A few minutes later Sheriff Ballantyne was using a crowbar on the barn door while Spencer and Hotch had their guns out, and as soon as Spencer and Hotch entered the bar, Hotch pointed over to where he wanted Spencer to look.

"Reid." said Hotch.

Spencer cleared the area that Hotch wanted him to check before he heard Hotch call him again.

"Reid." said Hotch.

Spencer quickly made his way over to Hotch, where he ended up seeing an ax and some blood.

'Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through journals with JJ, when JJ called Hotch over.

"Hey, Hotch. We got something." said JJ as Hotch joined them, "This was all locked in the closet. Looks like it was Robert Wilkinson's before charlie got his hands on it." said JJ.

"So Charlie went looking for a father figure and this is who he found." said Hotch.

"He was killing animals. It's clear he already has murderous impulses, and... Finding this must have made him feel like it was... Ok, like it was almost his birthright," said Spencer.

""They like it when they get to share me."" read JJ.

"Is there anything in there about where he keeps them?" asked Hotch.

"Nothing yet." said JJ.

"Keep reading." said Hotch before leaving the room.

Spencer was slinging his messenger bag over his shoulders when Morgan got up from his desk.

"Who's up for a drink?" asked Morgan.

"Ohh. up for 5?" asked Emily.

"Count me in." said Rossi.

"Maeve is just starting dinner so I just want to go home." said Spencer.

"Going to get some loving with your wife?" asked a teasing Morgan.

Spencer's face turned beat red.

"Go home to your wife, kid and let me know what she says." said Morgan before looking at JJ, "JJ?" asked Morgan.

"I'd love to, but I'm gonna have to take a rain check." said JJ.

Rossi looked at Hotch.

"Hotch. You up for a beer?" asked Rossi.

"Sure." said Hotch.

Spencer followed his teammates to the glass doors just as a man entered the bullpen.

"Agent Hotchner?" asked the man.

"Yes." said Hotch.

The man handed Hotch a manila envelope while having Hotch sign some papers.

"What is it?" asked Emily.

"Haley's filing for divorce. I've been served." said Hotch before leaving the bullpen causing everyone to decide that they should just go home.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered his and Maeve's apartment, and as he headed into the kitchen where Maeve was pulling baked chicken out of the oven.

"I'm home." said Spencer.

Maeve smiled at her husband.

"I made baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables." said Maeve.

"Did you include peas?" asked Spencer.

"I sure did." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were sitting down and eating dinner, when Spencer looked at Maeve.

"Morgan told me that he's currently working on a house that he thinks that we'll both love, so he would like to show us the house when he gets back from Chicago on the 27th." said Spencer as he told Maeve about the house.

When Spencer was done explaining, Maeve looked at her husband.

"We should check it out." said Maeve.

"I'll call him after dinner." said Spencer.

"So are you ready for our first Christmas together?" asked Maeve.

"I am." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Eight days later Spencer, Maeve, and Morgan were standing in the living room of the house that Morgan just showed the newlyweds when Morgan looked at the young newlyweds.

"So what did you two think?" asked Morgan.

"You were right about me liking the house." said Spencer.

Morgan looked a Maeve.

"What about you, Maeve?" asked Morgan.

"I love this house." said Maeve.

"So are you two wanting to buy this house?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked at Maeve who nodded.

"We'll take the house." said Spencer.

Morgan gave Spencer and Maeve a price causing Maeve to gasp while Spencer looked at Morgan.

"This house should be worth more than the price you just gave us." said Spencer.

"I know, but consider the lowered price as a wedding present." said Morgan.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other and nodded.

"We'll take it." said Spencer.

"How soon do you think we can move in?" asked Maeve.

"Other than making a few last minute touches when it comes to painting certain rooms the colors you two want and building a few more built in bookshelves in the room that will be your library, you two will have to wait until March 1st to move in which gives you two geniuses enough time to pack up that apartment." said Morgan.

"Thanks, Morgan." said Spencer.

"You two should now go continue spending the rest of your honeymoon together, and I'll see you at work on Wednesday, Reid." said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Four nights later Spencer and Maeve were in the living room ringing off the new year with a kiss before kicking off the New Year in their bedroom.


	10. 3rd Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Criminal Minds.
> 
> With the mention of a holiday weekend in this chapter, I decided that this chapter takes place around Martian Luther King Jr. Day since I know that there are schools that are closed on that day.

Spencer looked at Maeve as they worked on packing books that they didn't need.

"As much as I enjoyed living in this apartment, I'll be glad when we move." said Spencer.

"Due to the rough year you had last year?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"It will be good to make new memories in the house we bought instead of this apartment where I have dark memories." said Spencer.

"Speaking of new memories, I need to tell you something." said Maeve.

Just before Spencer could respond his cellphone rang, and a few minutes later he looked at Maeve.

"You'll have to tell me when I get back since there are two missing teenage girls in Chula Vista." said Spencer as he rushed towards his gun safe.

A few minutes later Maeve was giving Spencer a kiss.

"Stay safe." said Maeve before she watched her husband leave the apartment.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that night Spencer got out of the SUV and headed to the crime scene with his teammates.

"Have you ID'd the body?" asked Hotch.

"It's a girl." said Detective Payton.

"One of the missing girls?" asked Hotch.

"All I can tell you right now is it's a girl." said Detective Payton.

"Did you draw up a list of those involved in the search?" asked Morgan.

"You're gonna find the parents of the girls on that list." said Detective Payton.

"Please tell me they didn't discover the body." said Emily.

"No. As soon as our dogs caught her scent, we kept them away from the scene." said Detective Payton.

"She'd been missing 18 hours?" asked Spencer.

"That's correct. We found the body 5 hours ago." said Detective Payton.

"The parents have been here all this time?" asked JJ.

"Yeah. And I'm running out of excuses." said Detective Payton.

"I'm gonna go talk to them." said JJ.

"JJ, I'll come with you." said Morgan as he followed JJ.

"Thanks. I gotta be honest, guys. I'm glad you're all here, because I have never seen anything like that." said Detective Payton.

"Her face and her hands have been obliterated." said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was crouching near the girl's body with Emily near him.

"Developed bruises, cuts, layer upon layer." said Emily.

"Bindings cut deep into her flesh." said Spencer.

"And around her neck there's heavy bruising. She was strangled to death." said Emily.

"A belt was used. You can see the indentation marks of a buckle." said Spencer.

"But why destroy her hands and face?" asked Detective Payton.

"It indicates she knew the attacker." said Hotch.

"By destroying her ID, They're hoping to delay you making a connection between the victim and the unsub." said Rossi.

"It gives him time to get away." said Hotch.

"Do you think the other girl's still alive?" asked Detective Payton.

"Until we find her body, we should assume she is." said Rossi.

"One thing's for sure- this is only the dump site. We need to figure out where she was killed." said Hotch just as Jack Vaughn came into view.

"And which girl we're looking for." said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer dipped his head a bit as he watched Jack console the grieving father before Jack led Owen away before Hotch looked at Detective Payton.

"I want Lindsey's picture everywhere." said Hotch.

"What they did to Katie took a long time. It was very violent and we know Katie screamed. Yet no calls from complaining neighbors. Why?" asked Rossi.

"They're weren't any." said Detective Payton.

Spencer started heading towards the room that held a clear board map of Chula Vista.

"The abduction site is nine miles north of the dump site on the edge of town. Both are indicators of a comfort zone, so I'm assuming the kill site is somewhere between these two points." said Spencer as he pointed at the map.

"That's a wide area." said Detective Payton.

"Do a grid search. Narrow it down to wooded areas, industrial sites, abandoned houses. He needed privacy and he needed a controlled environment." instructed Hotch.

"What's critical right now is a heavy police presence." said Rossi.

"Rossi, in the morning I want you, Reid, Morgan to go in and search Jack Vaughan's house. Prentiss, you and I will go to where the girls were last seen." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through one of the nightstands in Lindsey's bedroom while Pat and Jack stood watching Spencer, Rossi, and Morgan.

"What happened to Lindsey's mother?" asked Rossi.

"Does it matter?" asked Pat.

"It does to Lindsey." said Rossi.

"It's called victimology. It helps us understand more about Lindsey." said Spencer.

"How?" asked Jack.

"How she carries herself. How she interacts socially with others." said Morgan.

"She's just like any other 15-year-old." said Jack.

"No, she's not." said Rossi.

"I'm sorry?" asked Jack.

"Everything in our house is an externalization of ourselves." said Spencer.

"This room isn't what you'd expect of a teenage girl. No JT posters. No framed pictures. No journals, no cuddly toys. The walls are a mute tone. All this suggests that Lindsey keeps herself hidden. She's shy and... Shares very little with others." said Morgan.

"Except to one person- Katie." said Spencer as his work cellphone rang causing him to see a call from Garcia, "Garcia?" asked Spencer as he made his way out of the room.

"Reid, I ran a check on the folks involved in the search. All good. Nice neighborhood, no sexual offenders. But, here's the big news. I found a blog Katie ran on Faceplace TV. She talks a lot about Lindsey, and, boy, she did not like Lindsey's dad. Lindsey and Jack moved to Chula Vista 6 years ago. Up until 9, according to Katie, Lindsey lived in Maine. Jack owned a fishing boat with his 3 brothers, mom stayed at home. But then, tragedy struck. Fish stock went down, dad was forced to sell his boat, the family fell apart, mom died in a car accident." said Garcia.

Spencer looked at Jack's laptop as he sat down by as he thought about a familiar book.

"It sounds familiar." said Spencer.

"It should. It's the exact life story of a girl named Lindsey in a book called the "Emerald Sea of Dreams". I've read it like 5 times." said Garcia while Spencer looked behind him before focusing on the computer again, "If Lindsey stole her name and her story from a book, why didn't her father say anything about it?" asked Garcia.

Spencer looked into Jack's computer.

"And his computer's set to automatically clear the web browser history and wipe the temp file on a daily basis." said Spencer.

"Give me his IP address." said Garcia.

Spencer quickly looked up the information.

"374..." said Spencer before turning around to check his surroundings, "54.12.3." finished Spencer.

"Nothing. Must be using a gray box proxy server. It makes tracking his internet history impossible." said Garcia.

"Um." said Spencer just as he heard a voice from behind him.

" I help you?" asked Jack.

Spencer quickly turned around to look at Lindsey's father.

"Reid?" asked Garcia.

Spencer quickly hung up.

"I was just, uh, checking to see if Lindsey had contacted anyone on the internet. Predators tend to- tend to do that." said Spencer as he stood up.

"Is that right?" asked Jack.

"Yes. Statistically, actually, 43% of predators-" rambled Spencer.

"Lindsey doesn't like computers." said Jack.

Spencer thought about his own aversion to technology despite using computers when he had to.

"Oh. Cool. Excuse me." said Spencer before walking away so he could tell Rossi what he found out.

A few minutes later Spencer was standing by Rossi who was looking at Jack and his friend Pat.

"Doesn't look much like a home. State-of-the-art security system, but the furniture looks rented." said Rossi.

"The walls are bare of any real art. The shelves are devoid of any family photos." said Morgan.

"Spyware wipes your computer file history daily." said Spencer.

"What are you getting at, agent?" asked Pat.

"In the recording, Katie said what you'd expect of any teenager about to die. She begged for her life. Lindsey did exactly the opposite." said Rossi.

"Which is what?" asked Jack.

"Lindsey's emotional response and the- and the words that she chose to say in a situation as violent as the one she faced... Strongly suggests-" said Spencer.

"Look Lindsey was either coached or she's experienced sexual abuse before." said Rossi.

"You son of a bitch!" yelled Jack as Pat grabbed him, "No! Let me go!" shouted Jack.

Morgan quickly noticed the gun tucked into Pat's back.

"Gun!" shouted Morgan causing Spencer and Rossi to pull out their Glocks, "Put your hands where I can see them, both of you! Do not move!" ordered Morgan.

Jack put his hands into the air while Pat looked at the three agents.

"Stop! OK? OK, just calm down. I'm gonna reach into my pocket... And I'm gonna take out a badge. Just calm down. OK?" asked Pat as he held up a badge, "United States Marshal. Jack and Lindsey are under my authority." said Pat as he held up a badge.

"Which is what?" asked Rossi.

"Witness protection." said Morgan as he holstered his gun causing Spencer and Rossi to follow suit.

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch came into the house.

"What's going on?" demanded Hotch.

"Jack's in witness protection." said Morgan.

"10 years. Must be real important." said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Jack and his protector.

"Why didn't you tell us immediately?" asked Hotch.

"Because he's a state's witness whose identity needs to be protected at all costs." said Pat before looking at his charge, "You know, Jack, this may not have anything to do with-." said Pat.

"With what? His past?" asked Rossi.

"Jack, every person in this room, with the exception of him, is here for your daughter." said Hotch.

"If this does have anything to do with me, they'll be coming out of Boston. Irish-American. Two or more men." said Jack.

"Let's get them back to the station and keep them there until this is over." said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer was following Morgan and Rossi as they escorted Jack to an SUV while Emily, JJ, and Detective Payton kept Owen from going towards Jack.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Hotch looked at Jack.

"Who do you work for?" asked Hotch.

"The McCrelan corporation, from Boston." said Jack.

"I love how you guys sell that. By "corporation, " you mean the mob, don't you?" asked Morgan.

"No one's been able to get anything on them." said Pat.

"Until now." said Rossi.

"That's because they murdered anyone who was a threat to them, civilians and cops alike." said Emily.

"Is that what you did, Jack? Did you eliminate the threat? Do those pills help the memories, or do they just hide the real Jack?" asked Hotch.

"The only thing that keeps me alive is Lindsey." said Jack.

"What they did to Katie, do you think that was a message to you?" asked Hotch.

"If it is, it's working." said Jack.

"Do you recognize the method?" asked Hotch.

"I didn't send messages. I just went straight to the source." said Jack.

"In two weeks' time, the McCrelan brothers will face trial." said Pat.

"It looks like the McCrelans are gonna walk." said Morgan just as Detective Payton's cellphone rang.

"Where?" asked Detective Payton causing everyone to look at him, "All right. Thanks." said Detective Payton before hanging up.

"You were right. We just found something in an abandoned house." said Detective Payton.

"Lindsey?" asked Jack.

"Where, exactly?" asked Hotch.

Detective Payton pointed at the map.

"Here. On the outskirts of town." said Detective Payton.

"It's still in the comfort zone." said Spencer.

"What does that mean?" asked Detective Payton.

"It means the unsubs are local. Still here." said Rossi.

"Let's go." said Hotch.

"Agent Hotchner. Whatever you find, I want to see her." said Jack.

Xxxxxxxx 

A Kevlar vest clad Spencer got out of the backseat of the SUV that Hotch was driving when Hotch looked back at Spencer.

"What is it to the dump site, five miles?" asked Hotch.

"6.2 miles south." said Spencer as he headed towards the house.

"Why?" asked Detective Payton.

"Why didn't they dump Katie's body on the other side of town?" asked Morgan.

"And risk heading out on the open road while everyone was out looking for the girls." said Emily.

"Something forced them to move on." said Rossi as everyone donned gloves.

A few seconds later Spencer was heading into the back of the house before rejoining his teammates.

"Why obliterate the ID, and hide the body?" asked Rossi.

"Why not go straight to the source?" asked Hotch.

"Garcia checked all the names against the ICE database and nothing." said Morgan.

"Katie and Lindsey may have left the movie theater of their own free will, but they sure didn't count on coming here." said Hotch.

"So this has nothing to do with the mob?" asked Detective Payton.

"Hey, guys, this blood trail goes all the way out the back here. Must have run out this way." said Morgan as everyone followed him.

Spencer ducked a bit so he could go through a broken fence.

"Maybe it was Lindsey." said Rossi.

"Well, whoever it was, they lost a lot of blood." said Emil.

Spencer looked at the trail.

"It's thinner the further we go." said Spencer.

"It's an arterial bleed. And it stops here." said Emily.

"OK, spread out. Search the grounds and every house." said Hotch.

Spencer quickly pulled out his gun and quickly went off to do his own search, and a 10 minutes later Spencer heard Hotch's voice in his ear.

"Guys, the last house on the left, second floor. I've got something." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Instead of presenting the profile with his teammates, Spencer was working on the geographical profile while talking to Garcia.

Check every high school in the Chula Vista area, males between the ages of 15 and 18." said Spencer.

"OK. Chula Vista has seven public schools and three private schools, so I'm gonna need more than that." said Garcia.

"Uh, let's see here." said Spencer as he grabbed the picture of the dead teenage unsub, "Brown hair, 5'9", approximately 142 pounds." said Spencer.

"More." said Garcia.

Spencer looked at the map.

"Most of the activity's in the southeastern district. The socio-economic dynamic's predominantly working class. Look within a three-mile radius of the castle park area." said Spencer.

"Two high schools." said Garcia.

"Start with the largest." said Spencer.

"OK, let's see what we got. I got, like, five faces." said Garcia before she recognized a face, "Jinkies. Doug Silverman, 18 years old." said Garcia.

"Thanks, Garcia." said Spencer before hanging up.

A minute later Spencer entered the room where the rest of his teammates were.

"And the dominant male, in order to maintain control, attacked him." said Hotch before he saw Spencer come forward.

"Douglas Silverman, 18 years old." said Spencer as he posted a photo of Doug onto the bulletin board.

"We need to interview kids in his class, parents, teachers, find out who his friends were." said Hotch.

"It's at least two or more boys. One older, early to mid-20s." said Rossi.

"He'll think of himself as a real badass, somebody who broke the rules, defied the system." said Morgan.

"And have flunked or gotten kicked out of high school, possibly the same one. He'll also have a record- petty theft, larceny." said Emily.

"But Douglas Silverman's been missing for two days. How come no one's called?" asked Detective Payton.

"It's a three day weekend. His parents are out of town, or he called, said he's OK." said JJ.

"And now that the weekend's over, I can tell you with what's happened, it's gonna end violently." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by the bulletin board listening to Jack talk to Rossi.

"I had to. I can't afford to forget a face. His I've never seen." said Jack.

"Maybe these guys, she didn't want you to meet, afraid of what you might say or do." said Rossi.

"Lindsey and I don't have any secrets." said Jack.

"That's not quite true, though, is it?" asked Rossi.

"No, it is true. She knows who I am, what I was." said Jack.

"10 years ago your wife died in a car accident. Is that why you turned state witness?" asked Rossi.

"I promised my wife on her death bed that I would do whatever was necessary to protect Lindsey." said Jack.

"Did you tell Lindsey it was supposed to be you in that car and not her mom?" asked Rossi.

"Yes." said Jack.

"Why, then, with all that you taught her, would she allow herself to get caught up in this?" asked Rossi.

"She wouldn't." said Jack.

"What about Katie?" asked Rossi.

A minute later Spencer pulled out his phone and called Garcia.

"Go back to high school boys who flunked out or got kicked out. Go back 10 years." said Spencer.

"I think Katie's talking about him right now." said Garcia.

"Thanks, Garcia." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

After Spencer was given a name, he was talking with Garcia through video chat.

"OK, I got three Ryans." said Garcia.

"The Ryan we're looking for probably went to high school with Lindsey and Katie a few years back. He got expelled or at least flunked out." said Spencer just as Katie's father entered the room.

"Ryan Phillips. He was expelled for smoking pot years ago." said Garcia.

Spencer quickly got up and went into the room where Owen was in and saw a pill bottle while the room was empty.

"Oh, no." said Spencer.

"Reid, what's going on?" asked Garcia.

A beaten up Pat Mannan entered the room.

"He's taken my car. The bastard took my car." said Pat as he grabbed his radio, "This is Pat Mannan. All units, all units, I want an APB out on Jack Vaughan." said Pat while Spencer used the land line to call his teammates.

Spencer was quickly working on the geographical profile when Pat came over to him.

"You gotta find him, and fast." said Pat.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" asked Spencer.

"Coloring in a map." said Pat.

"All the activity is focused in the southeastern district. The abduction site, the dump site, Ryan Phillips' house." said Spencer just as an office approached Pat.

"There's gunshots coming from Jackson street." said Pat before looking at Spencer who was furiously working on his geographical profile, "Are you coming?" asked Pat.

A few minutes later Spencer got Hotch on the phone.

"Reid, good news, please." said Hotch.

"After inputting all the sites, I've come up with a 2-dimensional probability service overlay map that indicates the offenders' operating area." said Spencer.

"Reid, where is he?" asked Hotch.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I think he's taken her to the Mayford High School two blocks from here." said Spencer.

"I'll meet you there, and Reid..." said Hotch causing him to think back to witnessing Spencer's temporary death nearly a year ago, "Be careful since you have a wife who's expecting you to come home safe." said Hotch.

Spencer instantly knew that Hotch was thinking about his near death experience that happened over 11 months ago and how long it took him to get back to his normal self.

"Thanks." said Spencer before hanging up.

A few minutes later Spencer was driving one of the cars to the high school, and a few minutes later he found the room where Ryan was holding Lindsey.

"Kill him! Kill him, daddy!" shouted Lindsey.

Spencer quickly stormed into the bathroom and pointed his gun at Jack.

"Put the gun down!" ordered Spencer.

"Please! Please help me!" said Ryan.

"Jack, put down the gun." ordered Spencer.

"She begged him to stop and he laughed at her! He laughed at her!" cried Lindsey.

"I didn't laugh at her. I would change it if I could. But I can't. Please... Just don't kill me." pleaded Ryan.

"Jack... You swore to your wife you'd protect Lindsey. Listen to her, Jack. Listen to what she wants. She's- she's begging you to kill somebody right in front of her. What do you think your wife wanted you to protect her from? Jack... Your life has been, uh... It's been about violence, and if... You do this, Lindsey's will be, too. Do you want that?" asked Spencer.

"No, you don't want that!" said Ryan.

"When does it end, Jack?" asked Spencer.

"Put down the gun!" cried Ryan.

"Kill him." cried Lindsey.

"When does it stop?" asked Spencer.

Jack looked at his daughter.

"Tomorrow." said Jack before shooting Ryan in the head.

Spencer stood in shock as he took in the scene in front of him, and two minutes later Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan were in the room with him before Morgan looked at him.

"You OK, Reid?" asked Morgan.

Hotch looked at his youngest agent who was in shock causing him to make a mental note to contact Maeve and have her wait for Spencer at the BAU.

"I-I tried. I tried, really. I couldn't..." whispered Spencer before looking at Hotch and Rossi, "What's gonna happen to Jack?" asked Spencer.

"It depends... How important a witness he is." said Rossi.

Morgan looked at Spencer as he rested a hand on his shoulder.

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch watched Spencer who was trying sleeping on the couch on the jet when he heard Spencer mumble.

"I don't want it." mumbled Spencer as he tossed and turned on the couch.

Hotch quickly got up and crouched down by Spencer.

"Reid wake up." said Hotch as he shook his youngest agent, "Your not in Georgia, but on the jet with the rest of the team and me." said Hotch.

After spending a minute of trying to wake up Spencer by repeating the mantra, Hotch sighed in relief when Spencer woke up.

"Hotch?" asked Spencer.

"Your safe." said Hotch.

Spencer looked around and sighed in relief when he saw that he was on the jet with his teammates who were either still sleeping or giving him concerned looks.

A few seconds later Spencer surprised Hotch by pulling him into a hug causing Hotch to hug the young agent back, and after Hotch released Spencer, he looked at his youngest agent.

"Do you want to tell me about the nightmare?" asked Hotch as he used a tone to warn Spencer that he wasn't taking no for an answer.

Spencer quickly told Hotch about the nightmare, and when he was finished, Hotch looked at his youngest agent.

"We have two hours before we land, so do you think you can go back to sleep?" asked Hotch quietly.

"I think so." said Spencer before looking at Hotch, "Sometimes I really hate having an eidetic memory." said Spencer.

"I know, and you should think about making an appointment with Dr. Moss." said Hotch.

Spencer nodded before he laid back down and fell asleep.

A minute later Hotch was sitting across from Rossi who opened his eyes.

"Did something happen to Reid before I came back?" asked Rossi.

Hotch looked around to make sure that Spencer, Emily, JJ, and Morgan were asleep.

"Over 11 months ago Reid was abducted and held captive by an unsub in Georgia for nearly three days." said Hotch as he started to explain the details of the case while not mentioning the Dilaudid, and when he was finished he looked at Rossi, "It took a long time for Reid to be back to his normal self, and since Gideon left I was worried about the possibility of him distancing himself again until he told me about Maeve." said Hotch.

"She's definitely good for him." said Rossi.

"I'm glad he met her when he did because if he didn't, I would have had Reid sleep on my couch tonight." said Hotch as he watched his youngest agent sleep.

"You really care about him." said Rossi.

"Despite the nearly 10 year age difference he's like a second son to me, and I started working with him when he was a 21 year old cadet in the academy." said Hotch before looking at Rossi, "If I ever see William Reid, I would really punch him for leaving him with his mentally ill mother." said Hotch.

"I would too." said Rossi.

"So you know about his parents?" asked Hotch.

"He told me in Montana." said Rossi.

Hotch's phone vibrated and he saw a text from Maeve.

"I ended up calling Maeve and asked her to wait at the BAU for us since Reid's not in the condition to drive or take the train home." said Hotch.

"Probably a good idea." said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered the bullpen with his teammates, and a few seconds later he was being engulfed in a hug by Maeve.

"Aaron called me and asked me to be waiting here for you." said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his boss who was standing with Rossi, JJ, Morgan, Emily, and Garcia.

"Thanks." said Spencer.

Maeve looked into her husband's eyes before leaning towards his ear.

"You should think about being more careful because I'm nine weeks pregnant." whispered Maeve.

Spencer broke out of the hug and looked at Maeve in shock as he did the math of the possible conception date.

"Really?" asked Spencer.

"I was trying to tell you before you got called in." whispered Maeve before smiling a bit, "Even though it might be too soon for us, we both know the statistics about how effective birth control can be." said Maeve.

Spencer quickly hugged and kissed Maeve.

"What's going on?" asked Garcia.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"Should we tell them?" asked Maeve.

"Tell us what?" asked Garcia.

"We're surrounded by profilers." said Spencer before looking at his teammates, "I'm going to be a dad." grinned Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were being hugged or patted on the back by Spencer's teammates before Maeve was bombarded with questions before Maeve took Spencer home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: At first I was going to have Spencer and Maeve give birth to their first child the day after Henry is born, but I decided that with what Spencer witnessed in 3rd Life, I decided that Spencer needed good news much sooner which will be a reason why he will attend Beltway Clean Cops.


	11. Limelight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its now January 27th of 2008 in this chapter, and Maeve is now 10 weeks pregnant. The fact that Spencer gives about the name Jocelyn is actually true.

Maeve looked at her husband who was looking at baby name books.

"I was thinking about the name Jocelyn if we have a girl, and we can call her Josie." said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his wife.

"Jocelyn is actually a unisex name just like mine since Jocelyn was a boy's name during medieval times before turning into a feminine name." said Spencer.

"I actually did know that." said Maeve before looking at her husband, "Should our son or daughter be named Jocelyn no matter what?" asked Maeve.

"Jocelyn is fine with me." said Spencer.

"Then I guess we have a name, and we'll wait with middle names until we know the gender." said Maeve before yawning.

"We should head to bed because both you and Jocelyn need some sleep." said Spencer as he rubbed his wife's growing belly.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Maeve looked at her gynecologist Dr. Patricia Marks.

"This is my husband, Dr. Spencer Reid." said Maeve.

"Nice to meet you." said Spencer.

"Are you two ready to see your baby?" asked Dr. Marks.

Spencer and Maeve nodded.

"Your going to feel a warm gel on your stomach, Maeve." said Dr. Marks as she lifted up Maeve's shirt a bit causing Spencer to take his wife's hand.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were both tearing up at the sight of the sight of their baby before hearing their baby's heartbeat.

"Wow." said Spencer as he took in the sight of his baby moving her or her developing arms and legs.

"Based on the measurements and the time of conception, my estimate of your due date is August 30th." said Dr. Marks as she took sight of the two young doctors watching their child.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half hour later Spencer and Maeve were walking to their cars when Maeve looked at her husband who was slipping an ultrasound photo into his messenger bag.

"Call me if you get a case." said Maeve.

"I promise." said Spencer before looking at his wife, "Please take care of yourself and the baby." said Spencer.

"I promise." said Maeve.

Spencer knelt down and kissed Maeve's belly.

"Daddy loves you so much, Jocelyn." said Spencer before saying a few more things despite knowing that ears haven't developed yet.

Maeve started to tear up as she listened to her husband talk to their unborn child.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer entered the bullpen to see Hotch fixing himself a cup of coffee.

"I appreciate you letting me come in an hour late this morning." said Spencer.

"I just want to make sure that you don't miss out on doctor appointments like I did. So how was the ultrasound?" asked Hotch.

"Other than hearing the heartbeat, it was amazing to see my own son or daughter that I will be responsible for in 30 weeks." said Spencer.

"Do you have an ultrasound photo with you?" asked Hotch.

Spencer smiled as he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out his copy and passed it to Hotch who softly smiled as he looked at the ultrasound photo causing him to think back to the time he and Haley were expecting Jack.

"Are you wanting to take paternity leave after the baby is born so you can adjust to being a father?" asked Hotch.

"I told Maeve that I'm thinking about taking a month off." said Spencer.

"You can take more time off if you want." said Hotch.

"Speaking of vacation time, I know that I should go visit my mom before Jocelyn is born." said Spencer.

Hotch nodded before recalling that Spencer gave a name.

"Jocelyn?" asked Hotch.

"Jocelyn is actually a unisex name that was popular during the medieval times for boys before turning into a feminine name." said Spencer.

"Jocelyn Reid does ring a good bell." said Hotch.

"Maeve and I decided that we would decide on a middle name as soon as we know the gender in 10 weeks." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"I hope that I'm not overstepping any boundaries, but have you considered asking Garcia to track down your father so you could tell him that he's going to be a grandfather?" asked Hotch.

Spencer scowled.

"Because of him walking out when I was 10, I don't want him in my unborn child's life." said Spencer.

"Its OK that you don't want to track him down." said Hotch.

Spencer looked towards his desk and noticed that Hotch and Emily weren't there.

"Morgan has hand to hand classes to teach and Prentiss is assisting him." said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was at his desk getting started on his pile of consults.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at his desk working on consults when he saw Rossi head over to Hotch.

"You got something?" asked Hotch.

Rossi glance over at Spencer who was watching with interest.

"Not sure. It's from an old storage unit. Case agent from the Philly field office sent it to me." said Rossi.

Spencer got up and headed over to Hotch and Rossi.

"Somebody you know?" asked Hotch.

"She knows me. You know." said Rossi.

"Ah. A fan. Your world's a very crowded place, isn't it?" asked Hotch as he noticed that Spencer was coming towards them.

"You'd be surprised." said Rossi.

Hotch noticed that Spencer was standing next to him causing him to hold them out far enough so Spencer could look.

"This is detailed." said Hotch.

Spencer glanced at the writing and drawn pictures.

"Future tense. They're fantasies." said Spencer.

"That agent thinks it could be more than that." said Rossi.

"There's more of this?" asked Hotch.

"A few boxes in the field office." said Rossi as he glanced at Spencer, "I'd like to drive up there look at the rest of the material, make a judgment from that." said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Spencer and decided that his reading speed could be put to use.

"Take Reid with you." said Hotch.

"Road trip—nice!" exclaimed an excited Spencer as he headed towards his desk, "I've got books on tape with Peter Coyote reading the entire Foundation Trilogy." said Spencer as he opened up a desk drawer and grabbed the tape set that Maeve got him for Christmas.

After putting the tape set into his messenger bag, Spencer called Maeve.

"Have a case?" asked Maeve as rested a hand on her belly.

"Driving to Philadelphia with Rossi." said Spencer as he doubled checked his go bag.

"And the rest of the team isn't going with you two?" asked Maeve.

"I'm just going to be going through boxes of journals with Rossi, and depending on what is in those boxes, I might be home tonight." said Spencer.

"Just call me if your not coming home tonight." said Maeve.

"I promise." said Spencer.

"I have to get going, and I'll talk to you later." said Maeve.

"I love you." said Spencer.

"Love you too." said Maeve before hanging up.

A few minutes later Spencer was getting into an elevator with Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer's cellphone rang causing Spencer to raise his eyebrow when he saw that it was Bennington Sanitarium.

"I better take this call." said Spencer before answering, "Dr. Reid." answered Spencer.

"Are you busy right now, Dr. Reid?" asked Dr. Norman.

"Right now I'm driving to Philadelphia with a teammate, so I do have some time." said Spencer.

"Your mother wants to speak to you, and she's lucid right now." said Dr. Norma.

Spencer thought about the letter that he sent three days ago to tell his mom about the baby.

"OK." said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer heard his mother's voice.

"I'm really going to be a grandma?" asked Diana.

Spencer smiled at the excitement in his mother's voice.

"Yes you are, mom." said Spencer.

"I'm so happy for you and Maeve." said Diana.

"I'm happy too, Mom." said Spencer.

"So are you and Maeve going to come visit me before the baby is born?" asked Diana.

"We're planning on it, so Maeve and I both need to arrange vacation time before we come out." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Right now I'm heading to Philadelphia with a teammate for a simple consult that will require a lot of reading, and I'll write you a letter tonight." said Spencer.

"Stay safe, baby." said Diana.

"I promise, mom." said Spencer.

"I love you." said Diana.

"Love you too, mom." said Spencer before hanging up and looked at Rossi, "Sorry about that." said Spencer.

"Its OK." said Rossi.

"I ended up writing a letter to my mom and told her in the letter that she is going to be a grandma, so getting that phone call meant that she received the letter." said Spencer.

"She's excited?" asked Rossi.

"She sure is, and my aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon are excited about getting either a great niece or a great nephew." said Spencer.

"So are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" asked Rossi.

"I'm hoping for a little girl." said Spencer.

"What about Maeve?" asked Rossi.

"She's hoping for a little girl too, but we agreed that we don't care about what the gender is as long as the baby is healthy." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer walked through the Philadelphia Field office in step with Rossi while noticing other agents staring at them.

"How do you get used to the staring? I'd feel like I perpetually have something stuck in my teeth." said Spencer as he thought about how he sometimes hated the media attention he had as a teenager.

"You learn to ignore it." said Rossi as they aplroached Agent Morris's office.

"Just-just get me that match." said Jill before hanging up and looked at Rossi, "David Rossi in my office. Somebody pinch me." said Jill as she shook hands with Rossi.

"You must be Agent Morris." said Rossi.

Jill ignored Spencer as she continued to look at Rossi.

"Jill, please. And can I get you anything? Coffee?" asked Jill.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd like for Dr. Reid and I to get to this." said Rossi.

Jill finally looked at Spencer and thought about hearing about the media attention he received when he was placed into the BAU.

"Dr. Reid. Thank you both for coming. You won't be disappointed." said Jill.

"What other materials do you have?" asked Spencer.

"We found assorted artwork, torture porn, bondage. But what strikes me is the prose." said Jill as she motioned the two agents to follow her, "It screams of high-order sexual predator. I think we're onto something big." said Jill.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I assume you ran the name of whoever rented the unit." said Rossi.

Jill signed something that an agent handed her.

"Yeah, the name was fake. Louis Ivey. There's no record of such a person." stated Jill.

"Did he pay in cash?" asked Spencer.

"Till he went into arrears." said Jill as she started walking again, "6 months without a payment and the owner is allowed to auction its contents." said Jill.

"What I've read so far suggests an orderly personality. Not likely to miss payments." said Rossi as he and Spencer opened the room that Jill set aside for them.

"Well, he screwed up. They all do eventually, right?" asked Jill.

Rossi looked at all the boxes and inwardly thanked Hotch for suggesting that Spencer came along with him.

"Maybe I will take that coffee." said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

For the next couple of hours Spencer and Rossi were both going through all the material while wearing the latex free gloves that Spencer brought along while occasionally discussing about the material they were going through before Rossi went to talk to Agent Morris and came back to tell him that the team was coming in the morning.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Hotch looked at the table that contained papers and magazines that Spencer and Rossi went over the previous day.

"Is this everything from the unit?" asked Hotch.

"No. We pulled the salient materials and had Philly P. D. Process the rest of the items on site." said Agent Morris.

"What else was there?" asked Emily.

"Just some books, albums, toys." said Agent Morris.

"Toys?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah. Old stuff, like from his childhood. And we were able to lift some prints, but AFIS was a bust. He's not in our system." said Agent Morris.

"Morgan and Prentiss, go back to the unit and see what else it can tell us about the man." instructed Hotch.

"I'll get you directions." said Agent Morris.

"We have to establish if this guy's taking his fantasies to the next level." said Rossi.

"We can use these materials to try to identify his signature and connect him to any open cases." said Hotch.

"On the surface it reads like he wanted to try it all. I think isolating any one aspect might be tough." said Spencer.

"Well, then dig deeper. Try linguistics. Look for patterns in the handwriting. Rossi and I will take the images." said Hotch.

"Find the fetish, find the fiend." said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer focused on the journal entries while listening to Hotch and Rossi talk before he showed Rossi his findings.

"Extra-linguistic indicators in his writing suggest he's most excited by the prospect of electric shock." said Spencer.

"As a method of torture. Be specific. When you're in a court, the judge will demand it." said Rossi.

Spencer showed Rossi a certain area on one of the journal entries.

"See how heavy his handwriting becomes? At times he so exhilarated, he actually rips through the page. The idiolect supports it as well. I mean, nowhere else is he as creative in his descriptions." said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"Good work. You found a signature that's easy to track." said Rossi.

"The electrical burns on his victims will be unmistakable." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting in the conference room that they were given to use while JJ showed pictures of one of the victims.

"This is Dana Foster. She's a 34-year-old real estate agent from the suburb of blue bell. She was murdered 5 years ago when she went to meet a prospective buyer at a house in bucks county. Her nude body was found in a cellar, and she was strangled and raped." said JJ.

"And here's the torture behavior that Reid identified from the journals. The contact wounds are burn marks, most likely the result of electrical current." said Hotch.

"Any leads on the buyer she went to meet?" asked Emily.

"Fake name." said JJ.

"Louis Ivey. Could this guy be any more perfect?" asked Agent Morris.

Hotch looked at Agent Morris.

"Were her clothes found at the scene?" asked Emily.

"No. How'd you know?" asked Agent Morris.

"He takes them as souvenirs, and he alters them to fit his own frame." said Morgan.

"So he's bisexual?" asked Agent Morris.

"Actually, most cross-dressers are heterosexual. It's fairly common in sexual predators." said Spencer.

"What about her hair? Was any of it missing?" asked Rossi.

"Not that was reported." said JJ.

"JJ, contact Garcia and widen the victim search. Rossi and I will go visit the crime scene." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Morgan were briefing Agent Morris on what they found.

"We connected the three new bodies with missing person cases. So with a total of four victims on the board, we were able to narrow down the unsub's type." said Spencer.

"30s, attractive, Caucasian, upwardly mobile?" asked Agent Morris.

"Yeah. College grads, above-average income, career women." said Morgan.

"You establish a cycle?" asked Agent Morris.

"10 months between the realtor and the first of these victims. Then seven months, three months." said Morgan.

"He's practically doubling his pace every time." said Agent Morris.

"As with most prolific killers, the cooling-off period tends to shorten after each murder." said Spencer.

"Last know victim was found almost five years ago." said Morgan.

Agent Morris looked at Morgan.

"Five years? So could he could have stopped?" asked Agent Morris.

"No, not this guy. It's more likely we just haven't found the bodies yet." said Morgan.

"And there might not even be bodies, per se. We know he wrote extensively about creating a homemade incinerator." said Spencer.

"So how many we talking, ballpark?" asked Agent Morris.

"If you extrapolate the cycle in the last five years, he will have killed approximately 19 more women." said Spencer.

"It's great stuff, guys. Keep me posted." said Agent Morris before walking away.

As soon as Agent Morris was out of ear sight, Morgan looked at Spencer.

"She does know we don't work for her, right?" asked Morgan.

"I'll tell you more about her behavior over dinner tonight." said Spencer.

"You better pretty daddy to be." said Morgan.

"So that's my new nickname?" asked Spencer.

"Your about to be a father." said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer was sitting at a booth with Morgan and Emily since he kept his promise to talk about Agent Morris's earlier behavior.

"I have no doubt she's highly capable. I'm just-I'm saying that I find her excitement level at the prospect of finding more bodies somewhat unsettling." said Spencer just as a waitress brought Morgan his pie and coffee for them.

"Thank you." said Morgan before looking at Spencer and Emily, "Yeah, JJ said she was making up names for the killer." said Morgan.

"And yet, if she was a man, you'd say she had balls." said Emily.

"Oh, don't even go there. This is not a gender thing." said Morgan.

"Right." said Emily before looking at the map that Spencer brought along to work on during dinner, "Let's get back to Reid's map." said Emily.

Spencer looked at his map.

"All right, the nearness principle tells us that a killer won't travel far to abduct his victims, but this one's gone to great lengths to spread out his abduction and disposal sites." said Spencer as he used a knife to point at certain locations.

"So the sites are irrelevant to the geographical profile?" asked Emily.

"The only location I can attach a real meaning to is the storage unit." said Spencer.

"Four victims and we got squat." said Morgan.

"For years he's gone unchecked. I think it's only a matter of time before he grows comfortable and starts killing closer to home." said Spencer.

"Unfortunately, that only helps us if there's a fresh kill." said Emily.

Morgan dropped his fork.

"So there's a woman out there right now who has to die so we can do our job." said Morgan.

Emily glanced at Spencer.

"Since we're heading to the hotel to get some sleep soon, I want to see the ultrasound of your unborn child." said Emily.

Spencer reached into his messenger bag and pulled out the photo and passed it to Emily.

"So 10 weeks now?" asked Emily.

"I have nearly 30 weeks or less mentally prepare myself." said Spencer.

"I know that your going to make sure that your a better father than your own was, kid." said Morgan.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"Don't you think that you should stop calling me kid since I'm 26, married, and going to be a father?" asked Spencer.

Morgan ruffled Spencer's hair.

"Even though your going to be having a kid of your own, you'll always be a kid to me." said Morgan.

"Have you and Maeve talked about baby names so we don't have to refer the baby as baby genius?" asked Emily.

"We decided on Jocelyn since Jocelyn is a unisex name." said Spencer.

"Really?" asked Morgan.

"Jocelyn was a popular male name during medieval times before becoming a feminine name." said Spencer.

"I like that name." said Emily.

Spencer yawned.

"I definitely need some sleep because before I know it I will be woken up a couple of times a night when I'm home." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was sitting across from a woman who was the mother of one of the victims.

"I had a nightmare the night she went missing. It woke me up, but I forgot it instantly. You know how that happens?" asked the woman.

Spencer nodded.

"I know this sounds crazy. I feel like if I could remember that dream, I'd know what happened to her." said the woman.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer listened to the unsub's voice from the recording.

"Mile marker 115 on the eastbound. They'll find it." said a male voice.

"Anything strike you?" asked Agent Morris.

"Stripped of its clothes. Objectifies the victim." said Hotch.

"Exactly. Dehumanizing." said Agent Morris as she crossed his arms, "This wasn't just any tipster." said Agent Morris.

"The way that he referred to the body as a bleeder..." said Spencer.

"Visible trauma to the corpse." said Agent Morris.

"No, I don't think so. I noted usage of the same word in the pages from the storage facility. He refers to his targets as bleeders." said Spencer.

"It's misogynistic. He's referring to menstruation." said Hotch.

"He'd use it as a weakness." said Agent Morris.

"I think we need to see what's in that field." said Hotch.

JJ entered the room.

"I heard we got IDs on these two bodies." said JJ.

"Mimi Adams and Sara Coswell." said Spencer.

"What's up?" asked Hotch.

"This woman's husband came in before. She fits the victim type. I thought maybe..." said JJ.

Spencer thought about the hair that caused him and Rossi to call the rest of the team in.

"If you have her DNA, you might want to check it against the hair." said Spencer.

"What hair?" asked JJ.

"From the storage unit. Agent Morris found it early on. It's the same color, so it might-." said Spencer.

"It won't match." said Rossi.

"I know it's a long shot, but I think-." said Spencer.

"She didn't get the hair from the unit." said Rossi.

"She lied?" asked Hotch.

Rossi nodded.

"When were you gonna tell us?" asked Hotch.

"Whatever she did to get us here, we're here now." said Rossi.

"It's unacceptable behavior. Why do you keep defending her?" asked Hotch as he raised his voice a bit.

"Because I know what she is. She's me 20 years ago." said Rossi.

"She's nothing like you, Dave." said Hotch.

"Come on, Hotch, I know what people think. I took serial killers mass market. Now everyone knows their names, but not the victims, right? Somewhere along the line, I put myself first. I admit it. I can't go back and change it. But it's not too late for her." said Rossi just as Emily entered the room.

"Missing persons flagged a report that was just filed." said Emily.

"A possible victim?" asked Hotch.

"The subject's car was found idling at a stop sign, and there was some damage to the back end." said Emily.

"Sounds like a bump and grab." said Spencer.

"Did she fit his profile career, age wise?" asked Hotch.

"Katrina Townsley, 34. She's a reporter at the chronicle." said Emily.

"Chronicle?" asked Rossi as he quickly looked at Spencer, "Come with me." said Rossi.

A minute later Spencer was in Agent Morris's office with Rossi.

"What is it?" asked Spencer.

Rossi looked at Morris's computer.

"This letter- did we have this?" asked Rossi.

Spencer quickly read it before using his eidetic memory to figure out if he read it before.

"No. I've never seen this before. Why would he send Agent Morris a letter?" asked Spencer.

"She's his final chapter." said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer used a flashlight to look at the blood at the crime scene.

"Blood here. A couple of drops. Looks like she was dragged." said Spencer.

"This shouldn't have happened." said Rossi.

"Her guard was down. He tricked her into thinking she was meeting a friend." said Spencer.

"I told her, slow down, check your ego, use your team." said Rossi.

Spencer decided to use Rossi's first name since he knows what its like to be abducted.

"David, there's no way you could have known that she was gonna go off by herself." said Spencer.

"I did know. Sure as I know myself." said Rossi before walking away.

Xxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was sitting at a table outside the internet cafe looking at his geographical profile.

"All right, here's the garage where Jill was taken." said Spencer as he made a mark on the map.

"Presumably an area the unsub's familiar with." said Emily.

"You're not gonna abduct a federal agent outside your comfort zone." said Morgan.

"Right. This is where we are right now, and the third point is the storage unit right here. It's a four-mile radius." said Spencer as he drew a triangle on his geographical profile.

"What do we have right here in the center?" asked Emily as she pointed at the map.

Spencer quickly sent Garcia three addresses while Morgan talked to Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was sitting in the drivers seat while Rossi got into the front passenger seat, and after being on the highway for 20 minutes, Spencer looked at Rossi before he focused on the road.

"Have you ever heard of the Tobias Hankel case?" asked Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"Hotch ended up telling me last week while we were flying home from Chula Vista." said Rossi.

"One of my regrets is that I should have stayed with JJ instead of insisting that we split up." said Spencer.

"Aaron told me that he regretted sending you and JJ into the hands of the unsub." said Rossi.

"I know, but I knew that Hotch and the rest of the team would arrive when they realized that JJ and I were in trouble." said Spencer before glancing at Rossi, "I take it that you know about my rescue?" asked Spencer.

"He did tell me." said Rossi.

Spencer took a deep breath.

"Next week is the one year anniversary of my abduction and torture." said Spencer.

"Anniversaries can affect everyone." said Rossi as he thought about how he gets sad during the day that James was born and died.

"I know, but I'm glad that the Tobias personality gave me CPR because today I wouldn't be a married man while expecting my first child." said Spencer before focusing on driving.

Xxxx

Later on that night Spencer and Maeve were undressing themselves in their bedroom before falling onto the bed to reconnect from the past couple of days.


	12. Weeks 11-19 & Damaged

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place a week after the last chapter, and there will be time jumps in this chapter since this chapter will deal with weeks 12 through 19 of Maeve's pregnancy while including the episode Damaged.

February

Spencer looked at Maeve as he rubbed cocoa butter on Maeve's 11 week pregnant belly.

"Even though Jocelyn is a unisex name, I think that if we have a boy we should give him a different name since there were times that I got bullied about having a unisex name." said Spencer.

Maeve smiled sadly at her husband as she thought about how much he has gone through in school.

"What names were you thinking about?" asked Maeve.

"Would you believe it that I would want to name our possible son Thomas?" asked Spencer.

"After Thomas Merton?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"I guess we have a first name for our possible son." said Maeve before yawning, "We should definitely get some sleep since its a school night for both of us." said Maeve.

"I'm just not looking forward to tonight." said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Maeve.

"Tonight is the one year anniversary of the night I got abducted. So despite the nightmares I've been having since Chula Vista, I'm going to be dealing with nightmares that deals with Tobias Hankel since anniversaries of traumatic events can cause PTSD symptoms to reemerge." said Spencer.

Maeve took her husband's hand and squeezed it.

"I'll wake you up like I've always been the past two weeks." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer went into the bathroom to wash his hands before he and Maeve did their nightly routines before crawling under the covers.

Xxxxxxxx 

Five hours later Spencer woke up to a pillow hitting him, and as soon as he had his glasses on he looked at Maeve.

"A nightmare?" asked Spencer.

"Yes." said Maeve.

Spencer uncovered himself and grimaced as he realized that he broke into a cold sweat during his nightmare.

"Breaking out in cold sweats are disgusting." said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"You should take a shower to feel better while I change the sheets, and after we're both done we can drink some tea and talk about your nightmare." said Maeve.

"OK." said Spencer as he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom while Maeve took care of their bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half hour later Spencer and Maeve were in their small kitchen drinking tea while Spencer told Maeve about his nightmare.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day at 9:30 AM, Spencer yawned before taking a sip of his lukewarm coffee.

"You OK?" asked Emily.

Morgan looked up from his own desk.

"Did Maeve keep you up late last night?" teased Morgan.

Spencer blushed a bit while Emily threw a crumpled up piece of paper at Morgan's head.

"Not that kind of late night, but think about the case we worked on a year ago today." said Spencer.

Morgan and Emily sadly sighed as they thought back to witnessing Spencer's dead body in that shack before Hankel gave Spencer CPR.

"Nightmares?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded.

"Luckily Maeve was able to wake me up before I woke up my next door neighbor or the neighbors below me." said Spencer.

"Speaking of your apartment, are you excited about finally living in your dream home in three weeks?" asked Morgan.

"I am, and we've been working on packing everything up every day I'm home." said Spencer.

"How much more packing has to be done?" asked Morgan.

"We have 80% of our apartment packed up, and we started transporting everything that we don't need to the nearest thrift shop." said Spencer.

"Good." said Morgan.

"We also went shopping for some new appliances since I can't take the stove and refrigerator with me." said Spencer.

"So you two are going to use some of the furniture that Maeve put in storage?" asked Emily.

"We ended up getting new furniture, but we are waiting a bit before buying furniture for the nursery." said Spencer just as Hotch came out of his office and looked at Spencer.

"Reid may I please speak to you in my office." said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting on Hotch's couch.

"How are you doing today?" asked Hotch.

"Despite waking up from a nightmare that dealt with both Hankel and what I witnessed in Chula Vista, I'm doing OK since Maeve is not allowing me to bottle everything up while keep on telling myself that I have a few things to look forward to." said Spencer.

"Like your upcoming fatherhood and moving." said Hotch.

Spencer nodded before yawning a bit causing Hotch to give Spencer a concerned look.

"You could have stayed home today." said Hotch.

"I know, but I didn't want to stay in my apartment all day." said Spencer.

"How much sleep did you get?" asked Hotch.

Spencer sighed.

"Four hours since I couldn't go back to sleep." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at his clock before looking at Spencer.

"I'm leaving for a meeting in 10 minutes, so if you want you can take a nap on my couch in here." said Hotch.

"Really?" asked Spencer.

"I don't want you to collapse from exhaustion, and in about 29 weeks your going to be losing sleep due to your son or daughter." said Hotch.

"OK." said Spencer.

"You can lay down now." said Hotch.

Spencer removed his shows before laying down on Hotch's couch, and nine minutes later Hotch was leaving his office while Spencer slept on his couch.

Xxxxxxxx 

A week later Maeve smiled at her husband as she exited the bathroom in her new dress that showed off her figure and 12  
-week baby bump.

"Can you please zip up the back of this dress for me?" asked Maeve.

Spencer zipped up his wife's dress, and after Maeve helped Spencer tie his tie, she looked at her husband.

"Just so you know, I have plans for you when we get back from our belated Valentines Day date night." said Maeve.

"Can't wait." said Spencer.

"We should get going so we can make our dinner reservations." said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

On the last day of February, Spencer looked at his teammates.

"I appreciate you guys willing to give up your free time tomorrow to help Maeve and me move." said Spencer as he thought about how Maeve's parents, his teammates, and Anderson were going to help him and Maeve move.

"Having us help you will save you two from spending money on professional movers." said Morgan.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"Let's call it a day so we can be well rested for tomorrow." said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was packing up for the weekend before Morgan offered to give him a ride home.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that night Spencer and Maeve looked around their packed up apartment that was filled with packed boxes.

"Ready for our last night here?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded as she rubbed her 14-week pregnant belly.

"We should probably do one last cursory check before we get some sleep." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

March

The next day Spencer looked at Maeve as they both put on old clothing for moving.

"You do know that there's no heavy lifting for you today and that you get to direct everyone on where to set everything." said Spencer.

"I know, and I can't wait for our own celebration after everyone leaves us for the night." said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that afternoon Spencer looked around his new living room that was pretty much unpacked before looking at Rossi who was in his new arm chair.

"Why are you still here while everyone else have went home?" asked Spencer.

"I'm waiting for a delivery." said Rossi.

"What delivery?" asked Maeve.

Rossi looked at Maeve.

"Since your out of the danger period to have a miscarriage, I took it upon myself to buy furniture for the nursery to save you two time and money." said Rossi.

"You didn't have to." said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"Even though I've been working with you for four months, you've been becoming a son to me. So I wanted to take care of paying for the furniture for your son or daughter's nursery since I wanted to spend my money on just more than scotch, cigars, and old artwork." said Rossi just as the doorbell rang.

"They're here." said Rossi.

A few minutes later Maeve was directing the Babies R Us employees to the room that was being designated as the nursery, and after the employees left Maeve looked at her husband who was about to walk Rossi out.

"I'm craving spaghetti." said Maeve.

Rossi looked at Maeve.

"When stocking up your kitchen earlier, I noticed that you have the ingredients for spaghetti carbonara. So if you two don't mind me staying longer, I'll be glad to show you two how to make my recipe while breaking in your new kitchen." said Rossi.

"That would be wonderful." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer, Maeve, and Rossi were in the Reid family's bigger kitchen making spaghetti carbonara.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Spencer exited the master bathroom to find Maeve sitting on their brand new king sized canopy bed only wearing a closed robe.

"Did you remove my pajamas from our bathroom?" asked Spencer.

Maeve licked her lips at the sight of her husband only wearing a towel around his waist.

"I did because I wanted us to celebrate our first night in our new home." said Maeve as she got up and removed her robe causing Spencer to groan at the sight of Maeve's lingerie.

Xxxxxxxx 

A week and a half later Dr. Marks looked at Spencer and Maeve as she did Maeve's 16-week ultrasound.

"Your baby decided to show me the gender, so do you two want to know now?" asked Dr. Marks.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"You two are having a beautiful baby girl." smiled Dr. Marks.

Spencer and Maeve smiled at each other as happy tears streamed down their faces.

"Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid." said Maeve.

"Beautiful name." smiled Dr. Marks.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer entered the bullpen and Emily and Morgan looked up from their desks.

"How did the doctor appointment go?" asked Emily.

Spencer smiled.

"We found out the gender." said Spencer.

"Tell us, kid." said Morgan.

"I rather tell everyone at once, so we should ask Garcia, Hotch, JJ, and Rossi to meet us in the conference room." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Hotch looked at Spencer who was still grinning.

"So you have some news?" asked Hotch.

"Maeve and I found out the gender." said Spencer.

"Please tell us so I can start baby shopping." said Garcia excitably.

"I'm going to be a proud father to Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid." said Spencer.

"A BABY GIRL!" squealed Garcia as she rushed over to Spencer and gave him a hug.

Emily smirked at a groaning Morgan.

"Pay up." said Emily.

Morgan reached into his pocket and pulled $20 and passed the money to Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

A week later Spencer and Maeve were standing outside the day room at Bennington Sanitarium with Maeve's parents when Dr. Norman approached them causing Maeve to introduce her parents to Dr. Norman.

"Before you four go see Diana, I want to congratulate you myself." said Dr. Norman as he gestured to Maeve's 17-week pregnant belly.

"Thank you." said Spencer and Maeve in unison.

"Have you two found out the gender yet?" asked Dr. Norman.

"We have, and its a girl." smiled Spencer.

"As a father to two daughters, your definitely going to be in trouble when your older." smiled Dr. Norman before walking away to check on a patient.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were both hugging Diana before Maeve introduced her parents to Diana.

"Diana, I would like to introduce you to my parents Mary and Joseph." said Maeve.

"Nice to finally meet you in person." said Mary as she shook hands with Diana.

"You two raised a wonderful daughter." said Diana.

"Thank you, and you did a good job raising Spencer." said Joe.

Diana smiled sadly at her son before looking at Joe and Mary.

"There were times that Spencer ended up being the parent to me," said Diana before looking at Spencer, "How long are you in town for?" asked Diana.

"For the next three days." said Spencer as he rested a hand on Maeve's belly before his eyes went wide, "Is that the first time the baby has kicked?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"Its definitely Josie's first kick." said Maeve just as she put her hands onto her mouth while her parents and Spencer burst out laughing.

Diana looked between her son and her daughter-in-law.

"I'm getting a granddaughter?" asked Diana.

Spencer nodded.

"We found out the gender last week, and we wanted to tell you in person that your granddaughter's name is going to be Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid." said Spencer.

"Such a beautiful name that rings a good bell." said Diana before looking at Spencer, "I ended up going through my trunk, and you should see what I found that your daughter should deserve to have." said Diana as she got up and opened up the trunk.

"What is it?" asked Spencer.

Diana pulled out a stuffed elephant causing Spencer to grin.

"I've been wondering what happened to Babar." said Spencer.

"I decided to hang onto it for when I get my first grandchild." said Diana.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"We should do an elephant theme for Josie's nursery." said Maeve.

Spencer nodded in agreement before looking at the clock.

"We actually got permission to check you out for awhile, so what do you say about going out to eat at Binions with us so you can help Maeve and me introduce chicken fried lobster to Maeve's parents?" asked Spencer.

"I would love to join you guys so I can hear stories about Maeve as a little girl." said Diana before looking at Maeve and Mary, "Do you two want to help me pick out some nicer clothing?" asked Diana.

"Sure." said Mary.

Xxxxxxxx 

30 minutes later Spencer, Maeve, Diana, Joe, and Mary were sharing a circular booth together at Binions waiting for their chicken fried lobster while Diana, Mary, and Joe exchanged stories about Spencer and Maeve as children causing the expecting parents to blush.

Xxxxxxxx 

The following Saturday, Spencer entered Josie's nursery with Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Garcia who were wearing old clothing that could get covered in paint.

"What color are you painting Josie's nursery?" asked Garcia.

"Lavender, and we're doing an elephant theme." said Spencer as he explained the significance of the theme.

When he was finished, Garcia looked at him as she thought about Spencer telling her how his mom really got along great with Maeve's parents.

"This nursery is going to be so adorable when we're finished." said Garcia.

A few seconds later Spencer, Morgan, JJ, Garcia, and Emily were getting to work on painting the nursery before Spencer and Morgan worked together on putting together the furniture while JJ, Emily, and Garcia decided to take 18-week pregnant Maeve shopping.

Xxxxxxxx 

April

Spencer was rubbing cocoa butter onto Maeve's 19-week pregnant belly.

"Just keep on getting big and strong and mommy and I will see you in 21 weeks Josie." said Spencer.

"I just can't believe that I'll be halfway through my pregnancy next week." said Maeve.

"Me either, but at least we already have the nursery finished." said Spencer.

"You, Penelope, JJ, Emily, and Derek did a great job on the nursery." said Maeve.

"I know, and I'm glad that you allowed me to put constellations on the ceiling with glow on the dark stars." said Spencer.

10 minutes later Spencer and Maeve were fast asleep in their bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

Four hours later Spencer woke up to his work cellphone ringing causing the young man to fumble for his glasses and answer his phone.

"Dr. Reid." answered Spencer with a sleep filled voice.

"I'm sorry to wake you up, but I'm going to be at your house in 40 minutes." said Hotch.

"We have a case?" asked Spencer.

"No case, but Chester Hardwick wants us to interview tomorrow so we're driving to Connecticut tonight." said Hotch.

Spencer woke up instantly.

"I'll be outside by the time you get here." said Spencer as he hung up and got out of bed.

Maeve woke up to the sound of her husband pulling clothes on.

"Have a case?" asked Maeve tiredly.

"Hotch and I are driving to Connecticut since we've been preparing to interview Chester Hardwick." said Spencer before looking at his wife, "While I wait for Hotch I'll make some breakfast that you can heat up, and in the morning I'll call you before I have to put my phone away." said Spencer.

"OK." said Maeve before falling back asleep.

Xxxxxxxx 

35 minutes later Spencer was buckling himself up in the bureau's SUV before looking at Hotch who was still wearing the same suit.

"I take it that you were still at the office when you got the phone call?" asked Spencer tiredly.

"Yes." said Hotch before looking at his youngest agent, "Since we'll be on the road for over five hours, how about you get some sleep and we'll get breakfast at daylight." said Hotch.

"OK." said Spencer as he started to make himself comfortable in the front passenger seat of the SUV before falling asleep.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that afternoon Spencer was fiddling with a snow globe while Hotch talked on the phone.

"Yeah, JJ. Um, no, it's-it's- It's a personal matter. Yes, thank you. I will take care of it when I get back." said Hotch before hanging up.

Spencer looked at his unit chief.

"Is everything all right?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, fine." said Hotch.

"We can do this interview another time." said Spencer.

"Well, he's scheduled to be executed next week." said Hotch.

"I can take the lead if you-." said Spencer.

"Reid." said Hotch as he held up a hand.

"Sorry." whispered Spencer just as the assistant warden came into the room.

"Agent Hotchner?" asked Abner.

"Yes." said Hotch as he shook hands with Abner.

Abner made his way over to Spencer.

"Ah. You must be Dr. Reid." said Abner as he shook hands with Spencer, "Abner Merriman, Assistant warden. You're here to see our infamous inmate Hardwick." said Abner as he looked at Spencer.

"Yeah. He agreed to meet with us as part of our criminal personality research project prior to his execution." said Spencer as he thought about how Strauss asked him to write an article to publish after doing a custodial interview.

Abner smiled at Spencer.

"I've read some of your studies in police journals. Serial killers are a kind of hobby of mine. Chester's the only one I've ever met in person, Though. I bet you've met quite a few." said Abner.

Spencer smiled, but before he could answer Hotch looked at Abner.

"Sir, we'd very much like to get started as soon as we can." said Hotch.

"Oh, of course, of course. Forgive me." said Abner as he headed to his desk to grab some keys, "Uh, we, uh we don't really have Interrogation facilities, but I do have a small room that you can use. You're not armed?" asked Abner.

"We secured our weapons before we arrived. It's not our first time in a prison." said Hotch.

Abner chuckled. "No, no, I suppose that's true." said Abner as he clapped Hotch on the shoulder, "I have to say, when I heard that he'd contacted you, I was surprised." said Abner.

"Why?" asked Spencer.

"Chester Hardwick? He doesn't really talk much. To anyone." said Abner.

"Well, that usually changes when someone's about to die." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was removing files from the box that he and Hotch brought into the interview room while Abner showed them the locking system they had.

"The, uh, door will of course be locked from the outside, and this button here, it sounds audibly as well as triggers a flashing light to signal the guards when your finished." said Abner.

"Thank you." said Spencer.

Abner looked at the file that Spencer had open.

"Are these the crime scene photos?" asked Abner.

"Oh. Uh, some of them, yes." answered Spencer.

Abner picked up the file while Spencer continued to unload the box.

"God I knew what he did, of course, but i you know, never saw 23 victims like this." said Abner.

"Sometimes in these interviews they talk about crimes they were never charged with, so it might even be more." said Spencer.

"Is it ever less?" asked Abner.

"No." said Spencer.

"Uh, please." said Hotch as he took the file from Abner, "Paying attention to these items projects a kind of Importance on them. When he comes in, I'd like to give him the opportunity to show us which parts of the crimes he thinks are important." said Hotch.

"Sorry. Of course. Sorry." said Abner.

"It's all right." said Hotch just as a few guards brought Chester into the room.

"Chains left on, right?" asked the guard.

Spencer looked at Chester as he thought about how he wanted to get home to his wife and unborn daughter safely.

"That's probably a good idea." said Spencer.

"No. It won't be necessary." said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his boss in shock.

"It won't?" asked Spencer.

"Your sure?" asked the guard.

"Mm-hmm." said Hotch before looking at Chester, "We're just gonna talk, right, Chester?" asked Hotch.

The guard undid Chester's chains before locking Spencer, Hotch, and Chester in the room.

"Sit down." said Hotch.

Chester looked out he window.

"I'd like this window opened. I'll answer Any question you have, but only if this window is open." said Chester.

Hotch looked over where Spencer was sitting.

"Go ahead. Reid." said Hotch.

Chester opened the window.

"You were born April 4, 1950?" asked Spencer.

"Does my birth date really matter?" asked Chester.

"It's customary for us to start at the beginning. We want to try to know as much as we can about your childhood." said Spencer.

"There's nothing to know. It was average. I lived in a nice house on a quiet street. I ate cereal. I went to school. I watched cartoons." said Chester.

Hotch looked at Chester as he raised his voice.

"I don't have time for this. You didn't live in a nice house on a quiet street. You grew up in a series of projects in East Bridgeport, each one worse than the last. You spent your teenage years peeping into your female neighbors' windows and burglarizing their underwear drawers when you got the chance. And you set 100 small fires for which you spent two years in juvenile detention." said Hotch.

"We've done extensive research, Mr. Hardwick, and we've talked to almost everyone you've ever known including your mother." said Spencer.

Chester turned around and looked at Spencer and Hotch.

"Good old Jean? I'll bet she was a real treat." said Chester.

"Good old Jean's down the street in the state hospital." said Hotch.

"At this point, lying to us isn't really possible or helpful." said Spencer.

"Well, then, you're wrong." said Chester.

"About what?" asked Hotch.

"I started a lot more than 100 fires." said Chester.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer quickly wrote what Chester said down.

Chester was sitting across from Spencer.

"What do you want to hear? How Papa kicked me and Jean's ass every single day? That the kind of thing you want to hear?" asked Chester.

"If it's true." said Spencer.

"Nobody gives a damn about the truth." said Chester.

Xxxxxxxx 

Chester stood by the open window.

"Temperature's dropping. It's that time of year. Warm days, cold nights." said Chester.

"It'll be summer soon." said Spencer as he thought about his unborn daughter's due date being late August.

"But not for you." said Hotch.

"No not for me." said Chester.

"Let's, um, let's talk about the specifics of the case. Why did you choose Sheila O 'Neal?" asked Spencer.

"You gotta show me a picture. I don't know their names." said Chester.

"Is that what this is all about, some chance to relive all of this?" asked Hotch.

"I have an excellent memory. I thought you wanted to hear the truth. Truth is, they meant nothing to me. They were toys, a diversion, and from the moment I decided to kill them, they were dead. They begged, they cried, they bargained, and it didn't matter, because they didn't matter. Sometimes I wish I was normal, that I'd had a regular life. But I didn't." said Chester.

"Why did you ask us here?" asked Hotch.

"I wanted to smell the air." said Chester.

"What?" asked Hotch.

"They've got me on death watch. And I will be until they take me to the death chamber. So I wanted to smell the air one last time before I die. Thank you for giving me that." said Chester.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Let's pack it up." said Hotch.

"Shouldn't we at least-." said Spencer as he started to pack up.

"No, no." said Hotch as Spencer got up and swung his messenger bag over his shoulder, "Have a nice trip, Chester. You're going where you belong." said Hotch as he pressed the button a second and third time to summon the guards.

Chester looked at Hotch.

"It's 5:17. Evening yard started at 5:00. Guard staff's outside with the population. There won't be anyone To open that door for at least 13 minutes." said Chester as he picked up a crime scene photo, "And it took me less than five to do this." said Chester before giving Spencer and Hotch an evil smile.

Chester tossed the photo back onto the table.

"While you were doing your research, maybe a question or two about security tones would have been a good idea." said Chester.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"I heard the tones." said Hotch.

"So you planned to be locked inside with me, with no guns or weapons." said Chester as he paced around the room.

"I won't need a gun." said Hotch calmly.

Spencer slowly made his way behind a pillar as he tried to get as far away from Chester as possible.

"There's no way they're gonna execute me next week, not after I kill you saved my life by coming here." said Chester.

"But unfortunately for you, I'm not a 5-foot-tall, 100 pound girl." deadpanned Hotch as he removed his suit jacket before removing his tie, "All your life you've gone after victims who couldn't fight back. And the rest of the time you spent looking over your shoulder, worried about the knock on the door, scared that somebody like me would be on the other side waiting to put you away. At your core, you're a coward." said Hotch as he pointed at Chester.

As Chester charged towards Hotch, Spencer instantly knew that he had to intervene before wanting to think about the possibility that he would be dead before meeting his daughter in 21 weeks.

"Chester, do you want to know why you killed those women?" asked Spencer quickly.

Chester glanced at Hotch before looking at Spencer.

"What?" asked Chester.

"Earlier you said you wish that you were different. I can tell you why you killed them, why you are what you are." said Spencer.

Chester looked at Spencer.

"You can tell me why I did the things I did?" asked Chester.

"I think so. I do." said Spencer as he took a deep breath before looking at Chester, "Your mother's bipolar and almost certainly an undifferentiated Schizophrenic. Your father suffered severe shell shock in the war, what we now refer to as post-traumatic stress disorder. As far as I can tell, he remained clinically depressed the rest of his life. form of mental illness in their family. In your case, both your parents suffered from psychological disorders, which they largely took out on they beat each other as much as they beat you, so violence became a natural expression of love there's something called the hypothalamic region of the limbic system. It's the most primitive part of the brain. It wants what it wants without conscience and without judgment. It's what makes babies cry when they're hungry, uh, scream when they want affection, become enraged when a toy is taken away. In most children, a healthy relationship with their mother counters the hypothalamus and maps the child's brain into healthy emotional response pour hypothalamus never learned control. It still operates on that primitive level your records indicate that you display the symptoms of satyriasis. You're obsessed with sex. Sex and love are cross-wired with pain in your additionally, your hypothalamus won't allow you to stop seeking the- the desires that it wants. So you became a sexual sadist. No functioning sexual partner will ever willingly submit to the painful desires that you have. The only way you can serve them is by making a partner compliant making sure that they do exactly what you want them to do. And you ensure that by killing them." rambled Spencer before slowing down, "Earlier, you said your victims never had a chance. I think you know deep down it was you who really never had a chance." finished Spencer just as the door unlocked so three guards can enter the room.

"Everything all right in here?" asked the guard.

"Fine. We're done." said Hotch as he grabbed his tie and suit jacket.

Chester looked at Spencer who was trying to leave the room.

"Is that true, I never had a chance?" asked Chester.

"I don't know. Maybe." said Spencer before hurrying out of the room so he could head to a nearby water fountain and drink some water.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half hour later Hotch was driving back to DC, and he looked at Spencer who was smiling at a text message from Maeve.

"That was smart to get Hardwick to focus on himself long enough for the guards to come back." said Hotch.

"I find that I do some of my best work under intense terror." said Spencer as he thought about Dowd, Hankel, and now Hardwick.

Hotch looked at Spencer and thought about how much Spencer has gone through in his short life while remembering that his actions almost made Maeve a widow and almost didn't give Jocelyn the chance to meet her father within the next 21 weeks.

"I'm sorry." said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch with a puzzled look on his face.

"For what?" asked Spencer.

Hotch thought about how Gideon antagonized Hankel which led to Spencer being dead for a few minutes before Hankel gave Spencer CPR.

"I antagonized the situation." said Hotch.

"No, you didn't." said Spencer quickly.

"Well, I certainly didn't help." said Hotch.

"Ah I guess you didn't really help." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer and decided that he needed to explain his actions.

"So Haley wants me to sign the divorce papers uncontested so nobody wastes money on lawyers." said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch and thought about how Haley had been motherly to him until their marriage started to become strained.

"You don't want to?" asked Spencer.

"What I want I'm not gonna get." said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "If it ever comes to the time that you have choose between this job or your family, please make sure you pick your family. With all the job offers you get, you can do anything with that brilliant mind of yours and get to go home to your family every night." said Hotch.

"I know." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer and thought about how Spencer has been struggling since Chula Vista.

"Is there anything else you want to talk to me about before we get back to DC?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at his boss and realized that since Hotch confessed about his personal life, he should tell Hotch that he's been struggling.

"I've been struggling since Chula Vista, and I've been craving for Dilaudid." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "I know that I shouldn't relapse since I don't want to lose my growing family or my job." said Spencer.

"Does Maeve know?" asked Hotch.

"She knows, and she's been researching for some meetings that I can attend since I know that I need to pick my family." said Spencer.

"There are meetings that specializes in law enforcement since there are agents and police officers who struggle with addictions." said Hotch.

"I'll look into that." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"I'm proud of you for realizing that you need help from people who understand what your dealing with." said Hotch.

"Can you please not tell the rest of the team that I've been struggling?" asked Spencer.

"As long as you don't tell the team about me insisting that Chester doesn't get chained up and how I almost got us killed until you stepped in and distracted Chester." said Hotch before taking a deep breath, "Because if Strauss finds out about me refusing to have Chester chained and how I antagonized the situation, she can use my actions as another reason why I shouldn't be heading the BAU." said Hotch.

"Deal." said Spencer before he and Hotch decided to spend the rest of the ride back to DC talking about Maeve's pregnancy while Hotch gave Spencer advice about parenting while making sure they stopped for dinner.

Xxxx 

The next morning Spencer was sitting at his desk doing paperwork when Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Rossi came into the bullpen.

"Pretty boy. How was Connecticut?" asked a smiling Morgan as he thought about how he got to have drinks on Rossi while Spencer had to spend quality time with their cranky unit chief.

Spencer thought about the promise he made to Hotch.

"Ultimately uneventful." said Spencer before looking at Rossi, "Sir, there's somebody waiting to speak to you in your office." said Spencer as he pointed at Kevin.

Kevin came out of Rossi's office and looked at Rossi.

"Agent Rossi. We need to talk about Penelope Man to man." said Kevin while JJ smiled while Emily looked confused.

"Man to man." said Rossi as he headed towards the stairs that led to his office.

"What about Penelope?" asked Morgan.

"I don't know." said Spencer.

"Garcia and Kevin sitting in a tree." sang a smiling JJ before walking away.

"Get outta here. are you serious?" asked Morgan as he watched Rossi and Kevin go into Rossi's office.

Emily laughed.

"Just when I thought nothing scandalous was ever gonna happen around here." said Emily while Morgan walked away.

"What? What does that mean?" asked Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"Didn't you hear JJ?" asked a shocked Emily.

"The song meant something? No, I missed it." said Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"It-it." said Emily while Spencer gave her a confused look, "You know what? Never mind." said Emily as she sat down.

"What?" asked Spencer.

After watching Spencer glance at Rossi's office and at her a couple of times, Emily started singing the song while saying Spencer's and Maeve's name, and when she was finished she looked at Spencer who still looked confused.

"Its a popular playground song for kids, and you and Maeve are living that life right now." said Emily.

"Oh." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "I attended elementary school for a brief time since I graduated high school at 12, and outside of school I had to take care of my mom until my aunt and uncle stepped in so I could attend Cal-tech." said Spencer.

Emily gave Spencer a sad look.

"Well hopefully Jocelyn will help give you the childhood you deserved to have." said Emily before focusing on her consults.


	13. A Higher Power

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maeve's now 20 weeks pregnant in this chapter.
> 
> Trigger Warning: Mention of suicide in this chapter so please read at your own risk.

Maeve looked at her husband who was looking at the information about Beltway Clean Cops while thinking about how he has spent some time writing in his journal when it came to the 12 steps of recovery.

"So when are you going to your first meeting?" asked Maeve.

"I'm planning on going next week." said Spencer before looking at Maeve, "Can you please not tell my teammates that I'm going to be attending NA meetings because if the wrong people find out, my teammates and I would lose our jobs." said Spencer.

"I promise, and I take it that you don't want me to tell my parents?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded as he placed his hand onto Maeve's 20-week pregnant belly and smiled when he felt his daughter kick a minute later.

"I will be attending Beltway Clean Cops for you and Josie." said Spencer before looking at his wife, "I just can't believe that your halfway through this pregnancy." said Spencer.

"I know, but I can't wait." said Maeve.

"Me too." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was smiling when he saw his daughter during Maeve's 20-week ultrasound.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Spencer was sitting at the round table.

"Three months ago a fire in the Shadyside rec center killed 14 children." said JJ as she showed a newspaper article.

"I remember that." said Morgan.

"What does that have to do with us?" asked Rossi.

"Well, over the past three months there's been five suicides. All of them lost a child in the fire. The last one was Paul Baleman. He was found electrocuted in his bathtub yesterday. I received a request for our help." said JJ.

Spencer looked at the notepad that contained notes.

"Why do they need our help? They're suicides." said Morgan.

"All of the suicides were within two weeks of each other. It could be some kind of pattern." said Spencer.

"Detective Ronnie Baleman, Pittsburgh, PD thinks that something's going on." said JJ.

"Well, of course he does." said Morgan.

Emily looked at Morgan.

"Why do you say that?" asked Emily.

"He's related to that man, right?" asked Rossi.

"His brother." said JJ.

"A cop who doesn't believe his brother committed suicide." said Morgan causing everyone to look at him, "Come on, next case." said Morgan before walking away.

"Now, wait a second." said Emily causing Morgan to stop walking, "Five suicides in the same neighborhood within months? That's a serious spike." said Emily.

"Suicides don't spike after a tragedy." said Rossi.

"Quite the opposite, actually. Following World War I and II, right after Kennedy was shot, and following 9/11, suicides plummeted. Within a society, external threats usually create group integrations." said Spencer.

"People come together." said JJ.

"So if there's reason for doubt, which there obviously is, don't those families left behind have a right to know?" asked Emily.

Rossi who was watching Hotch leave spoke up.

"Yes, they do." said Rossi.

"OK, sure, they deserve to know, but let somebody else tell them, like social services." said Morgan.

Rossi looked at his team while deciding that Spencer, JJ, Emily, and himself were on board he made his decision.

"Contact Detective Baleman. Let him know we're coming." said Rossi.

A few minutes later Spencer was sending Maeve a text.

HEADING TO PITTSBURGH. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU AND JOSIE. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was wearing his glasses while sitting next to Morgan on the jet.

"Hotch would never have taken this case. And I say "case" in the loosest sense." said Morgan.

"We'll follow the facts as they are without bias. Isn't that what we do?" asked Rossi.

"What facts, Rossi? Look at us. We don't have a single file." said Morgan.

"OK, let me help you out. Jump right in anytime. Fact one- there are no files, so it seems no case." said Rossi.

"But what if there is?" asked Emily.

"One fire, 14 deaths, five suicides." said Spencer.

"All the suicides are connected to the original fire." said JJ.

"And all exactly two weeks apart." said Emily.

Rossi looked at Morgan.

"Come on, Derek, you can't tell me that doesn't feel a lot like a pattern." said Rossi.

"And a timeline." said Emily.

"Right?" asked Rossi.

Morgan glanced at Spencer and thought about the upcoming birth of his daughter would be the reason why he would take the case.

"A lot of people lost their kids in that fire. That's a whole world of grief, and for a few... Suicide's their only way out." said Morgan.

"Or someone decided it was." said Rossi.

"And made it look this way?" asked Morgan.

"What if they have?" asked Rossi.

Everyone stayed silent for a moment.

"Then we're looking for one very smart unsub." said Morgan.

"Who targets people in grief." said Emily.

"And that would make them what?" asked Rossi.

"Someone who thinks they're putting them out of their misery." said JJ.

"An angel of death." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer followed his teammates into the bullpen of the Pittsburgh Police Department when Detective Baleman approached them.

"Agent Jareau?" asked Detective Baleman.

JJ nodded.

"Hi. I'm Detective Ronnie Baleman." said Detective Baleman.

Hi. this is SSA Rossi, SSAs Morgan, Prentiss, and Dr. Reid." introduced JJ.

Spencer gave his signature wave.

"Thank you, all of you, for coming." said Detective Baleman.

"Well, your colleagues don't look all that happy to see us." said Morgan.

"They didn't just lose a brother." said Detective Baleman.

"I'd like to get started on all the files. We're gonna build what we call psychological autopsies to determine whether the victims killed themselves." said Spencer.

Detective Baleman looked at Spencer as he pointed to where Spencer needed to go..

"Everything's in those boxes." said Detective Baleman.

Spencer headed towards the area where he would need to go, and after he listened to his teammates and Detective Baleman talk, he looked at the detective.

"I could use your help with these files. It looks like there's quite a few." said Spencer as he gave the detective a slight smile causing the detective and JJ to join him.

"My brother kept a journal. I found this on the desk in his bedroom. Read the last page. They're not the words of a suicidal man." said Detective Baleman as he handed the journal to Spencer.

Spencer started reading the last page.

"You seem pretty sure that an unsub exists." said JJ.

"So are you. You're here, aren't you?" asked Detective Baleman.

Xxxxxxxx 

Detective Baleman looked at JJ who was holding a picture.

"Go ahead. Put it up." said Detective Baleman.

Spencer turned around from the bulletin board.

"This is a physical representation of the five equivocal deaths. Together with the profile of each case, we'll build psychological autopsies of each person." said Spencer.

"And this will tell us if it was suicide or murder." said Detective Baleman.

"Uh, suicide, yes, murder, no." said Spencer.

"And you think it's a pretty good indicator." said Detective Baleman.

"Since its inception in 1958, it's proven to carry a 92% accuracy rate in cases that have gone to trial." said Spencer.

Detective Baleman looked at JJ.

"Well, if these autopsies prove they weren't suicides, then I need to inform the media right away." said Detective Baleman.

"I would err on the side of caution." said JJ.

A shocked Detective Baleman looked at JJ.

"What? People need to know." said Detective Baleman.

"And they will, as soon as we have absolute proof. I think the town's been through enough already, don't you?" asked JJ.

"Also keep in mind that if these cases are related, this unsub's probably already aware that we're onto him." said Spencer.

"But the community needs to know if there's a serial killer in its midst." protested Detective Baleman.

"And they will, as soon as we have proof." said JJ.

"Even if the proof means another body." said Detective Baleman before walking away.

JJ sighed as she rubbed her forehead.

"He's right, you know." said JJ.

"He's also personally motivated, though, which means he's likely to react irrationally." said Spencer.

"If this turns out to be the work of a serial killer, the whole town will, too." said JJ.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer watched Beth's husband walk away with his son causing him to think about the upcoming birth of his daughter.

"Father found him in the high chair. Not a scratch." said JJ as she tossed Jakey's toy into a playpen.

"Remember, the unsub believes he's on some kind of a mission. The child is of no importance to him." asked Rossi before looking at Spencer who was staring at the playpen, "You find a suicide note?" asked Rossi.

"I haven't found one yet." said Spencer.

Rossi noticed a look on Spencer's face.

"So what are you thinking?" asked Rossi.

"In every case, there's no evidence of a struggle." said Spencer.

"Or breaking and entering. I'm going to need you and Emily to contact all of the families affected by the fire and inform them what's going on." said Rossi.

After exchanging ideas for a while Rossi thought of an important question.

"The question is, how did he get in?" asked Rossi.

"Beth must have let him in. I mean, she had to." said Spencer.

Rossi came to a realization.

"They all let him in." said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was going through the letters.

"Anything to tell us whether these are suicides or not?" asked JJ.

"These are some samples from Diedre Nollard, the jumper." said Spencer as he walked to the table, "See, we have an insurance form, a letter she wrote to her neighbor a month ago, a birthday card she wrote to her husband a week ago, and her suicide note as found on her body." said Spencer as he pointed out everything.

"Suicide note matches, right?" asked Detective Baleman.

"Definitely by her own hand, but she's professing regret. Look." said Spencer as he started reading a letter that he had over a light, ""I, I'm sorry I let you down. Please forgive me. I disappointed you." and so on. But the handwriting, the forensic analysis is saying the exact opposite." said Spencer.

"What do you mean?" asked JJ.

"Um...well, you see how the handwriting slants uphill?" asked Spencer as he placed a see through copy over the original, "It's a clear sign of optimism. The same with how the spacing is so consistent. And these long t-bars- those indicate an enthusiastic person." said Spencer.

"Not someone who would take a swan dive off a five-story walkup." said Detective Baleman.

"Look, even if we had alerted the media-." said JJ.

Detective Baleman decided to interrupt JJ.

"Now we'll never know. Like I said, that's on me. But, hey, now we have the proof that these aren't suicides. Those notes, were they coerced?" asked Detective Baleman.

"If you were to force someone to write their own suicide note, these are words you generally wouldn't use." said Spencer.

"I'll take that as a no. And my brother's journal?" asked Detective Baleman as he picked up his brother's journal.

"I haven't- it's extensive. I haven't-" said Spencer.

"Another no. Can we inform the media now?" asked Detective Baleman.

"I have." said JJ.

Morgan knocked on the open door.

"I need you all outside." said Morgan.

A few minutes later Spencer saw Hotch standing by Rossi.

"This is SSA Aaron Hotchner. He's just arrived." said Rossi.

"What have we got?" asked Hotch.

"Including extended families, over 100 individuals within the Pittsburgh area were affected by that fire." said Rossi.

"So this unsub is targeting grief, eh?" asked Hotch.

"Grief?" asked Detective Baleman.

"An event. A single event in this unsub's life led him to end the life of someone he believes had to die. From that moment on, he created his own sense of morality- what is right and what is wrong- and he rationalizes what he did, that first kill over and over again, by targeting people that he believes can't be saved by anyone other than himself. He decides who lives and who dies, and this gives him an all-consuming sense of power." said Spencer.

"So they're not gonna stop anytime soon." said Detective Baleman.

"Well, that's assuming there's someone to actually stop." said Morgan.

"And if there is, he's convinced he's on a mission of mercy, and even after he's caught, he'll maintain he did nothing wrong." said Hotch.

"He." said Detective Baleman.

"White male, mid to late 30s, he's polite, forthcoming, doesn't stand out. And we believe his victims, these families, are all letting him in." said Rossi.

"My brother and his wife weren't letting anyone in. If anything, they were closing themselves off." said Detective Baleman.

"Well, this unsub has found a way in, one that's very hard to trace." said Rossi.

"In every case there was no evidence of a struggle, no attempt at escapes." said Morgan.

"He finds a personal connection and uses it to buy time." said Hotch.

"And my officers need to know this." said Detective Baleman.

"We've found... That angels of mercy are often people in the medical profession, as well as law enforcement." said Hotch.

"Cops." said Detective Baleman.

"Which is why we're meeting out here." said Emily.

"Now, we're only fishing. We don't want to point a finger." said Rossi.

"Point it. I don't give a damn." said Detective Baleman.

"If that's what it's about, let us figure out where to point it." said Hotch.

"I asked Garcia to check into emergency responders around the scene of the fire." said Spencer.

"Good. Prentiss?" asked Hotch.

"He's smart. he knows all about these people's schedules, their routines." said Emily.

"Look, if this unsub does exist, this is a guy who's all about control. He chooses how they die, when they die. He even positions them exactly how he wants them to die. That makes him hypervigilant, a guy who's always on the lookout, risk averse, unseen." said Morgan.

"The only way to stop him is to find out how he's managed to get into all of his victims' lives." said Emily.

"We find that out, we've got our killer." said Rossi.

"We can start bringing people in, find the connection." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was looking over the letters.

"They all have the same type of tone. It's uncanny." said Spencer.

"And you're saying that they all wrote these willingly." said Emily.

Spencer looked at Emily.

"None of them are forced, but even here in Curtis Fackler's, he never says goodbye. It's like they're not meant for anybody, not for a wife, not for a kid." said Spencer.

"Then who are they writing them to?" asked Emily.

Spencer thought about the literature he's looking over himself.

"They're amends, to themselves, and I- I believe they're written as part of a program." said Spencer.

"Program?" asked Emily.

"The five stages of grief- in some self-help groups they ask you to write down an amends to yourself." said Spencer.

"Is that right? And all of these groups are anonymous, right?" asked Emily.

Spencer nodded.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was pacing the room while listening to Garcia.

"Well, just to give you an idea of what we're dealing with here, just for alcoholic support groups for tonight, Monday, there are...91 around Pittsburgh proper." said Garcia.

"You gotta be kidding me. That many?" asked Detective Baleman.

"They have different meetings all day and night, different locations, different degrees of participation, of religiousness." said Spencer as he thought about the meeting that he will be attending that's for law enforcement.

"OK, I've sent you a schedule of meetings for the major grief staples- alcohol, drugs, depression, and loss- all within a two-mile radius of Shadyside. there are 11." said Garcia.

Emily went to get what Garcia sent them.

"Can we get a list of names?" asked Detective Baleman.

"No." said Spencer.

"Why not?" asked Detective Baleman.

"They're anonymous. that's how he's been getting away with it." said Spencer.

"Let's gather the troops. We're gonna need all the people you can spare." said Emily.

"You got it." said Detective Baleman.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood with JJ and Detective Baleman as they looked at a woman.

"This person has a specific background, a tragic event." said JJ.

"He would have felt compelled to tell his story and maybe he told it time and time again." said Spencer.

"That's about 90% of the group." said the woman.

Xxxxxxxx 

After learning that the same man has attended meetings all over the city, Garcia was conferencing in with them.

"OK, so we've got two names- James and Peter." said Emily.

"And the university- Brassard." said Hotch.

"Well, that'll make it easier for you, Garcia." said JJ.

"If the unsub's father really taught at Brassard, chances are he's local." said Rossi.

"Uh." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at his youngest agent and noticed that he was showing the look that would indicate that the wheels in his brain were turning.

"Reid?" asked Hotch.

"Angels of mercy, they repeat the same event over and over again." said Spencer.

"What are you getting at?" asked Morgan.

"Well, if as you said, the story's true, then he's leaving one key piece of information out. The event that started it all." said Spencer.

Hotch realized what Spencer was trying to say.

"His brother didn't kill himself." said Hotch.

"Peter did." said Emily.

"The fire caused such grief and suffering that it became the trigger." said Spencer.

"And unable to stop himself, he targets someone he believes needs his help." said Morgan.

"At first he keeps to some kind of timeline, a few weeks, but the last two kills were within days." said Spencer.

"He's devolving. I got it. It's from 1984. It's the Brassard College university newspaper." said Garcia.

"Garcia, they lived on campus?" asked Emily.

"Yeah. It says here James Redding was the youngest suicide in Pennsylvanian history. And his father Charles Redding was a professor. Creep." said Garcia.

"Is there any possibility that while we've been talking, you've been multitasking?" asked Emily.

"What, track down his current address?" asked Garcia.

"Ha ha. I love you, Penelope Garcia." said Emily.

"Ha. Get in line." said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer stood outside with Hotch, Rossi, and Detective Baleman.

"I wanted to thank you for all you did and for believing me when no one else did." said Detective Baleman.

Rossi looked at the detective.

"Ron.…" said Rossi.

"Thank you." said Detective Baleman.

Spencer looked at Detective Baleman.

"Paul's journal- I read it." said Spencer as he took a deep breath before saying the detective's first name, "Ronnie, your brother Paul wasn't murdered." said Spencer.

Rossi decided to help Spencer out.

"In Peter's apartment, unlike all the other victims, Paul's name was nowhere to be found." said Rossi.

"I-I don't understand. You said the psychological autopsy was inconclusive." said Detective Baleman.

"Further analysis of the journal concludes it was suicide." said Hotch.

"I'm sorry." said Rossi.

"You're wrong. But like I said, thanks for coming." said Detective Baleman before walking away.

Xxxxxxx 

Later on that afternoon Spencer was putting dinner onto the table when Maeve came into the dining room.

"When did you get home?" asked Maeve.

"I got home three hours ago, and I thought that I would surprise you with dinner." said Spencer.

Maeve looked at what her husband has placed onto their dining room table.

"Just what I'm craving." said Maeve.

"I know." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were eating dinner together, and after they were done with dinner they headed to their bedroom to celebrate Spencer coming home.


	14. Elephant's Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the amount of months that Spencer's been sober for since I have it that he has gotten clean during April of 2007 and right now its April of 2008 so Spencer's going to be sober for a year in two weeks.
> 
> I also did an AU twist for Elephant's Memory because Spencer has Maeve and Josie to think about, so I hope that the changes I made would make you faithful readers approve.

Spencer looked at Maeve as she packed her suit case.

"I'm going to miss you while your in New York City with Mary." said Spencer.

"I'm going to miss you too." said Maeve before looking at her husband, "Are you going to be OK while I'm attending that seminar with my mom?" asked Maeve.

"You deserve to attend that seminar before Josie's born, and I'll make sure to attend my first meeting tomorrow night." said Spencer.

"If you get a case, please stay safe." said Maeve.

"I promise." said Spencer as he kissed his wife.

A few minutes later Spencer was driving his wife to his in laws house so Maeve can catch her flight with her mom before he drove to work.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next evening Spencer stood in front of police officers and other agents from various agencies in the DC area.

"Hi. Um... My name's, uh, Spencer, And I'm a... I don't really know what I am." stuttered Spencer.

"Hello, Spencer." said various agents and officers.

"This is my- This is my first meeting." said Spencer.

"Welcome. Welcome." chorused everyone.

"Thanks. Thank you. Um...i guess i, uh- I know I had a... A problem with dilaudid, but, um... I stopped. Like… 11 months ago I stopped. I thought it was over, but recently I'm- I've really been... Your literature uses the term "craving." It started like two months ago. I... A-A suspect was murdered in front of me. A-A kid, and I thought that I could save the kid, but I couldn't, and..." stuttered Spencer while his phone vibrated.

Spencer quickly pulled out his phone and saw that it was JJ causing him to decline the call.

"Sorry. I'm sorry. I've seen a lot of that stuff before, But for some reason that kid's face is really, uh... Stuck in my brain. You know? It's really, uh-I can't... And I... I want to forget... About him, and... I just want to escape, but I can't since my wife is pregnant with our first child." said Spencer as his phone vibrated again, "Sorry. I have to go. I'm sorry." said Spencer as he quickly walked outside while not realizing that someone was following him.

"Spencer." said John.

Spencer turned his head as he continued to walk to his car.

"Sorry. I'm late." said Spencer.

John decided that he needed to tell Spencer that he knows about his position in the FBI.

"Places to go, people to profile." said John.

Spencer turned around to see the assistant director of the FBI causing his mouth to drop open in shock.

"You know who I am." said John.

"Of course I do, sir. I just-I didn't, um, expect to see a man of your position here." said Spencer.

John looked at Spencer.

"Here, there's no sirs. I'm just John here. Uh-Huh. And this is not something you talk about at the office. Especially our office." said John.

Spencer nodded as he thought about how his teammates didn't talk about his forced addiction to dilaudid while his phone vibrated again.

"Sorry. I really do have to go." said Spencer.

John quickly went into his pocket and pulled out a medallion.

"Here. Take this." said John as he passed his medallion to Spencer, "That's my one-year medallion. It took me 6 years to get it. For the past 13 years, I've never left home without it. Because I know if I forget that, I'll lose my gun, my credentials, My home. Everything. Hold on to it." said John.

Spencer looked at the medallion that was in his left hand.

"I only have 11 months." said Spencer.

"I know." said John softly.

"It's your most prized possession." said Spencer.

"It is." said John.

"You're just giving it to me?" asked Spencer.

"No. Next month when you get your year, you give it back to me." said John before he started to walk away.

"I really don't understand." said Spencer.

John stopped walking and turned around to look at the genius that Gideon asked him to pull strings to lower the age requirement for.

"You will." said John.

Spencer looked at the medallion before hurrying away to his car.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer quickly hurried into the conference room.

"Sorry I'm late." apologized Spencer.

"I hope Maeve's worth it." said Rossi.

"I hope you were with Maeve." said Morgan.

Spencer sat down.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Maeve's currently at a conference with her mom in New York, and I was at the movies." said Spencer.

"Oh, really? Why don't you tell us what it was about?" asked Rossi.

"I had to leave early, so I can't really-,." said Spencer before Hotch decided to interrupt.

"I know it's late, I know we're tired, but we've got two dead cops." said Hotch.

"All right, uh, the resident, Rod Norris, was DOA. They're still trying to ID the remains of the second victim, whom they believe is his 16-year-old daughter Jordan. From the condition of the remains she would have had to have been inside the house close to the source of the blast." said JJ.

"Clearly, they used the bombing to set the officers up for an ambush." said Emily.

"It's a well-established terrorist tactic. First wave takes out civilians, The second wave takes out first responders." said Spencer.

"The locals are thinking terrorism on West Bune, Texas?" asked Morgan.

"Not exactly a tier-one target, but DHS did issue a terror alert for the border states yesterday, just due to the timing and nature of the attack." said JJ.

"I've never heard of this place. I mean, the militia, OK, that I could see." said Morgan.

"Yeah, well, it is close to the border. It could be traffickers sending a message." said Emily.

"Whoever it is, they gunned down two cops and blew up a teenage girl. Till they're stopped, no one in that town is safe." said Rossi.

"We need to be cautious with the locals. They've lost two of their own, They're anxious, they're scared, and they're gonna want revenge." said Hotch.

"Can you blame 'em?" asked Rossi.

A few minutes later Spencer was packing up his messenger bag when Morgan looked at him.

"Maeve's really attending a conference with your mother-in-law?" asked Morgan.

"I dropped Maeve off at her parents house this morning, and they've been in New York City for 36 hours." said Spencer before looking at Morgan, "I'll see you in the morning." said Spencer before hurrying away to the elevators.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer approached Sheriff Hallum with his teammates.

"Sheriff Hallum? Jennifer Jareau. This is the team. Agents Hotchner, Rossi, Dr. Reid, Prentiss, and Morgan. We're really sorry for your loss." said JJ.

"Thank you. Where do we start?" asked Sheriff Hallum.

"First victim, Rod Norris." said Hotch.

"Manager of the chemical plant over at Ibis. No arrests in 10 years since his wife left him. I can't blame her for leaving him, but it's a shame she left Jordan behind." said Sheriff Hallum.

"What can you tell us about Jordan?" asked Rossi.

"Sweet girl, a bit slow." said Sheriff Hallum.

"Slow? She was mentally challenged?" asked Emily.

"Not quite. Special Ed and all that stuff. Takes some talking to her to notice it. I think her mother leaving took its toll." said Sheriff Hallum.

"Sheriff, I'd like to gather your people back at the office so I can brief them all together." said JJ.

"Sure. But I'm staying here." said Sheriff Hallum.

"Of course. Thank you." said JJ.

A few minutes later Spencer was walking through the remains of the house.

"The blast was localized here." said Spencer.

"The room's been sealed off. There's some plastic, duct tape on the door sills, windows, too." said Emily as she pointed at the windows.

"Cordite. Gunpowder." said Rossi.

Spencer looked at his copy of the file he was given the night before.

"Yeah, they found a dozen canisters, it says." said Spencer.

"Well, the concentration of damage puts those canisters right here by the door." said Emily.

"He seals the kitchen, blows out the pilot light, trapping the gas in here near the primary charge. If she was here, between the charge and the window..." said Rossi as he gestured to certain areas in the kitchen.

"Boom. Rod Norris ends up in the tree, Jordan ends up in the field." said Emily.

"They didn't care about the rest of the house, so the whole thing's designed to focus the blast on whoever came through that door." said Spencer.

"Yeah, but what was the trigger?" asked Rossi.

Emily picked up a box of cigarettes.

"Rod Norris. He was a smoker." said Emily.

"And they knew he would be coming through this door." said Rossi as he pointed at the door.

"And they knew he'd be smoking when he did it." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer approached Hotch, Morgan, and Sheriff Hallum.

"They knew each other?" asked Sheriff Hallum.

"Enough to know Rod Norris would enter through the back door while smoking." said Spencer before focusing on the blood.

"And that Lou Savage was on duty and would respond." said Morgan.

"So what are we talking about here?" asked Sheriff Hallum.

"This wasn't terrorism, domestic or otherwise. Terrorists rarely know their victims, At least not personally." said Hotch.

"Because they knew Rod Norris was a smoker who used his back door?" asked Sheriff Hallum.

"And shot Deputy Savage in the face at pointblank range." said Morgan.

"They weren't being thorough?" asked Sheriff Hallum.

"No. He walked past Letts, who was alive, Shoots Savage in the face when he knows he's already dead. Responders were coming. That last shot was risky overkill." said Morgan.

Spencer stood up to his full height.

"Overkill means rage. Rage means a close personal relationship." said Spencer.

"Rod Norris and Lou Savage were the specific targets of this attack." said Hotch.

"Sheriff, can you think of anyone with a close personal connection to Rod Norris and Lou Savage?" asked Morgan.

"I didn't think about it because of the terror alert." said Sheriff Hallum.

"Think about what?" asked Hotch.

"Owen. Owen Savage. Lou's son was dating Jordan Norris." said Sheriff Hallum.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer followed Hotch and Sheriff Hallum into Lou's and Owen's house.

"My deputies didn't find Owen at home." said Sheriff Hallum.

"How long did you know Lou savage?" asked Hotch.

Spencer headed to the photos that Lou had hung onto the wall.

"My whole life." said Sheriff Hallum.

"And Deputy Savage's wife?" asked Hotch.

"Hope?" asked Sheriff Hallum.

"How did she die?" asked Hotch.

"Drunk driver in '02. Lou was in Afghanistan. Owen lived with us until he got back." said Sheriff Hallum.

Spencer ran a finger over the frame that contained a picture from when Lou was in the Marines and noticed no speck of dust.

"Semper phi." whispered Spencer in Latin.

"How long was Lou Savage in the marines?" asked Morgan.

"12 years. He was discharged so he could raise Owen." said Sheriff Hallum.

Spencer quickly thought about how his father left him and his mom since he couldn't handle his mother's schizophrenia while wanting a normal son.

"Is that why he resented them?" asked Spencer.

"Pardon me?" asked Sheriff Hallum.

"Uh, did Lou blame his wife and son for ending his career in the marines?" asked Spencer.

"Lou was a good man." said Sheriff Hallum.

"A good man that doesn't have a single photo of his dead wife or only son anywhere in his entire house." said Spencer.

"I know this is hard, and if we had more time we would be more sensitive, But we don't." said Hotch.

Sheriff Hallum sighed.

"Hope was the drunk driver. I didn't write it up that way, But it didn't matter. Her drinking was no secret in town." said Sheriff Hallum.

"Where's Owen's room?" asked Spencer.

"Right over there." said Sheriff Hallum as he pointed to the room where Spencer would need to go.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was looking through Owen's room when Morgan came in.

"Gun safe is empty." said Morgan.

"That's a surprise." said Spencer sarcastically before looking at a picture of a damaged car.

"That's James Dean's Porsche. No pictures of James Dean, though. That's a bad sign." said Morgan.

"Especially when your mother died in a car accident. Still haven't found the father of the year award." said Spencer before crouching down a bit.

Morgan looked at Spencer and thought about how the upcoming birth of Jocelyn is affecting Spencer.

"You already check his computer?" asked Morgan.

"It's password encrypted." said Spencer.

"Well, smart move if your dad's a cop." said Morgan.

"Ah, assuming he cares enough to snoop." said Spencer.

"Hey, Reid. Check yourself. That sheriff out there wanted to take your head off. I think Hotch might have let him." said Morgan.

Spencer made a face at Morgan before heading to Owen's closet.

"All his clothes are black." said Morgan while he went through Owen's dresser drawers.

Spencer opened up Owen's closet.

"The same here." said Spencer.

"Just like his friend Johnny Cash. So Owen identifies as being a misunderstood loner. You know, I wish all our unsubs would just tack their profiles on their walls like this for us." said Morgan.

"It doesn't mean anything." said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"What, you grew up in Chicago, a high school jock, you had pictures of Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan all over your walls, trophies everywhere?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah. But you forgot Walter Payton. Not to mention the sexy ladies of the Sports Illustrated swim suit issues." said a smirking Morgan.

"Smart money says you didn't paint your mirrors black." said Spencer as he ran a hand over Owen's mirror.

"I guess Owen didn't like what he saw." said Morgan just as they heard a woman shouting.

"Don't try to stop me! I need to get by!" shouted an angry Sarah.

"Reid." said Morgan.

A minute later Spencer and Morgan joined Hotch outside.

"Officer Letts' wife." said Hotch.

"Send them home, you don´t need them. You know what to do. You find that little son of a bitch. You find him and do what's right." said Sarah before storming off.

"Why do I get the feeling she's not going to be the only one with that sentiment?" asked Morgan.

"Stay here and work the room. Reid and I are going to go to the high school and talk to Owen's teachers and friends. We need to get a profile and figure out where he's going." said Hotch.

Spencer followed Hotch down the porch where they approached Sheriff Hallum.

"He's heading out of town. We found his car out by the interstate, Right next to victim number 5." said Sheriff Hallum.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was walking in the hallway of Owen's high school with Hotch and Principal Barter.

"As Owen's counselor, what can you tell us about Jordan and Owen?" asked Hotch.

"Not much. They started dating last year When Owen moved to special ed." said Principal Barter.

Spencer started going through a file as he walked.

"Junior year- Isn't that a bit late?" asked Hotch.

"Yes, if he'd been put there for academic reasons." said Principal Barter.

"So what was the problem?" asked Hotch.

"Bad attitude, lack of effort. Owen applied himself in some classes. He did very well. But it didn't last. Here." said Principal Barter as he opened up the door to his office.

A minute later Spencer and Hotch were in Principal Barter's office and Spencer decided to talk about what he found in Owen's school records.

"The problem wasn't lack of effort or bad attitude. The A's in math and science tells he's a gifted student. The D's in English and history, that tells us that he had difficulty reading. And the "F" in geometry, That indicates a severe problem with spatial relations. That's further confirmed by his atrocious, illegible handwriting." said Spencer as he handed Hotch a file.

"All consistent with a brilliant but severely learning disabled student." said Hotch.

"Yeah, but his standardized tests didn't support that kind of intelligence." said Principal Barter.

"A spatial relations handicap affects your hand-eye coordination. He couldn't fill in an answer bubble any easier than he could... Hit a baseball." said Spencer.

"Which is why he stayed away from sports." said Hotch.

"Sports was a sore spot with his father. I mean, he joined the wrestling team freshman year just to appease his old man, but, uh... That didn't work out." said Principal Barter before his land line rang, "Excuse me." said Principal Barter.

Spencer paced Principal Barter's office as he looked at Hotch.

"He was probably the smartest kid in class. He just couldn't prove it." said Spencer before he stopped walking and looked at Hotch, "Being the smartest kid in class is like being the only kid in class. He missed all of it." said Spencer quietly.

"But schools like this can't meet the specialized needs of every student." said Hotch.

"He gives it everything he's got, over and over and over again, and continues to fail. And the whole time, the whole time they tell him it's his fault. I mean, it makes sense." said Spencer quietly.

Hotch saw the anger that was flashing through Spencer's eyes.

"No, it doesn't. An undiagnosed learning disability does not add up to this level of violence, not without severe emotional abuse. You know that." said Hotch before answering his phone, "You got something?" asked Hotch.

Spencer watched the video of Owen with Hotch and Principal Barter.

"He didn't even know that he was being filmed." said Spencer as the goal post incident began to replay in his mind.

After watching the video for another minute, he looked at the principal.

"Did Owen tell you about this?" asked Spencer.

Hotch stopped playing the video.

"He didn't have to. It was posted on the school social networking site. We pulled it down immediately." said Principal Barter.

"Once it's on the internet, it's out there forever. Owen knew that." said Spencer.

"Did Owen tell his father about it?" asked Hotch.

"Not at first, but when Owen quit the wrestling team, his father confronted him. I mean, he blamed Owen for the whole thing." said Principal Barter.

"Owen joined the team to get his father's approval." said Spencer.

"How were these boys punished?" asked Hotch.

"Owen identified them, but on film, all we have is their voices. I mean, even if they'd admitted involvement, all they'd have to do is say Owen didn't have to do it." said Principal Barter.

"He didn't know he was being filmed." said Spencer angrily.

Principal Barter stood up.

"Look, it's his word against theirs. I mean-parents will get involved, the school board, lawyers. I mean, cyber bullying is a hot issue right now. And the whole thing would wind up on 60 minutes. How's that gonna help Owen?" asked Principal Barter.

"What did you tell him?" asked Hotch.

"I told him that dealing with bullies is part of growing up." said Principal Barter.

"Sounds familiar." said Spencer sarcastically.

"Boys have a way of sorting these things out for themselves." said Principal Barter.

Spencer gave the principal a bitter smile.

"Yeah, they sure do. Right now, Owen's out there s it out with an assault rifle." said Spencer.

"Reid." said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch before throwing the file to the floor before storming out of the room causing Hotch to wonder how badly Spencer was bullied in high school.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by Rossi as he, Emily, Hotch, and Rossi video chatted with Garcia.

"He deleted everything but the one MPEG. I'm walking Morgan through retrieving what he put in the trash, but-." said Garcia.

"We've got 3 missing kids, Garcia. We need access to Owen's e-Mail." said Hotch.

"The kid is tech savvy, sir, but fret not, I am tech savvier. Is that a word? That sounds like a word. If it is a word, I'm it." said a highly caffeinated Garcia as she took another sip of coffee.

"DC time, Garcia." said Emily.

"11:17 AM." said Garcia.

"DC decaf." said Emily.

Garcia put down her coffee.

"Right." said Garcia before signing off.

"Two alienated kids, no maternal presence, dysfunctional relationships with dominating fathers who withheld love. They were made for each other." said Rossi.

"Mm. As lovers, yes, but partners in crime, no. There's nothing in Jordan's profile that indicates she's capable of violence, and certainly not murder." said Emily just as Garcia's face popped back up.

"A new MPEG just posted to the school social networking site. He... You need to see this." said Garcia.

Spencer watched the video with Hotch, Rossi, and Emily, and when the three boys were dead, Hotch looked at Garcia.

"Garcia, is there any way to trace the MPEG to the computer that sent it?" asked Hotch.

"It was sent from Jordan's PDA, but Owen's hacked the sim card. He's anonymized it. It stops the phone From transmitting its current position. Hackers do it to stop roaming charges. It's good for one call, and then the carrier turns the service off." said Garcia.

"So even if it's turned on and he's using it, we can't track it?" asked Rossi.

"Bingo." said Garcia.

"Have the cell company leave the service on in case he sends anything else." said Hotch.

"Yes, sir." said Garcia.

"Let's bring in Sheriff Hallum and see if he recognizes the background." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer got out of the SUV and headed to the area where Sheriff Hallum was taking pictures of the bodies.

""There's a man going around taking names, and he decides who to free and who to blame. everybody won't be treated all the same."" quoted Spencer as he walked towards the two officers.

"Johnny Cash. From that song Owen was playing when he did this, right?" asked Rossi.

"He's been taking names. Collecting names. He's acting out his revenge fantasies." muttered Spencer.

Rossi realized that Spencer figured out the profile.

"The family, school, and social dynamics do seem to fit perfectly. He's not collecting names. He's collecting injustices." said Rossi.

"I'm ready to give the profile." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood in front of the officers with his teammates.

"Once you've heard the profile, you'll understand." said JJ.

"We are wasting time. Owen is here, and we should be knocking on doors." said a deputy.

"It's not a good idea." said Hotch.

"And why is that?" asked the deputy.

"Because Owen's watching. He's monitoring the news. Right now, he thinks you think he's gone. He feels safe. If we start knocking on doors, He's gonna know that he's not. He's gonna feel trapped." said Hotch.

"Why the hell should we care about this little bastard's feelings?" asked the same deputy.

JJ who was losing her patience glared at the deputy.

"All right, we're here to help you bring in Owen Savage with minimum loss of life. The profile tells you the best way to do that." said JJ.

"Owen Savage fits the profile of a type of school shooter known as an injustice collector. He's trying to avenge perceived wrongs." said Spencer.

Hotch dipped his head as he closed his eyes.

"If he's a school shooter, why hasn't he hit the school yet?" asked the same deputy.

"Jordan. Most of these guys are so angry and hopeless, They just want to kill as many people as possible and commit suicide. But Jordan gives him a reason to live." said Emily.

"Otherwise he's a textbook case. His life was one torment after another. His teachers gave up on him, his classmates bullied him, and his father blamed him while giving him access to guns. Given these conditions, you're actually quite fortunate." said Spencer.

"It sounds like you're saying these victims deserved this." said the deputy.

"We're not. Nobody deserves this." said Hotch.

"But you could have prevented it." said Spencer as he glared at the officers.

Hotch looked at his youngest agent.

"Reid, can I talk to you?" asked Hotch.

Less than a minute later Spencer was slamming a door as he looked at Hotch with anger burning in his eyes.

"It's the truth. They could have done something. They worked with his father. They knew Owen." said Spencer angrily.

"So what? All adolescents profile like sociopaths. There's a reason you can't diagnose them until they're 18." said Hotch.

"Yeah, and they could have seen the signs." shot back Spencer.

"Nobody sees the signs, Reid. You know that. And making it their fault is not only unfair, it's dangerous." said Hotch while deciding that Spencer needed to cool down for a bit, "I want you go back to the Savage house and I want you to go through Owen's room." ordered Hotch.

"Morgan's already doing that." said Spencer.

"Yeah, and you're gonna join him." said Hotch.

"Oh, you're punishing me?" asked Spencer sarcastically.

"No. I'm using you. You know this kid better than anybody. Go find us something we can use." said Hotch.

Spencer glared at Hotch before picking up his messenger bag and stormed out of the police station.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting by Owen's computer when Morgan entered the room.

"Garcia restored those emails." said Morgan.

"Yeah, I'm sorting through them right now." said Spencer as he scrolled through the emails.

Morgan sat down on Owen's bed and looked at Spencer and thought back to Hotch telling him to find out what happened to Spencer in high school since Maeve didn't want to break confidentiality.

"Reid." said Morgan.

Spencer turned around to make eye contact.

"You know, you're not the only one who identifies with him." said Morgan while Spencer spun the chair around, "You said I was a high school jock. I was. But not at first. My freshman year I was 5'3". I weighed a buck 20 soaking wet. So trust me when I tell you I got my ass kicked every day. So the following summer, I hit the weights. And I got lucky. I grew 6 inches. But it was never about vanity, Reid. It was about survival." said Morgan.

Spencer sighed as he prepared himself to tell the story that he told Maeve.

"I was 12-years-old and sitting in the library, and, uh... Harper Hillman comes up to me, and she tells me that Alexa Lisben wants to meet me behind the field house. Alexa Lisben's, like... Easily the prettiest girl in school." said Spencer.

Morgan slightly chuckled at the thought of a 12-year-old Spencer crushing on a senior.

"So what happened? Alexa wasn't there?" asked Morgan.

"She was there. So was the entire football team. They...uh..." said Spencer as he took a shaky breath, "Stripped me naked and tied me to a goal post. So many kids were there, you know, just watching."

A shocked Morgan looked at Spencer as he felt anger going towards the entire school that should have protected Spencer instead of bully him for being smarter than them.

"Nobody tried to stop them?" asked Morgan.

Spencer shook his head.

"Mm-Mmm. I begged- I begged them to, but they just- They just watched. And finally, they got bored, and they left. It was, like, midnight when I finally got home. And my mom didn't... Mom was having one of her episodes, so she didn't even realize I was late." said Spencer as he tried to compose himself.

"You never told her what happened?" asked Morgan.

"I haven't told my mom." said Spencer.

"What about your aunt, uncle, or cousin?" asked Morgan.

"Never did, but I did tell Maeve." said Spencer before taking a shaky breath, "I thought... It was one of those things that I thought If I didn't talk about it, I'd just forget. But I remember it like it was yesterday." choked Spencer as he held back tears.

Morgan took a breath as he made plans to look up Alexa, Harper, and the football team after the case.

"Ah, Reid, you don't need an eidetic memory for that. You know, we forget half of what they teach us in school, But when it comes to the torment and the people who inflicted it... We've all got an elephant's memory." said Morgan.

Spencer took a breath.

"Owen just wants to forget, and I know what that's like." said Spencer.

Morgan looked at the computer that Spencer was sitting by.

"He's been making a big deal out of saying good bye to Jordan in all of his emails. None of it's shorthand. That's odd." said Morgan.

Spencer came to a realization.

"He never got a chance to say good bye to his mother. Abandonment is his biggest fear. That's why he chose Jordan. He thinks she'll never leave." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer approached Hotch and Emily.

"Owen's mother's death left him with severe issues of abandonment. If we can get Jordan away from him, we'll save her and take away his reason to live." said Spencer.

"He'll take his own life." said Hotch.

"It's the only way we can save Jordan." said Morgan.

"How can we get her to leave him?" asked Hotch.

"He's kept Jordan in the dark. She doesn't know about the murders." said Spencer.

"You want to tell her?" asked Hotch.

"If we can." said Morgan.

"We can get her to turn herself in." said Emily.

"But even if we could talk to her, the only person she trusts is Owen." said Hotch.

"There's one other person, and she might be able to get a message to Jordan." said Emily as she thought about Jordan's best friend Eileen.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer sat down in Eileen's desk chair with Hotch and Emily standing on either side of him.

"Send her the news coverage." ordered Hotch.

Spencer quickly sent Jordan the link to the news coverage.

"Tell her to look at the pictures. Tell her we know Owen didn't tell her what he did." said Emily.

Spencer quickly typed what Emily told him to type, and a minute later Jordan replied about them lying.

"Send the MPEG." said Hotch.

Spencer looked up at Hotch in protest.

"Reid, do it." ordered Hotch.

Spencer fished the flash drive out of his pocket and plugged it into Eileen's laptop.

"Tell her, when the police come for you, Owen will kill you and kill himself." said Emily.

Spencer quickly typed before sending everything to Jordan, and two minutes later Jordan replied.

"You lie. Owen loves me." said Spencer just as Jordan logged off.

"She's gone. Now what?" asked Spencer.

"We've planted the seed. Now we wait." said Hotch.

A minute later Jordan logged back on.

"She's back." said Spencer.

Emily read the message that popped up.

""You were right. What do I do?"" read Emily.

"Ask her where she is." said Hotch.

Spencer quickly typed, and a few seconds later Jordan replied.

""If I tell you, you will hurt him."" read Emily.

"She's not gonna give it up." said Spencer.

"Ask her if she can get away?" asked Hotch.

Spencer quickly typed before getting a reply.

""I can try."" read Emily.

Jordan logged off, and a few minutes later she logged back on.

"She's back." said Emily just as a message appeared, ""You turned her against me."" read Emily.

"It's not Jordan." said Spencer.

"Somebody please tell me we didn't just get Jordan killed." said Emily while Spencer looked at Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer got out of the SUV when he heard Morgan.

"Reid, Reid, a little help." said Morgan.

Spencer quickly joined Morgan and looked at the body before he and Morgan joined Hotch and Rossi.

"Owen's not here." said Rossi.

"Hotch. We got a body back there." said Morgan.

"Half-dug grave." said Spencer just as Sheriff Hallum approached them.

"Found a note." said Sheriff Hallum.

Hotch took the note while Spencer looked over Hotch's shoulder.

"I'm going to return my mom's necklace." He may be going home to get it. We didn't find it, but it could be there. Sheriff, you go there." said Hotch.

"You?" asked Sheriff Hallum.

"Where's his mother buried?" asked Hotch.

Sheriff Hallum gave Hotch an address while Spencer started heading towards one of the police cars.

"Reid, where are you going?" asked Hotch.

Spencer stopped walking and looked at his unit chief with tired eyes.

"He's gonna force us to kill him. I don't need to be a part of that. You don't need me." said Spencer tiredly.

Hotch looked at his youngest agent.

"Meet me at the station." said Hotch.

Spencer quickly caught a ride with one of the officers while he was still leaving his Kevlar vest on.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer who was still wearing his Kevlar vest headed into the station and pulled down a picture of Hope.

"They think he's going to his mother's grave." said Spencer.

"Isn't he?" asked Emily.

Spencer hurried into the room where Jordan was in.

"He was gone when we got to the ranch. I want to save his life, but I need to ask you a question. This necklace- He gave it to you?" asked Spencer as he showed Jordan the picture.

"Uh...I left it at the ranch." said Jordan.

"He's coming here." said Spencer as he hurried away.

A minute later Spencer was standing outside when Emily joined him.

"What makes you think he'll come here?" asked Emily as she noted that Spencer still had his Kevlar vest on.

"It's what I would do." said Spencer just as he saw Owen coming around the corner causing him to pull his Glock out of his holster, "Prentiss. Cover me." ordered Spencer as he passed his Glock to Emily.

Spencer walk slowly to Owen.

"Whoa-What-Reid!" shouted Emily.

Spencer turned around to look at Emily.

"Do not shoot." ordered Spencer.

"Reid!" shouted Emily while being glad that Spencer still had his Kevlar vest on.

Spencer headed towards Owen as he held up his hands to show Owen that he's not armed.

"Owen, I don't have a gun. My name is Spencer, I'm with the FBI, and I'm here to help you." said Spencer as he continued to shuffle his way towards Owen.

Owen looked at Spencer who was wearing his Kevlar vest.

"Yeah? I need you to stay back!" ordered Owen just as an SUV came over.

"I know the only reason you joined the team was for your father. I know that he blamed you for what happened." said Spencer.

"Stay back! Right where you are!" ordered Owen.

Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan all got out of the SUV and took cover while being grateful that Spencer had the sense to leave his Kevlar vest on.

"I also know the only reason you killed Rod Norris and Kyle Borden was to protect Jordan. I know the harder you tried, the worse it got, and it felt like everybody just stood there watching you suffer, and not a single person even tried to help." said Spencer as he felt sweat fall down his forehead.

"They didn't. They didn't." said Owen.

Spencer turned his head towards his male teammates and started to block their shots.

"I know you want to escape... And forget. Believe me when I say I know-I know exactly how that feels." said Spencer as he looked at the 17-year-old kid and started telling him about the goalpost incident in a much louder voice while not caring that everyone was listening in.

Hotch listened to his youngest agent tell Owen about one of his worst days in high school causing his anger at Spencer for lying to him and blocking their shot to go away while his anger started being directed towards Spencer's father and the staff members and teachers who were suppose to keep Spencer safe in high school.

When Spencer was finished, Spencer looked at Owen who had kept his gun down while he spoke.

"So trust me, I get it Owen, more than anyone else, but you don't have to die." said Spencer.

"No. No, I'm already dead." said Owen.

"No. No, you're not dead. If you die, you're gonna leave Jordan just like your mother left you. I know you don't want that. Do you?" asked Spencer.

Owen looked at Spencer.

"OK. You bring her to me, all right? You bring her outside." said Owen.

"I can't bring her outside, Owen, not if you put the gun down, I swear to God, I'll take you to her. I promise nobody will hurt you. You'll say good-bye to her, And you'll give her the necklace. All right? So what do you say? Let's put the gun down. Let's go inside." said Spencer.

After a minute, Owen was setting his father's assault rifle onto the ground, and a few seconds later Spencer sighed in relief that he was able to talk down another serial killer while he headed to Owen who was still disarming himself.

"Don't move! Don't move." ordered Morgan while he and Hotch ran over to Spencer while Rossi held back the locals.

Morgan handcuffed Owen while he looked at Spencer.

"You good, Reid?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded before seeing a look on Hotch's face telling him that they will talk later.

A few seconds later Spencer and Morgan were escorting Owen into the station so Spencer could escort Owen to a teary eyed Jordan who took the necklace from Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A couple of hours later Hotch sat down across from Spencer who looked up from the medallion that he was fiddling with.

"Before you lecture me about my actions, I should remind you that I had my Kevlar vest on the entire time, and you put me in danger two weeks ago by not having Chester Hardwick chained up." said Spencer softly.

Hotch softly chuckled as he thought about Spencer's confidence growing since Maeve entered his life.

"I was going to talk to you about withholding information and about blocking our shot. But if you didn't have your vest on, I would have given you a much different lecture." said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "You're the smartest kid in the room, but you're not the only one in that room. You have your growing family to think about, so don't pull something like that again because I don't want to watch you die again like I did over a year ago." said Hotch.

"Yes, sir. It won't happen again." said Spencer softly.

"What were you thinking?" asked Hotch.

"I was thinking that that would have been the second time a kid died in front of me." said Spencer softly.

"You're keeping score, just like Owen." said Hotch.

"It was my turn to save one." said Spencer as his lips turned up a bit.

"It doesn't work like that." said Hotch.

"It should." said Spencer.

Hotch thought back to Spencer telling Owen about the goal pole incident while being thankful that Spencer didn't turn out like Owen.

"I know it's painful when the person you identify with is the bad guy." said Hotch.

"What's that make me?" asked Spencer.

"Good at the job." smiled Hotch.

Spencer smiled slightly at the praise that Hotch gave him.

"I know that your going to make sure that Jocelyn doesn't have it rough in school like you did." said Hotch before getting up and thinking about the reason why Spencer would be late for briefing, "I know it's none of my business, but when we land, I think you should go and catch the rest of that movie." said Hotch.

Spencer nodded while Hotch patted him on the shoulder and walked away before Spencer looked at John's medallion.

Xxxxxxxx 

A couple of hours later Spencer sat down next to John, and after the meeting ended, Spencer looked at John.

"Do you have time to sit and talk?" asked Spencer.

John nodded, and a few minutes later both men were in a quiet corner.

"I take it that you've been keeping track of me since the beginning of my career?" asked Spencer.

John looked around before nodding.

"I have." said John.

"Why?" asked Spencer.

"I was part of making the decision to lower the age requirement for you while signing off your placement in our office." said John.

"So I take it that your wanting to be my sponsor since you already know who I am?" asked Spencer.

John nodded.

"I was already planning on it because I want to get to know you better while knowing that our office can't lose someone like you." said John.

Spencer smiled a bit as his phone vibrated causing him to see a text from Maeve.

I'M HOME NOW, AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU. JOSIE MISSES HEARING HER DADDY'S VOICE. ~ MD

"Duty calls?" asked John.

"Its my wife telling me that she just got home from her trip, and that my unborn daughter misses hearing my voice." said Spencer.

"How far along is she?" asked John.

"21 weeks." said Spencer.

"Congratulations." said John before looking at Spencer seriously, "Your wife and little girl will be good reasons for you to stay sober." said John.

"I know." said Spencer.

John looked at Spencer.

"How about you get home to your wife." said John.

"I'm already planning on it." smiled Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A half hour later Spencer and Maeve were undressing themselves in their bedroom before falling onto their bed.


	15. Tabula Rasa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to skip In Heat and The Crossing and go strait to Tabula Rasa meaning that Spencer has already received his one year medallion.
> 
> Maeve's now 25 weeks pregnant in this chapter, and JJ is currently pregnant with Henry so I'll be addressing JJ's pregnancy in the next chapter, and I have it that Spencer started working for the BAU during October of 2003 but didn't start traveling with his team until after six months in the BAU since he needed additional training.

Spencer entered his wife's bedroom with a tray filled with breakfast causing Maeve who walked out of the master bathroom to see her still pajama clad husband holding a tray filled up with pancakes, two cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, a bowl of mixed fruit, and two glasses of orange juice.

"Please get back in bed so we can eat breakfast in bed." said Spencer.

Maeve got back in bed.

"Why are you bringing me breakfast in bed?" asked Maeve.

"Happy Mother's Day, Maeve." said Spencer as he placed the tray on their bed before giving his wife a kiss.

Maeve instantly teared up.

"I forgot." cried Maeve.

Spencer reached out and dried Maeve's tears before touching his wife's 25-week pregnant belly and felt his daughter kick.

"Its only pregnancy brain, Maeve." said Spencer.

Maeve stopped crying and began to smile.

"Let's eat." said Maeve as she took her fork and started eating causing Spencer to take his own fork and start eating.

Xxxxxxxx 

After eating breakfast, Spencer reached into his nightstand drawer and grabbed a purple envelope that he passed to Maeve.

"My mom mailed me this to give to you, and she should be getting the card and book that we mailed her today." said Spencer.

Maeve opened up the envelope and gasped when she saw a Mother's Day card from her mother-in-law, and after she read the card she was crying again.

"Hormones?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"We should call her later." said Maeve.

Spencer nodded in agreement.

"Joe and I are taking you and Mary out for Mother's Day brunch at noon." said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her alarm clock and smiled.

"Since we took care of cleaning and laundry yesterday, we have enough time to burn off the calories we eaten before we get ready." said Maeve.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were taking off each other's pajamas before starting a heated make out session that would lead to something else.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer and Maeve walked hand in hand towards Maeve's parents, and Spencer smiled as he watched his wife hug her mom the best she could.

"Happy Mother's Day, mom." said Maeve.

Mary rested a hand on her daughter's growing stomach and smiled when she felt her granddaughter kick.

"You too, Maeve." said Mary before pulling her son in law into a hug, "Even though your mother's in Las Vegas, how about you start calling me mom." said Mary.

"OK." said Spencer.

"That means you can call me, dad." said Joe.

Spencer nodded as Maeve's stomach growled causing everyone to chuckle.

"Let's head inside." said Joe.

A few seconds later both couples headed into the restaurant that Joe made reservations at.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over two hours later Spencer and Maeve were sitting in front of Spencer's laptop and they smiled when Diana came into view.

"Happy Mother's Day, mom, and I hope your OK with talking through Skype." said Spencer as he noticed Dr. Norman standing in the background.

"Its OK, baby." said Diana before smiling at her daughter-in-law, "Let me see you, Maeve." said Diana.

Maeve slowly stood up and turned to her side causing Diana to gasp at the sight of her daughter in law's six month pregnant belly.

"Your about six months now?" asked Diana.

Maeve nodded.

"25-weeks." said Maeve.

"How are you feeling?" asked Diana.

"Other than the occasional discomfort, I'm definitely eating more." said Maeve.

"Is Spencer eating more too?" asked Diana.

"I'm making sure that Spencer eats more, and whenever we have dinner with my parents, my mom always puts more food on his plate." said Maeve.

"Good." said Diana.

Spencer blushed a bit.

Diana looked at her son who was blushing a bit.

"You've been reading to Jocelyn?" asked Diana.

"Every night when I'm home." said Spencer.

"Speaking of home, do you think I can come out to Washington DC after Jocelyn is born?" asked Diana.

Spencer smiled a bit at the idea of his mother visiting after Josie's birth.

"Would you like aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon to drive you out here instead of flying?" asked Spencer.

Diana shook her head.

"Despite being afraid to fly, I'm willing to get on a plane so I can meet granddaughter much sooner." said Diana.

Dr. Norman came into view.

"I'm willing to accompany Diana on this trip since there's a few former colleagues that have asked me to visit, and I'll give your mother medication to help her relax." said Dr. Norman.

"That would be great." said Spencer before Spencer, Maeve, and Diana decided to focus on talking about literature before Diana had to sign off.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was holding a picture of a teenage Emily that Garcia found while he occasionally glanced at Emily.

"It's remarkable. Something like this makes you question everything you thought you knew. Said Spencer.

"Yeah. It's like the Monolith in 2001." said Garcia.

"So there was actually a time when something like this was socially acceptable?" asked Spencer.

Garcia looked at the 26-year-old genius.

"Oh...you're young." said Garcia as she took the picture from Spencer, "The eighties left a lot of people confused. This is, uh, especially sad, though." said Garcia

Emily instantly realized what Spencer and Garcia were looking at.

"All right, very funny, you guys." said Emily while Spencer and Garcia laughed, "Very funny. What did you do to it?" asked Emily as she looked at the picture of herself.

"Do?" asked Garcia.

"Well, you obviously altered it in photoshop or something. That hair?" asked Emily while she held up the picture.

"Oh, no, pussycat. That's all you. Garfield high, class of '89." said Garcia.

"You really didn't change anything?" asked Emily.

"I hacked it, as is. You're seriously trying to tell me you don't remember rocking that look?" asked Garcia.

"Perhaps your lack of recognition stems from a dissociative fugue suffered in adolescence." said Spencer as he pressed his lips together, "Say, at a Siouxsie and the Banshees concert." asked Spencer.

Garcia laughed.

"It's so weird. It's like some other life." said Emily just as she saw Hotch causing her to hide the photo, "What was that about?" asked Emily.

"Brian Matloff." said Hotch.

"Who?" asked Garcia as she glanced at Spencer.

"Uh, aka the Blue Ridge Strangler." said Spencer.

"Oh, right. That was, like, 4 years ago." said Garcia.

Emily recalled a file that she read.

"3 victims in the Blue Ridge Parkway." said Emily.

Hotch nodded.

"Allegedly. He was never convicted. He slipped into a coma before he could be tried." said Spencer.

"Looks like they're finally gonna get their chance. He just woke up." said Hotch before walking away.

Emily looked at Spencer as she realized that Spencer was only 22-years-old when he worked on the case.

"How long were you out of the academy when you worked this case?" asked Emily.

"Six months, but this case we're reopening was my third case in the field." said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Emily.

"I spent the first six months working for this unit taking additional profiling classes, working as a desk bound profiler, while Hotch worked on getting me ready for the field when it came to shooting and self defense." said Spencer.

"Ahh." said Emily.

"Also Hotch and Gideon wanted me to settle into my old apartment while I spent the first six months adjusting to life in DC since I had to move from the desert to the East coast." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer and Morgan were briefing JJ and Emily about the case.

"After the raid on Matloff's apartment, We discovered he had another area of interest. Native American mythology. We realized our profile wasn't complete." said Morgan.

"There's a Native American believe that says 'Burying a body facedown traps the soul and prevents it from haunting the killer'." said Spencer.

"That's why he buried them like this?" asked Emily.

"That was the theory." said Spencer.

"3 women in shallow graves. I don't see any progression. There's no learning curve." said Emily.

"Do you think there could have been more, earlier victims when he was honing his skills?" asked JJ.

"We considered it a possibility. It turned out Matloff worked in Blue Ridge Parkway for the forest service. He had free reign over the entire park." said Morgan.

"It says here he was raised Polish Catholic. Any idea what led him to identify with native American culture?" asked JJ.

"We didn't get that far." said Morgan.

"Another thing we never got was any physical evidence at his apartment tying him to the crimes." said Spencer.

"What about the jewelry he took, the souvenirs?" asked Emily.

"No trace." said Morgan.

"So what did he do with him?" asked JJ just as Hotch entered the room.

"Well, if we didn't need the answer to that before, we do now. It turns out our star witness has been dead for two years." said Hotch.

Everyone sighed.

"He was the only one who could put Matloff at the scene." said Morgan.

Spencer quickly thought about some of the studies he has read about.

"There might be another way." said Spencer before he started to explain about brain fingerprinting.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was walking in the hallway of the courthouse when someone called him.

"Dr. Reid." said Mr. Corbett.

Spencer stopped walking and turned around and recognized Darci's father.

"Mr. Corbett." said Spencer as he shook hands with Mr. Corbett, "I didn't see you in there. How have you been?" asked Spencer.

"Oh... not bad, Considering. Um... You aren't not buying this amnesia thing, are you?" asked Mr. Corbett.

"I'm trying to figure that out." said Spencer.

"It's probably something the lawyer thought up. It won't work, will it?" asked Mr. Corbett.

"We have a pretty strong case." said Spencer.

"Good. That's good." said Mr. Corbett.

Mr. Corbett looked at Spencer and noticed that he looked different.

"You look different. Your hair." said Mr. Corbett.

"It's been four years." said Spencer.

"Right. I forget. Sometimes I feel like Darci's just... Ah it messes with time, this thing. You know? You lose time." said Mr. Corbett.

Spencer nodded in agreement as he thought about the Hankel case being the reason why he asked Maeve to marry him after two months of dating.

"Yeah. I know." said Spencer softly.

"You always hear about closure, you know? And you never really know what that means. Maybe now I can... Get on with things, you know?" asked Mr. Corbett.

"How's Mrs. Corbett doing? Is, uh, she here?" asked Spencer.

"Oh, no, no, no. She's, uh... We split up. It... Was hard to... It was my fault, really." stuttered Mr. Corbett.

Spencer looked at Mr. Corbett surprised.

"I'm sure it was just, you know... It happens." said Spencer as he thought about his own parents divorcing.

"Yeah. It's OK. Everything's gonna be OK now." said Mr. Corbett.

Spencer removed his hands from his pocket causing Mr. Corbett to notice Spencer's wedding band.

"You got married." said Mr. Corbett.

"Got married on December 15th last year." said Spencer.

"Congratulations, and what about children?" asked Mr. Corbett.

Spencer smiled slightly.

"My wife is 25-weeks pregnant with our first child." said Spencer.

"Congratulations, and do you know the gender?" asked Mr. Corbett.

"Its a girl." said Spencer.

"Decided on any names yet?" asked Mr. Corbett.

"Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid." said Spencer.

"Beautiful name." said Mr. Corbett before walking away.

Xxxxxxx 

Later on that afternoon Spencer and Hotch were back at Quantico briefing the rest of the team about the results of the brain fingerprinting test.

"So how did he get over? I thought nobody could beat this test." said Morgan.

"The damage to his parietal lobe must have been more extensive than previously thought. The brain injury could have literally deleted his memories." said Spencer.

"Oh, he did the murders, and we'll prove it. What he remembers doesn't matter." said Rossi.

"Doesn't it? I mean, if those experiences are gone forever, doesn't that sort of make him, I don't know, like…" said Emily.

"Different person?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah." said Emily.

"No, not at all." said Morgan.

"It's interesting-." said Spencer.

"Not to me." said Rossi.

"It goes to core arguments about the nature of identity. There's a western philosophical concept, causal dependence, that says that a psychological connection to the past plays a key role in defining who we are." said Spencer.

"Reid, what are you saying, that this guy shouldn't be tried?" asked Morgan.

"I'm not saying that." said Spencer.

"But one could make the argument that in his current condition he's no longer a danger to society." said Emily.

"Not until he gets his memory back." said Rossi.

"But it's not just about this guy being a danger. It's about making sure somebody pays for what happened to those girls." said Morgan.

"Well, it's not up to us to decide to what extent he should be punished. That's for the courts. Where are we with Matloff's mystery visitor?" asked Hotch.

"Prentiss and I contacted every recorded Nina Moore within 500 miles of the hospital. 71 in total, no takers." said JJ.

"Matloff's a textbook loner. No meaningful relationships, no family, no girlfriends. But anyone who would visit a coma patient-." said Hotch.

"A triple murderer coma patient." interjected Morgan.

"We're talking about somebody who feels connected to him." said Hotch.

"Maybe connected enough to know the truth." said JJ.

"The truth could be she's just a fan. Every serial killer's got 'em." said Rossi.

"Let's go back to the hospital and interview the staff. We need to build a profile and help locate this woman." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour and a half later Maeve exited the elevator and headed towards her husband who was straightening up his desk.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" asked Maeve.

Spencer gave his wife a brief kiss on the lips before resting his hands on Maeve's belly.

"I'm heading back to Roanoke with Hotch for the trial." said Spencer before smiling when he felt his daughter kick.

"So that means you'll be staying there for the next couple of days?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"We're hitting the road in about 10 minutes." said Spencer.

Maeve kissed Spencer on the lips.

"I'll miss you." said Maeve.

"I'll miss you too, but it will be nice to finally give the victims' families closure." said Spencer.

Hotch came down the stairs.

"You ready, Reid?" asked Hotch.

"I'm all packed and ready to go." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Maeve.

"Nice to see you again, Maeve." said Hotch.

"You too." said Maeve just as she felt Jocelyn kick causing her to groan loudly.

"You alright?" asked Hotch.

"Jocelyn just kicked my ribs, and next month she'll be more active when I start the third trimester." said Maeve.

Spencer knelt down and rested his hands on Maeve's belly.

"You be good for mommy while I'm away, Josie." said Spencer before feeling his daughter kick, "I'll miss feeling you kick while I'm away, but as soon as I get back, I'll continue reading to you." said Spencer.

Josie kicked again.

"You talking to our daughter is not helping." laughed Maeve.

Hotch smiled a bit.

"Seems like you two are going to be dealing with a daddy's girl." said Hotch.

"We know." said Spencer before kissing Maeve's belly, "Daddy loves you, Josie." said Spencer before standing up to his full height.

"How did you get here?" asked Hotch.

"My mom drove me, and she decided to wait by security." said Maeve.

"We'll walk you back to Mary." said Spencer as he picked up his bags.

"OK." said Maeve as she took ahold of her husband's free hand.

Over a minute later Spencer, Maeve, and Hotch were in an elevator together.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few days later Spencer was sitting in the court room while Hotch took the stand.

"So, through this process of linkage analysis, you concluded that all three murders were perpetrated by one man." stated Cece as she looked at her old friend.

"Yes, that's correct." said Hotch.

"And you believe that man is Brian Matloff?" asked Cece.

"Yes, I do." said Hotch.

"Can you tell us how you came to that conclusion?" asked Cece.

Hotch glanced over where Spencer was sitting.

"Along with Agents Reid and Morgan, we began to analyze the behavior of the unknown subject as manifested before, during, and after the commission of the murders. Our goal was to generate a suspect pool, a list of names which we'd eventually narrow down to one person." said Hotch as he explained what he, Spencer, and Morgan came up with, "This deduction revealed to us how the killer gained satisfaction from his crimes. By burying the victims in the park, he was able to revisit the scene And relive his acts over and over." said Hotch.

"So, I imagine there are a lot of people who work for the forest service." said Cece.

Hotch continued to explain what they found out, and when he was finished, Cece looked at him.

"And what did Technical Analyst Garcia do at that time?" asked Cece.

"We asked her to check names of forestry employees against a list of witnesses interviewed by the Roanoke police." stated Hotch.

"And were you able to find a common denominator?" asked Cece.

"Yes, one. Brian Matloff." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Brian's lawyer Lester Sterling looked at Hotch.

"Now, my client ran from the police, a behavior that you called a strong indicator of his guilt." said Lester.

"Yes, that's correct." said Hotch.

"Were you aware that he had an outstanding warrant at the time of his arrest?" asked Lester.

"Yes. I believe it was for an automobile accident, a hit and run." said Hotch.

"So isn't it possible that Mr. Matloff fled not because he was guilty of murder, but because of this other warrant?" asked Lester.

"There were 8 law enforcement officers in bulletproof vests. I doubt any reasonable person would assume-." said Hotch.

"A yes or no answer will do." said Lester.

"Yes, it's possible." stated Hotch.

"So, you've stated that it was your profile of the killer that led you and the police to my client's door that night." said Lester.

"Behavioral analysis was a factor in our investigation, yes." answered Hotch.

"And was behavioral analysis also a factor on the Olympic Park bombings case in Atlanta?" asked Lester.

"Yes, it was." said Hotch.

"And was that suspect you identified, Richard Jewell, ever convicted of the bombings?" asked Lester.

"Objection. Relevance." stated Cece.

Lester looked at the judge.

"Goes to the credibility of the witness and his field." said Lester.

"I'll allow it." said the judge.

"No, he was not convicted." said Hotch.

"Because he was innocent. Your profile led you to the wrong man." said Lester.

"Jewell was not the perpetrator, but if you look at the real Olympic Park bomber, Eric Rudolph, you'll see that our profile was dead on." said Hotch.

"Well, how about if we look at the Baton Rouge killer? Your unit said that he was white and living in the city. He was black and from the suburbs. You said that Dennis Rader, the BTK killer, was divorced and impotent. He turned out to be married with 2 kids." said Lester.

"Objection, your honor. He's giving a sermon." said Cece.

"Do you have a question in there somewhere, counselor?" asked the judge.

"Having been wrong on those cases, isn't it possible that you were wrong about Brian Matloff?" asked Lester.

"No." said Hotch.

"The fact is, behavioral analysis is really just intellectual guesswork. You probably couldn't tell me the color of my socks with any greater accuracy than a carnival psychic." said Lester.

"Objection." shouted Cece.

"Withdrawn." said Lester.

Hotch looked at Lester.

"Charcoal gray." said Hotch.

"Well, look at that. He got one right." said Lester.

"You match them to the color of your suit to appear taller. You also wear lifts and you've had the soles of your shoes replaced. One might think you're frugal, but in fact, you're having financial difficulties. You wear a fake Rolex because you pawned your real one to pay your debts. My guess is to a bookie." said Hotch.

Spencer smirked.

"I took this case pro bono. I am one of the most successful criminal attorneys in the state." said Lester.

"Your vice is horses. Your blackberry's been buzzing on the table every 20 minutes, which happens to be the average time between posts from Colonial Downs. You're getting race results. And every time you do, it affects your mood in court, and you're not having a very good day. That's because you pick horses the same way you practice law- by always taking the long shot." stated Hotch.

Spencer ended up smirking again.

"Well, you spin a very good yarn, agent, but as usual, you've proven nothing." said Lester.

"If I'm not mistaken, the results from the fifth race should be coming through any minute." said Hotch.

Lester's phone started vibrating causing the judge to sigh in annoyance.

"Why don't you tell us if your luck has changed?" asked Hotch.

"Your honor, this is-." said Lester.

"What do you want me to do? Either show us your blackberry or cut him loose, counselor." said the judge.

"Nothing further." said Lester.

"Wise decision. Court will be adjourned until 9 AM Tomorrow." said the judge as he banged his gavel.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer headed towards Mr. Corbett.

"Mr. Corbett. Hey, uh, I just wanted to make sure you knew that cross examination wasn't as bad as it sounded." said Spencer.

"I'm not worried." said Mr. Corbett.

"Oh. Good." said Spencer.

"I have a better understanding of things now." said Mr. Corbett.

"Understanding?" asked Spencer.

"After Darci died, I started to see a therapist. Had a lot of guilt, you know. Thought that I should have been there for her, saved her somehow, I don't know. This guy, this shrink, he always brought it back to control. He said I had to accept the fact that there were always gonna be things in life I couldn't control." said Mr. Corbett.

Spencer thought about his own therapist who told him the same thing.

"I think that's wise." said Spencer.

"I realize I have no say over what goes on in that courtroom. See you later, Spencer." said Mr. Corbett before walking away.

Spencer stared at Mr. Corbett while making a mental note to talk to Mr. Corbett in the morning.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer ran over to Mr. Corbett who was about to pull out a gun and stopped him from pulling his gun out more.

"Mr. Corbett, that won't help. Think about what this would do." hissed Spencer as he made eye contact with Mr. Corbett, "Think about Darci." hissed Spencer.

"Think about? I am thinking about her." said Mr. Corbett as he watched Brian's prison guard escort Brian into the court house.

"If she knew what you were about to do, and depending on your belief system, maybe she does, do you think she'd want this? Give me the gun. You want him to suffer, but he'll be dead. He won't feel anything, you'll be in prison, and you will regret it, believe me." hissed Spencer.

"I'm already in prison." said Mr. Corbett as he raised his hand.

Spencer reached for Mr. Corbett's gun and slipped it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

"How did you know?" asked Mr. Corbett.

"Your affect, your behavior. You were too calm yesterday, and you called me by my first name." said Spencer.

"If you're so good at predicting things, how come you couldn't stop him before he took my Darci?" asked Mr. Corbett.

Spencer made his decision.

"Look, I shouldn't say anything, but... There's some new evidence." said Spencer.

"What evidence?" asked Mr. Corbett.

Spencer explained about what he and Hotch found out the evening before.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was sitting in the court room while keeping an eye on Mr. Corbett as he listened to Nina testify against her son.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Hotch looked at an officer.

"She's a law clerk. Matloff stuck a gun in her face, pulled her out of her car, late model Nissan." said the officer.

"And you put out an APB?" asked Hotch.

"Statewide. We'll block every road out of town." said the officer.

"Don't forget service roads. He knows them all." said Hotch.

"You know this guy, right? Any idea where he might be headed?" asked the officer.

"All depends on who he is." answered Spencer.

Hotch saw Lester walking past them causing Hotch and Spencer to catch up with Brian's lawyer.

"Hey. Hey! Did you know?" asked Hotch.

"Know what?" asked Lester.

"You talked to Matloff every day. Did you know that his memory was coming back?" asked Hotch.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about." said Lester.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"He can't help us. Matloff is a paranoid personality. Even if he was aware he wouldn't have told anyone." said Spencer.

Hotch placed a hand on Spencer's arm and led him away.

"Get over to the jail and into his cell. Just look for anything, any clue that might tell us where he's headed." ordered Hotch.

Spencer quickly ran off.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer went through Brian's cell, and when he noticed a picture of the water fall that was near Darci's body he pulled out his phone to call Hotch.

"Hotch, I think I know where he's going." said Spencer as he explained what he found.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer got out of the driver's seat of the car he borrowed.

"Any sign of him?" asked Spencer.

"He's got about a half-hour head start on us." said Hotch.

Spencer headed towards Hotch with the picture he found and his Kevlar vest.

"There's a waterfall near the site where we found Darci Corbett's body." said Spencer.

The officer that was assisting them on searching for Brian looked at the picture.

"Yeah, that's Linville falls." said the officer.

"That's where we need to go." said Hotch.

Spencer started to put on his Kevlar vest.

"Figured this guy would have headed straight out of town. Why'd he come back here?" asked the officer.

"He's looking for something." said Hotch.

"For what?" asked the officer.

"Himself." said Hotch before walking away.

Spencer followed Hotch and the officers while he continued to put on his Kevlar vest.

Xxxxxxxx 

After hiking for a bit, Hotch located Brian.

"That's him." said Hotch before looking at an officer, "Glasses." said Hotch.

An officer passed Hotch binoculars, and after looking through them, he noticed Brian holding a girl.

"It's him. He's got a girl with him and she's not moving." said Hotch.

The sergeant looked at his officers.

"All right, let's move in." said the sergeant.

"No, wait. If we rush him, He might try to kill her and himself." said Spencer.

"How do you want to do this?" asked the sergeant.

"I want to go in there myself. Get your shooters high and wide." instructed Hotch.

"Think he's gonna shoot his way out?" asked Spencer.

"Well, I don't want to be the only gun in there if he does." said Hotch as he started moving.

Spencer slowly followed Hotch towards Brian.

"Brian. I want you to show me your hands. Hands, Brian!" ordered Hotch.

"Stop! Stop there, please." said Brian.

Both Spencer and Hotch instantly noticed that Brian was holding a decomposed body.

"Who is she?" asked Hotch.

"She was my first. The minute my feet hit the ground, I knew right where to find her. I killed them." confessed Brian.

"You remember." said Hotch.

Brian nodded.

"Everything. Every moment. Every... Tiny detail. I remember. But... It's still not real. It's like... The memories belong to someone else." cried Brian.

"Well, maybe in a way they do. But you still have to pay for what's been done." said Hotch.

Brian cocked the gun that he stole from his prison gun.

"If I'm gonna be put to death, I might as well die right here." said Brian.

"Brian. The court may show you mercy, but you have to earn it. If you believe you're a different person, then prove it and do the right thing." said Hotch.

A minute later Brian tossed the gun aside causing Spencer to take the gun from Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer was helping Hotch pack up when Cece got off the phone.

"Its over. Matloff's pleading out." said Cece.

"Congratulations." said Hotch.

"I couldn't have done it without you. First round's on me." said Cece.

"No, we're gonna take a rain check. We got a long drive, and I know that Reid's wanting to get home to his pregnant wife." said Hotch.

Spencer blushed a bit.

"Sure. Another time. Lock up when you leave." said Cece.

"We will." said Hotch.

Cece stopped walking and passed Spencer a business card that contains her email address.

"As soon as your daughter's born, please send me a copy of a birth announcement." said Cece before walking away.

As soon as Cece was out of earshot, Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Darci Corbett's father brought a gun to the courthouse today." said Spencer.

"You're kidding." said Hotch before realizing that Spencer was serious, "You think he was serious about using it?" asked Hotch.

"I think so, yeah." said Spencer before he decided to explain why Mr. Corbett brought a gun, "He was looking for closure." said Spencer.

"You think he'll get some now?" asked Hotch.

"I don't really think so. I mean, people's emotional lives aren't linear like that. To say that a killer's conviction, one single event can just suddenly bring peace to a man, I don't-I just don't think it's possible." said Spencer.

"Well, I guess he has to try. I mean, when it comes right down to it, what choice does he have?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Do you think I could get Darci's watch out of evidence and give it back to Mr. Corbett?" asked Spencer.

"We can certainly do that, and you can also tell him about Brian pleading guilty." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer knocked on Mr. Corbett's door, and a surprised Mr. Corbett opened the door.

"Agent Reid." said Mr. Corbett.

"Sorry, I, uh, I know it's late, But, um, I wanted to give you the news before it hit the paper. Matloff's changing his plea to guilty. Everyone agreed to life without parole." said Spencer.

"You didn't have to come here." said Mr. Corbett.

Spencer grabbed the watch from one of the pockets in his suit jacket.

"I also came to return this. I had them release it from evidence." said Spencer as he passed the watch to Darci's father.

Mr. Corbett looked at the watch.

"It belonged to Darci's grandmother. They were very close." said Mr. Corbett.

"I couldn't help but notice the inscription on the back. "Glory in a flower"? I'm not familiar." said Spencer.

"Poetry was something they shared. It's Wordsworth. "What though the radiance that was once so bright be now forever taken from my sight… Though nothing can... Bring back... "" recited Mr. Corbett before not being able to finish, "Thanks." said Mr. Corbett.

Before he headed into his house, Mr. Corbett looked at Spencer.

"Your going to be a great father when your daughter's born, and I hope that you'll send me a birth announcement after your daughter's born." said Mr. Corbett.

Spencer nodded at Mr. Corbett, and a minute later Spencer was buckling himself into the front passenger seat of the SUV.

"Since we have a nearly four hour drive back to DC, why don't you get some sleep." said Hotch.

"OK." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Four hours later Spencer entered his and Maeve's house, and when he entered the master bedroom, Maeve exited the bathroom.

"You never told me that you'll be home tonight." said Maeve.

"I wanted to surprise you." said Spencer as he kissed his wife before resting his hands on Maeve's belly and smiled when he felt his daughter kick.

"Did you get some sleep on the way back from Roanoke?" asked Maeve.

"Hotch insisted that I get some sleep." said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were in bed celebrating Spencer's homecoming.


	16. Lo-fi & Mayhem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to combine Lo-fi and Mayhem, so be prepared to read this long chapter.
> 
> Maeve's now 26 weeks pregnant in this chapter, and I'm planning that The Angel Maker and Minimal Loss happens before Jocelyn's birth so between Minimal Loss and Paradise there will be a few time jumps.

Spencer looked at Maeve as they worked on folding all the freshly washed and dried baby clothes they received for Jocelyn in Josie's finished nursery.

"Are you scared about giving birth?" asked Spencer as he placed the folded clothing into dresser drawers.

"I'm scared and nervous, but my mom told me that the pain I'll be dealing with will be worth it when I hold Jocelyn for the first time." said Maeve before looking at her husband, "What about you?" asked Maeve.

"I'm scared and nervous, but Hotch told me that one of the greatest sounds I'll ever hear is hearing my daughter cry for the first time." said Spencer.

Maeve groaned when she felt Jocelyn kick causing Spencer to fell his daughter kick.

"Only 14 more weeks to go, and then I won't have to worry about Josie messing with my bladder and kidneys anymore." said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his watch before thinking about the Lamaze class that they attended the day before.

"Should we practice what we learned from our first Lamaze class?" asked Spencer.

"Sure." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were in their living room practicing what they learned before Maeve started to crave Indian food causing Spencer to call his favorite Indian food restaurant.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer entered the conference room with his teammates to see Hotch going through footage.

"Don't get comfortable. There'll be time to debrief on the plane." said Hotch.

"Where are we headed?" asked Spencer.

"New York." said Hotch.

"5 shootings in two weeks. It's about time we got the call." said Rossi.

"I want to take Garcia with us. Hopefully they'll give us access to their surveillance systems." said Hotch.

"What do we know?" asked Emily.

"All the killings are mid-day. Single gunshot to the head with a .22." said Hotch.

"Any witnesses?" asked JJ.

"No." said Hotch.

".22-caliber pistol's only 152 decibels. New York streets and subways are routinely well over 100. It could be people aren't even registering the gunshot until the unsub's already leaving the scene." said Spencer.

"They sound like Mob hits." said Morgan.

"Except none of them have ties to organized crime." said Hotch.

"Do they have any connection to each other?" asked Emily.

"None they've found." said Hotch.

"How about communication with the police? Has the unsub tried to make contact?" asked Morgan.

"Surveillance cameras have captured video of three of the murders. This is the latest." said Hotch as he played the footage.

Everyone watched the footage.

"That's the best image they have?" asked JJ.

"They're all the same. He wears a hood and keeps his head down." said Hotch.

"This guy's bold. Crowded areas, broad daylight." said Emily.

"So they're completely random?" asked Rossi.

"It seems that way." said Hotch.

"Son of Sam all over again." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was sending a text to Maeve.

HEADING TO NEW YORK CITY TO INVESTIGATE THE RECENT SHOOTINGS, AND GARCIA IS COMING WITH US. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE. AND I LOVEY YOU AND JOCELYN. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was already sitting with Hotch and Rossi when Morgan, Emily, and Garcia got onto the jet.

"How come I only get to travel with you guys like once every 2 years?" asked Garcia as she thought back to the last time she flew with the team was after Spencer's abduction and torture.

"Trust me, mama, it can get old." said Morgan.

"Oh, right, like the way that spa treatments in five star hotels can get old." said Garcia.

"Remember the time we got on board and they hadn't chilled the Cristal?" asked Emily.

"Ooh. I almost quit the BAU that day." said Morgan.

"OK, you know what? You guys can joke all you want, 'cause I am never leaving this plane." said Garcia.

Rossi was going through pictures of the victims.

"The victims?" asked Rossi.

"Each killed in a completely different neighborhood. Hell's kitchen, Murray Hill, Lower East Side, Chinatown, east Harlem." said Hotch.

"It doesn't make any sense. There's no common victimology, no sexual component, no robbery, no geographical connection. Do the police have any leads?" asked Spencer.

"He's killing roughly every two days. The press is having a field day, and it sounds like the mood on the street's getting pretty edgy." said Hotch.

"It's a joint FBI-NYPD Task-force?" asked Rossi.

"Kate Joyner heads up the New York Field Office. She's running point on the case And called me directly." said Hotch as he looked towards JJ, "JJ, would you tell them we're ready to go?" asked Hotch.

"Right." said JJ as she got up.

"Kate's starting to butt heads with the lead detectives and wanted a fresh set of eyes." said Hotch.

"Joyner, I know her. She's a Brit, right?" asked Morgan.

"Well, dual citizenship. Her father's British, Her mother's American. She was a big deal at Scotland Yard before coming to the Bureau." said Hotch.

"I heard she can be a little bit of a pain in the ass." said Morgan.

"I didn't think so." said Hotch.

"You know her?" asked Emily.

"We liaised when she was still at Scotland Yard." said Hotch.

"And she's good?" asked Rossi.

"I think we're lucky to have her." said Hotch.

"And we're cleared for takeoff. Please take your seats." said the pilot.

A few seconds later everyone was either moving to a seat while buckling in before the jet took off causing Spencer to feel a familiar popping in his ears.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer got off the elevator with his teammates, and a few seconds later Hotch was greeting Kate.

"Kate." said Hotch.

"Aaron. How have you been?" asked Kate as she shook hands with Hotch.

"Well, thank you. This is my team. Kate Joyner, this is David Rossi, Emily Prentiss, Jennifer Jareau, Penelope Garcia, Derek Morgan, and Spencer Reid." said Hotch as everyone nodded at her.

"Thanks for being here. Anything that you need, just tell me. Please don't stand on protocol." said Kate.

"What can you tell us about the city's surveillance system?" asked Garcia.

"Um, it's run by The NYPD. It's still in the infant stages. It's been rather controversial. American privacy laws. Um, but they've had dome success." said Kate.

"And I'll have complete access?" asked Garcia.

"They're already expecting you. Shelly?" asked Kate.

Garcia started following Shelly.

"I'd like to get a map of the borough. I want to do a comprehensive geographical profile of the area in order to ascertain the unsub's mental map before it's clouded by our own linkage blindness." said Spencer just as Detectives Brustin and Cooper approached them.

"I see you brought your own computer." said Detective Brustin.

"Detectives Brustin and Cooper. I'll let you do The introductions." said Kate.

"You caught the first shooting?" asked Rossi.

"They've all been in different precincts. It wasn't until the third murder that anyone even made the connection." said Detective Cooper.

"I guess this is where we play nice and ask you what you need." said Detective Brustin.

"I'll let you all figure out what that is. I just ask that you run everything back through me. It's been my experience that having one butt on the line is enough." said Kate.

"Yes, ma'am." said Detective Brustin.

Kate looked at Hotch.

"Can I have a word with you in private?" asked Kate.

"Sure. Excuse me." said Hotch before walking away with Kate.

"They, um... Liaised when she was at Scotland Yard." said Emily.

"Of course." said JJ.

After introductions were made. Spencer headed over to Detective Cooper.

"Hey, so, uh, what's your partner's problem?" asked a whispering Spencer.

Emily joined them to hear what Detective Cooper had to say.

"Uh, well... Well, by the fourth murder the FBI was brought in. Good. We can use all the help we can get. But, uh, all of a sudden she's taking meetings with the mayor and calling in you all without us knowing anything about it." said Detective Cooper.

"We're only here to help. Think of us as a resource." said Emily.

"OK. Profile me." said Detective Cooper.

Spencer and Emily both gave Detective Cooper looks.

"What am I thinking?" asked Detective Cooper.

Spencer looked at a laughing Emily.

"It's never gonna happen." said Emily.

"No offense, but we've had five murders. Hope it gets better than that." said Detective Cooper before walking away.

Xxxxxxx 

A couple of hours later Spencer looked at Detective Cooper.

"We're gonna need records over the last six months for any arrests on gun violence or gun possession in every borough except the ones where the shootings have taken place." said Spencer.

"Uh... I don't get it." said Detective Cooper.

"He won't strike near where he lives." clarified Spencer.

"What makes you so sure?" asked Detective Cooper.

"It's anti-geographical profiling." said Emily.

"Now it's anti-geographical profiling? Yeah, come on. You wonder why we're so skeptical?" asked Detective Cooper.

"This unsub's organized. He strikes At the same time of day. He knows where The cameras are placed. That means he's doing his own pre-surveillance." said Emily.

"A need motivated killer operates within his own comfort zone. An organized killer with some other motivation will make sure to strike outside that zone." said Spencer.

"Not where he lives." said Detective Cooper.

"Exactly. Unfortunately, that means that every other neighborhood in the city has a reason to be terrified." said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer was going through surveillance footage with Emily and JJ when Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, and Kate approached them.

"What have we got?" asked Hotch.

"The latest shooting." said JJ as he latest shooting played.

Emily played the surveillance footage of the previous murder.

"This was the previous murder. OK, do you see anything weird here?" asked Emily.

"He sprints off in one and walks calmly in the other. It's two entirely different demeanors." said Morgan.

"6 kills in, his behavior should be set." said Rossi.

"Look at this. Garcia, are you still there?" asked Spencer.

"Would I ever leave you?" asked Garcia before becoming serious, "OK, check it out. I did a digital perspective analysis rendering on the shootings where we have footage. Now, the first two are inconclusive, But the last two I found something tres weird." said Garcia as she did some magic on the video footage, "Your calm walking type, he is about 6'1". But your sprinter, he's like 5'9", 5'10", tops." said Garcia.

"We've got more than one unsub." said Hotch.

"So, we have more than one unsub. What does that tell us?" asked Rossi.

"Most teams stick together. Uh, Ng and Lake, The Krays. Bittaker and Norris. They don't usually kill separately." said Spencer.

"Could be some kind of gang initiation." said Morgan.

"Gangs will kill you if they encroach on your territory, not random people all over the city." said Emily.

"I'll coordinate with the gang task force, make sure we have an overview by morning." said JJ before walking away.

"Do you think we have enough for a working profile?" asked Kate.

"Broad strokes." said Rossi.

"Dave, you and Reid talk to the agents here. Morgan and Prentiss, brief the police when each shift comes on duty tomorrow." said Hotch.

"I think we should get out on the streets." said Morgan.

"I brought you here to create a profile." said Kate.

"Which we can give in the morning, and then they can share it with the afternoon shift." said Morgan.

"We've allocated every extra man we have. This is New York City. It's not like a few more people is going to blanket the city." said Kate.

"I understand it's a long shot, but these guys, they hit at mid-day. We could target ingress and egress to particular neighborhoods. Position us near Express stops- 14th, 42nd, 59th-." said Morgan.

"Morgan, it's not your call." said Hotch.

"I'd like to join you in the profile of that's not stepping on your toes." said Kate.

"No problem." said Rossi.

Morgan walked away causing Hotch to ease the tension.

"Let's see it again." said Hotch.

Emily played the footage again.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer entered the hotel with Hotch, JJ, and Emily who ended up grabbing a news magazine.

"Look at this. Late edition doesn't miss a beat." said Emily.

After looking at the news magazine, Spencer noticed Will sitting in one of the chairs with a luggage.

"JJ." said Spencer.

Will got up when he heard Spencer's voice causing him to join the others.

"Will." said a surprised JJ.

"Took a shot and flew to DC, but that didn't work out. I figured a train ride to New York was only a few more hours." said Will.

Hotch held out his hand to Will and shook it.

"Detective." said Hotch.

"I'm sorry for showing up like this. I know you're working. But, um..." said Will as he glanced at JJ, "I can't stand you being on this case and me not being there. Not with what's going on." said Will.

JJ stared at Will.

"Is there a problem?" asked Hotch.

JJ turned around and saw a knowing look on Spencer's face causing her to realize that his impending fatherhood made him realize that she is pregnant.

"I'm pregnant." said JJ.

"Oh, my god! JJ! Congratulations!" exclaimed Emily as she hugged JJ.

Before Spencer could hug JJ, Will spoke up.

"I've asked JJ to marry me." said Will.

JJ turned around.

"Will." said JJ before turning to Spencer who pulled her into a hug, "My son or daughter will be Joceyln's best friend." whispered JJ.

"We're working out some kinks." said Will.

"We'll, uh, give you both some privacy." said Hotch while Spencer released JJ.

JJ followed Hotch causing Spencer to look at Will.

"If you and JJ have a boy, he better not fall in love with my daughter when they're teenagers." threatened Spencer while Emily lightly slapped his arm.

Will laughed.

"I don't make no promises, Spencer." said Will before looking at Spencer, "How much longer until your daughter's born?" asked Will.

"14 more weeks until Jocelyn's born." said Spencer.

"My son or daughter's due in late November." said Will before looking at Spencer, "Are you nervous like me?" asked Will.

"I'm excited, nervous, and scared." said Spencer.

"Me too, and maybe after Jocelyn's born you can give me advice about what to expect in the delivery room." said Will.

"I promise." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer, Emily, and Hotch were heading to their rooms when Emily spoke up.

"Just wait until Garcia finds out." said Emily.

"Hopefully she'll stop focusing on spoiling my unborn daughter for awhile." said Spencer as he thought about all the clothes that he and Maeve have received from Garcia.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"I'm already having fun shopping for Jocelyn, and don't forget that next week is the baby shower so you'll be kicked out of the house for awhile." said Emily.

Spencer tapped his head.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half hour later a freshly showered and pajama clad Spencer was sitting on his hotel bed in front of his laptop.

"Hi, Spence." said Maeve.

"I have some exciting news." said Spencer.

"What?" asked Maeve.

"Remember how we shopped for gender neutral clothing before finding out that we're having a girl?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"We'll need to give the gender neutral clothing that Josie grows out of to JJ in November." said Spencer.

Maeve's eyes went wide.

"JJ's pregnant?" asked Maeve.

"She's due in November." said Spencer.

"That's great." said Maeve before smirking, "Now you have two pregnant women to deal with, so at home you'll be dealing with my hormones until Josie's born before only having to deal with JJ's hormones at work." teased Maeve.

Spencer gulped before yawning.

"I should get some sleep since we're starting at 7 AM tomorrow." said Spencer.

"Good night, Spence." said Maeve.

"Good night, Mae." said Spencer before they exchanged love yous before signing off.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer and Rossi stood in front of the FBI agents that were working on the case.

"In the case of the DC Snipers, there was actually one intended victim." said Rossi.

"John Muhammad wanted to kill his ex-wife, but he knew if he did, he'd be the prime suspect, so he created a spree in order to mask his primary motivation." said Spencer.

"Muhammad and Malvo also left a death card at one of their scenes, just like this unsub." said Kate.

"Most teams have a dominant and submissive member. Because of the relative intelligence of these unsubs and the fact they stick to a set time pattern, we believe at least one of them has a steady job." said Spencer.

We've asked the police to canvass their precincts, check businesses that open and close around the time of the shootings. We're hoping someone will be able to identify a father-son or coworkers that fit the dominant-submissive profile." said Rossi.

A female agent raised her hand.

"And what's the other theory?" asked a female agent.

"It's less likely, but it could be some sort of gang initiation." said Spencer.

"We've asked the police to put every available undercover on the streets." said Rossi.

Spencer grabbed a stack of papers.

"These are all known gang members in Manhattan. Most of them are out of Chinatown and Clinton. We'd like you to study these and keep an eye out for anyone who looks suspicious." said Spencer as he passed the stack of papers around.

"I'll also be detailing a number of you as well. Stay behind when the agents have finished and I'll give you your assignments." said Kate before walking away.

Xxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was staring at one of the maps with Rossi.

Detective... The Son of Sam. This case still pisses you off like it was yesterday." said Rossi.

"Yeah, it does." said Detective Brustin.

"There have been a lot of killers in this city. Why him?" asked Rossi.

"He was laughing at us and we couldn't catch him. The only way we grabbed him was through a parking ticket." said Detective Brustin.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"What are you thinking?" asked Spencer.

Rossi looked at the death card in his hand.

"He hasn't contacted us again." said Rossi.

"So?" asked Detective Brustin.

"This doesn't fit. These unsubs are organized. They use pre-surveillance. They strike in the heart of the day and yet they haven't done anything to seek out media attention. And then this." said Rossi as he shook the bagged card.

"You said it was to tell you they knew you were here." said Detective Brustin.

"We profiled that he was trying to open a line of communication, create panic, but if that was the case, his correspondence should escalate." said Rossi.

"After they left their death card, Muhammad and Malvo Demanded an ATM card with a million dollars in a bank account just to taunt the police. Berkowitz wrote rambling letters about hunting the city, describing himself as a monster." said Spencer.

Rossi pointed at the board full of crime scene photos.

"These unsubs are more disciplined than that. The fact that they haven't contacted the press tells me... That this was private. It's only for us." said Rossi.

"So what does that mean?" asked Detective Brustin.

"They're ramping up to something, and they want us to know that they're watching us." said Rossi.

"If you saw all of these traits completely out of context, what would be the first profile to pop into your head?" asked Spencer.

Rossi realized that Spencer was onto something.

"Who do we have out on the streets?" asked Rossi.

Spencer quickly headed to the land line and contacted Garcia.

"Talk." said Garcia.

"Garcia, do you have eyes on everyone on the team?" asked Spencer.

"I can get them." said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Rossi looked at the unnamed man that paramedics were working on.

"He's not gonna live to tell us anything." said Rossi.

"Any ID on him?" asked Spencer.

"Nothing. This is not good." said the paramedic.

A few minutes later Hotch and Kate joined them causing Rossi to decide to explain the conversation that he and Spencer had.

"We think we might have a serious problem." said Rossi.

"What is it?" asked Hotch.

"We have multiple unsubs. They're disciplined. They're using counter-surveillance. They know the FBI movements. There's a hierarchy. What does that usually equal?" asked Rossi.

"Terrorism." said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later everyone was back at the field office.

"So how does this work?" asked Morgan.

"The murderers simulate a bombing. From there they station someone to watch and gauge police response time." said Spencer.

"At which point they know when to bring in a second bomb." said Morgan.

"The goal is always to take out the first round of civilians, followed by a second wave of emergency responders." said Kate.

"It's crazy, but it's ingenious. They get a practice run, and if someone catches the shooter, they think they just have a murderer. The cell isn't compromised." said Spencer.

"It's lo-fi. Smartest way to plan for a terrorist event." said Kate.

"Creating panic ensures that they see the most urgent response times short of a bombing." said Hotch.

"So there's been 7 different shooters?" asked JJ.

"Having followers do the shootings would ensure they're willing to kill or be killed for the cause." said Rossi.

"It fits the profile. There is something larger at play. It's similar to gang initiation." said Emily.

"Especially if they're home-grown. They haven't had a chance to prove themselves." said Hotch.

Spencer gestured to his geographical profile.

"I think they're targeting points of entry. All the murders have taken place near a bridge or a tunnel." said Spencer.

"Holland Tunnel, Midtown Tunnel, Manhattan Bridge." said Emily.

"If bombs went off, emergency response would shut down any ability to get in or out of the city. It's like people would be trapped on the island." said JJ.

"Keep in mind it's still a theory, just like any profile." said Hotch.

Morgan's cellphone rang.

"Talk to us, Garcia." said Morgan.

"We got a problem. I went through and checked all 4,468 cameras. They hacked into the surveillance system. They've got footage of every crime scene. They've been watching since the beginning." said Garcia.

"How could we not have caught that?" asked Hotch.

"They were smart. It wasn't system wide. You had to check each camera individually." said Garcia.

"And this is from every crime scene?" asked Emily.

"I'm afraid so. They hacked into one camera at every scene." said Garcia.

"Thanks, Garcia." said Morgan before hanging up.

"So much for theory." said Rossi.

"We need to hit the ground running." said Kate.

"I'm gonna head to the hospital. I'll check on cooper and brief Detective Brustin." said Emily as she grabbed her jacket and walked away.

"Good. Dave, will you go talk to the commissioner, And, Morgan, you brief Homeland security." said Hotch.

"JJ and I will talk to the Port Authority police." said Spencer.

"Kate and I will go talk to the mayor and we'll meet back here as soon as possible." said Hotch.

"One advantage that we have right now is that they don't know we know they're watching." said Kate.

A few minutes later Spencer was slinging his messenger bag around his shoulder when Shelly brought JJ an envelope.

"Agent Jareau." said Shelly.

"Thank you." said JJ as she opened up the envelope.

Spencer looked at JJ who was staring at a piece of paper.

"From Will?" asked Spencer.

"He's going home to New Orleans tonight." said a wide eyed JJ.

"You OK?" asked Spencer.

"He doesn't want to be in the way." said JJ as she pulled out Will's badge.

"He's quitting his job?" asked Spencer.

JJ nodded before Hotch joined them.

"Do you need everyone n the field?" asked JJ.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid, you can go brief Port Authority Police by yourself." said Hotch.

Spencer quickly walked away, and 10 minutes later Spencer was starting an SUV while not realizing that one of the SUVs that one of his teammates were in exploded.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer ran into the command center and noticed Rossi.

"David, I heard on the radio. I tried the others, but-." said Spencer as he held up his phone.

"The cell phone system is crashing." said Rossi.

"A car bomb. Did they say where?" asked Spencer.

"No. Can you recall every site where the shootings occurred?" asked Rossi.

"Uh, Hell's Kitchen, Murray Hill, Lower East Side, Chinatown." listed Spencer.

"All right, if our profile is correct and all 8 murders were tests to gauge response times, we're looking at 8 suicide bombers who are about to hit every one of those locations. Call Homeland Security. Tell them to pour troops into all of those sites." ordered Rossi.

"Actually, if we're correct, there'll be 16 suicide bombers." said Spencer.

"16?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah, we predicted that they'll hit the second wave of emergency responders also." said Spencer before they turned their attention to the TV.

"Breaking news now. We are just getting an update. The bomb is now reported to have been inside an SUV. A black SUV parked just blocks from 26 Federal Plaza." said the reporter causing both men to exchange horrifying glances while Rossi grabbed a land line and called Garcia.

Spencer listened to Rossi's side of the conversation with Garcia, and when Rossi was finished, Rossi looked at Spencer.

"Hopefully we'll find out more soon." said Rossi.

"I hope so too, and luckily Maeve won't be knowing about what's going on right now since she's in bed right now." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer stood at the board by Rossi.

"These are stills from all the murder sites." said Rossi just as Emily rushed over.

"Garcia had us on conference and the system crashed." said Emily just as JJ rushed over.

"Emily." said JJ.

Emily looked at JJ.

"Oh, thank god you're all right. Where's Will?" asked Emily.

"He's stuck at the airport. As soon as I heard, I went straight to 26 Fed. They're evacuating the building. Where is everyone?" asked JJ.

"Morgan's all right, but there's no word from Hotch." said Spencer.

Garcia's face popped up on an open laptop.

"The bomber! The bomber!" exclaimed Garcia.

"What?" asked Rossi.

"Derek's chasing after him. The bomb-it was in Kate's SUV or under it. Hotch is out there with her. He seems OK, but she looks really hurt. He hasn't moved her." said Garcia.

Spencer sighed in relief.

"Where was Kate's SUV parked?" asked Rossi.

"2 blocks east of Federal Plaza." said Garcia.

Spencer rushed to his geographical profile and marked it.

"2 blocks east and they target Kate's SUV?" asked Emily.

"Have you ID'd the bomber?" asked Rossi.

"Lisa's running him and dead guy through VICAP." said Garcia.

Spencer rejoined his team while Rossi looked at JJ.

"Call Homeland Security. They should be at all the murder sites. See if they found anything." said Rossi.

"I'm on it." said JJ before walking away.

"Garcia, find out how we can help Morgan." said Rossi.

"Yes, sir." said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was focusing on his geographical profile while JJ finished her phone call with Homeland Security.

"Yes, yes, I understand. Thank you." said JJ before looking at Spencer, "Homeland Security has poured tactical teams into all of those locations. Uh, swat, bomb techs, HRT, hazmat, the works. They found nothing. Reid." said JJ as she realized that Spencer found something.

"All except one. Kate's SUV." said Spencer as he turned around, "None of the shootings were anywhere near it." said Spencer.

"Maybe it's personal. This death card they gave us." said JJ as she looked at the card, "They delivered on it." said JJ.

Spencer realized something.

"That's just it- they haven't. With a cell as large as this one and multiple targets to choose from, they target a single SUV?" asked Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was looking at the board when Emily got off the phone and told them that Morgan was OK.

"Thank god." said Rossi.

Spencer took a photo from an agent and pinned it up.

"This is the unsub Morgan chased into the subway." said Spencer before pointing at another one, "This is the one Prentiss shot. Garcia's running them through VICAP." said Spencer.

"These are smart, well-educated kids, hand-picked and trained to be martyrs. They're not gonna be in any government file and they won't have rap sheets." said Rossi just as JJ approached them.

"Hotch and Kate are at St. Barclay's hospital." said JJ.

"How are they?" asked Rossi.

"Well, Hotch is in the ER., Kate's in surgery. Morgan's on his way down there now." said JJ.

"The media's reporting this as a failed attack on 26 Federal Plaza." said Emily.

"Well, it's not." said Rossi.

"They're not the only ones. Homeland Security feels the same way." said Detective Brustin.

"They're wrong." said Rossi.

"They found nothing at any of the sites that you told them that these guys were targeting. Maybe this thing is over." said Detective Brustin.

"Or maybe that's exactly what they want us to think. As soon as the bomb techs identify the device, I want to know about it." said Rossi.

Spencer sat down next to Emily.

"Of course." said Detective Brustin.

"Can you get in tighter on the bomber?" asked Rossi.

The surveillance was zoomed in a bit causing Spencer to look at the laptop that was in front of Emily.

"Here, in his hand. He's using his cell phone." said Rossi.

"Joyner and Hotch approach the van." said Detective Brustin.

"Why not wait until they both get in?" asked Emily.

"Guess he figured he was close enough." said Detective Brustin.

"Wouldn't you wait until they were in it?" asked Emily.

"So far these guys have accomplished nothing." said Spencer.

Detective Brustin removed his glasses and looked at Spencer.

"Nothing? My partner was shot-Cooper? 8 innocent people were killed. 2 agents blown up. Not to mention Emily's suicide by cop. Is that not enough?" asked Detective Brustin.

Rossi pointed at a photo of the Twin Towers.

"That was memorable." said Rossi causing everyone to look, "This isn't." said Rossi.

"Everything-everything they've done so far has appeared to be something it's not." said Rossi.

Spencer nodded.

"I don't follow." said Detective Brustin.

"The seemingly random acts of murder, the attempt to hack into our security surveillance systems." said Spencer.

"The suicide by cop to make us all believe that it was over." said Emily.

"Don't forget the death card telling us they know we're watching." said JJ as she held up the card.

"All diversions." said Rossi.

"To ensure our attention and analysis of any given situation would than incorrectly inform our profile." said Spencer.

"So the first responders were not the real target?" asked Detective Brustin.

"Hotch and Kate were a diversion, too?" asked Emily.

"From what?" asked Detective Brustin.

JJ motioned Spencer, Emily, and Rossi.

"Morgan. Hotch wants you guys over there now." said JJ.

Spencer quickly grabbed his messenger bag while Emily grabbed the laptop.

"What do we tell Homeland Security?" asked Detective Brustin.

"Tell them if they love this city as much as you do to keep it locked down. It's about to get hit." said Rossi before he, Emily, and Spencer took off.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was wearing his Kevlar vest when Hotch came out dressed.

"Are you OK?" asked Emily.

"Yeah. I just want to understand why I'm still alive." said Hotch.

"I think the idea was to maim, not to kill." said Spencer.

Hotch started to strap on his Kevlar vest.

"Did you identify Sam, the bomber?" asked Hotch.

"Garcia put Sam and the other dead unsub into every know database. Nothing." said Spencer.

"We know how terror cells evolve. They learn from one campaign to the next. How to stay off radar like the London bombers." said Rossi.

"Yeah, but they, uh, they hit at 8:50 in the morning with a series of coordinated blasts aimed at London's transportation system, And this cell targeted a lone SUV where the only people on the street are 2 federal agents." said Hotch as he finished securing his vest.

"It's not multiple targets, it's one target. One target, one bomb." said Morgan.

"Garcia said the device was placed under Kate's SUV." said Rossi.

Spencer nodded as he decided to put his PhD in chemistry to use.

"It was likely made using oxidizing agents, including chromates, peroxides, perchlorates, chlorates, and red mercury, All jammed into a device no larger than a cell phone." said Spencer as he noticed Hotch pressing a tissue against his ear.

"Imagine what a bomb the size of an oil drum could do." said Morgan.

"Yeah, but to make something that big, you'd need a chemical engineer." said Hotch.

"Like the recently deceased Dr. Azahari Husin, Asia's most-wanted bomb-maker? Authorities dubbed him the, uh, demolition man. He treated each bomb like a work of art. One wrong move... He becomes a victim of his own creation. He'll be more revered than all of the people who died as a result of his devices." said Rossi.

"Stop the bomber, stop the bomb." said Emily.

"To do that, we need to know how they would deploy something that big." said Morgan.

Spencer noticed the surveillance footage that they had on replay mode.

"Hotch." said Spencer.

Hotch watched the footage.

"Did you ever find Sam's cell phone?" asked Hotch.

"Yes." said Morgan.

"Did he call 911?" asked Hotch.

"No. He dialed one number 6 times every few minutes." said Morgan.

"It was a disposable cell." said Rossi.

"Garcia tracked the number, but it went dead minutes after Sam died. Whoever had it destroyed it." said Spencer.

"Well, if he didn't have a secondary device to detonate, there's only one reason that he stayed with us." said Hotch.

"To make sure the ambulance got to you." said Rossi.

Hotch nodded.

"And in a city on lock down, an ambulance with its siren blaring and lights on, it's gonna make it through every roadblock virtually uncontested." said Emily.

Hotch flashed back to earlier.

"And straight into a hospital with a bypass order on it." said Hotch.

"What?" asked Emily.

"Secret service has a bypass on this hospital." said Hotch.

"Secret service? Who are they protecting?" asked Rossi.

"That's who Sam was calling, the paramedic on the ambulance." said Spencer.

"The ambulance which I drove in here. This hospital is their target. Let's go." said Hotch as everyone got to business.

Xxxxxxxx 

Everyone rushed towards the secret service agent who was watching surveillance footage.

"Who you got in here?" asked Morgan.

"Why is that information important to you?" asked the agent.

"The ambulance I drove in here- where is it now?" asked Hotch.

"In the basement. Why?" asked the secret service agent.

"Where's a bomb in it." said Morgan.

"What?" asked the same agent.

"It's rigged." said Hotch.

"It's rigged to assassinate whoever it is you're protecting. You need to get them and everyone else out of here right now." ordered Emily.

"We can't do that. He's undergoing surgery as we speak." said the same agent.

"The paramedic I came in with- do you have eyes on him? That a cell in his hands?" asked Hotch.

Rossi grabbed the mic on his vest.

"Garcia, can you remote access the cell phone grid I'm in and jam all the frequencies?" asked Rossi while Morgan ran off. "There's a bomb in the basement of this building." said Rossi.

Everyone watched the footage.

"Look, he's coming back. He's gonna detonate the bomb manually if he has to." said Emily.

"Where did Morgan go?" asked Hotch.

"He went to find the ambulance." said Spencer.

"Alone? Let's head down." said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer, Hotch, Emily, and Rossi started clearing the office with Spencer and Rossi taking the lead.

Xxxxxxxx 

As soon as they reached the elevator and stairs, Hotch looked at Spencer, Rossi, and Emily.

"He's going to the basement." said Hotch.

"Stairs." said Emily.

Spencer quickly opened up the door and a few seconds later all four agents were rushing down the stairs as they kept their eyes out for attackers.

Xxxxxxxx 

As soon as they reached the basement Spencer and Rossi took point while Hotch and Emily focused on checking to make sure that doors were locked as they walked down the long hallway.

A minute later Spencer checked the elevator where he saw that all four Secret Service Agents were dead before noticing bloody footprints.

"Prentiss." said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer and Emily were separating from Hotch and Rossi to clear more areas.

Spencer, Emily, Hotch, and Rossi all pointed their guns at the paramedic.

"FBI." said Rossi.

The paramedic moved his knife to his throat.

"Put it down. It's over." said Hotch.

Spencer closed his eyes as the paramedic slashed his own throat causing all four agents to holster their weapons.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer approached Morgan.

"If you didn't get out of that ambulance when you did, Josie would have never gotten to meet her godfather." said Spencer.

"What?" asked Morgan.

"I was going to wait to tell you until after Josie' born, but your recklessness made me decide to tell you now." said Spencer.

"I'm really Jocelyn's godfather?" asked Morgan.

"Your my big brother, and who would be a good protector for my daughter?" asked Spencer.

"I'm honored, kid." said Morgan while he pulled Spencer into a hug.

"What about godmother?" asked Emily.

"We're still discussing who get's to be godmother." said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer, Rossi, JJ, Emily, and Garcia got settled onto the jet when Emil looked at JJ.

"Have you told Garcia about what's going on with you?" asked Emily.

"What's going on?" asked Garcia.

"I'm pregnant, Garcia." said JJ.

Garcia squealed as she hugged JJ.

"I get to spoil two babies this year." said an excited Garcia before looking at JJ, "You and Will must have a boy so I can start planning the wedding for Jocelyn and Baby Boy LaMontagne." said Garcia.

"Jocelyn's not allowed to date until she's 30." said Spencer firmly causing some laughter.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that night, Spencer looked at his wife.

"I take it that you heard about the explosion at Central Park?" asked Spencer.

"Yes." said Maeve.

"That's Morgan's work." said Spencer as he explained what happened.

When Spencer finished, she looked at her husband.

"So is Hotch going to be alright?" asked Maeve.

"Eventually he will, but he ended up driving back to Quantico with Morgan." said Spencer.

"So are you on stand down for awhile?" asked Maeve.

"For two weeks since Emily has to go through mandatory counseling for doing a kill shot while Hotch gets time to recover." said Spencer.

"Well on that note let's celebrate you being home for two weeks." said Maeve as she grabbed her husband's tie and pulled Spencer into a heated kiss.


	17. The Angel Maker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite the episode showing that the case happened in September of 2008, I'm having the case happening in early June of 2008 because of Hotch still having cuts on his face from the events of Lo-fi and Mayhem. So Maeve's now 28 weeks pregnant and I already have it planned when Maeve will go into labor.  
> Spencer's hair cut isn't the hair cut that he had in The Internet is Forever.  
> Warning: There is content in this chapter that could possibly be M rated.

Spencer entered his and Maeve's house, and Maeve gasped when she saw her husband's much shorter hair.

"So that's why it took you a bit longer to get home." said Maeve.

"With it now being June, I decided that I needed my hair shorter." said Spencer before looking at his wife, "Do you like it?" asked Spencer.

"I love it, and later on I'll have to show you how much I love your new do." smirked Maeve before looking at her husband, "Even though Father's Day isn't for another two weeks, I want to give you your gift now." said Maeve.

"OK." said Spencer as he walked over to Maeve and helped her get off the couch.

A few minutes later Spencer gasped when he saw an American flag pin.

"I love it, and I'll wear this on my tie." said Spencer.

xxxxx

Later on that night Spencer and Maeve were quickly undressing each other before getting onto the bed.

xxxxxx

The next morning Maeve looked at her husband as she drank water to expand her bladder for her 28 week ultrasound.

"With now being in the third trimester I see Dr. Marks every two weeks until I reach 36 weeks when I start having weekly appointments." said Maeve.

Spencer finished chewing his scrambled eggs.

"At least we only have to worry about doctor appointments and attending Lamaze classes since we have the nursery complete and all of Josie's clothing washed and put away." said Spencer.

"We should get going to my doctor appointment." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were heading outside where Maeve groaned at the temperature.

"I'm just not looking forward to be heavily pregnant from now until the end of August." grumbled Maeve.

"Only 11 and a half more weeks to go Maeve, and we have air conditioning and fans to help keep you cool." said Spencer as he led his wife to the new SUV that they bought together.

xxxxxxx

45 minutes later Spencer and Maeve were smiling when they saw Jocelyn on the computer monitor before Spencer's cellphone rang causing Spencer to see that it was JJ calling.

"Yeah, JJ?" asked Spencer.

"We have a case, so get to Quantico as soon as possible." said JJ.

"I'll be leaving the hospital in a few minutes." said Spencer before hanging up causing Spencer to smile sadly at his wife, "There's a case so I have to go." said Spencer.

"Its OK, Spence." said Maeve.

"Do you think you can wait two minutes so I can print off some ultrasound footage?" asked Dr. Marks.

"Yes." said Spencer.

Three minutes later Spencer was leaving the hospital so he could rush to Quantico.

xxxxxxx

Over an hour later Spencer was sitting at the conference room table.

"This is Delilah Grennan. She was bludgeoned and raped during the night at her home in lower Canaan, Ohio." said JJ.

"Lower where?" asked Emily.

"Small town 40 miles outside of Cincinnati." said JJ.

"Staging the body face-up with the arms across the chest like that." said Spencer.

Morgan made his way to Spencer.

"Ritual. Nice hair, by the way." said Morgan as he messed with Spencer's slicked back hair.

"Thanks." grumbled Spencer as he moved his hair back into place.

"Uh, there's more. Small puncture wounds on her stomach. Note the lack of blood." said JJ.

"They were inflicted post postmortem. Were there any other victims?" asked Emily.

"Kind of. Victimology and signature match a serial killer from the same town 10 years ago-." said JJ as she showed crime scene photos, "6 victims spanning over 10 months. He called himself-." said JJ.

"The Angel Maker. I remember the case." said Hotch.

Spencer thought back to how he was only 16 when that case happened.

"They caught that guy." said Spencer.

"And executed him." said Rossi.

"That's right. He was put to death by lethal injection a year ago yesterday." said JJ.

"Yesterday." said Emily.

"So we're looking for a copycat." said Morgan.

"Honoring the anniversary of his hero's death." said Rossi.

Spencer finished fixing his hair.

"It says here they found semen at the crime scene. Perhaps locals will get a DNA match when they run it through VICAP?" asked Spencer.

"Well, that's where it gets weird. They ran it already and they got a match, too." said JJ as she passed Rossi a piece of paper.

"Well, if they already have a name, why'd they call us?" asked Emily.

Rossi finished reading the report.

"They've got to be kidding. The match they got back on the DNA is to a Cortland Bryce Ryan, otherwise known as... The Angel Maker." said   
Rossi causing shocked reactions from everyone.

A few minutes later Spencer was sending Maeve a text message.

GOING TO OHIO, AND I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU. ~ SR

xxxxxxxx

A short while later Spencer was sitting next to Hotch on the jet while JJ stood behind them.

"The Angel Maker's victims were beaten with the assailant's bare hands. Delilah Grennan was bludgeoned with a heavy instrument, maybe a hammer." said Spencer.

"OK, so this unsub's a weaker guy, but at least someone who perceives himself that way." said Morgan.

"So he brought along the hammer to make certain his victim wouldn't fight back?" asked Emily.

"They have parachutes on board, right?" asked Rossi.

"They should. It's standard on all federal air transport." said Spencer.

"Maybe we can give one to the elephant in the room, get him out of here?" asked Rossi.

"That'd be the elephant with the dead man's DNA." said Morgan.

"Well, obviously somebody planted the semen on the victim." said Hotch.

"In the victim." said Morgan.

"That's one theory." stated Spencer.

"There's another?" asked JJ.

"Think about who shares the exact DNA makeup of another person." said Spencer.

"Reid, you're not seriously floating around the idea of an evil twin, are you?" asked Morgan.

"No, I'm not. I'm floating the idea of an eviler twin. Traditionally, the concept is a good twin and an evil twin. But in this case, it's evil twin, eviler twin." said Spencer.

After 20 seconds of silence Morgan noticed that Hotch was in pain.

"Hotch?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah." said Hotch.

"You have been cleared to fly, haven't you?" asked Morgan.

Hotch stayed silent before he decided to give orders for when they land.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer and Hotch followed Sheriff Merrill Dobson into Delilah's house.

"Before Cortland Ryan, this town hadn't seen a homicide in over 30 years. He didn't just kill those 6 women. He killed a way of life. Now this thing's got people thinking he's come back." said Sheriff Dobson.

"They don't really think that, do they?" asked Spencer.

"I guess when you've been scared by something, I mean really scared, that fear's in you forever." said Sheriff Dobson.

"Let's stick to the facts. Were there signs of forced entry?" asked Hotch.

"None that we could find, but whoever killed Delilah Grennan opened up every window in this house before he left." said Sheriff Dobson.

"That's a signature from the previous murders." said Spencer as he headed to Delilah's dining room table.

"A detail we never released to the public." said Sheriff Dobson.

"And it came out at the trial?" asked Hotch.

"No, sir. Prosecution had Ryan nailed nine ways to Sunday. Didn't need it. So I'm hard-pressed to know how this copycat knew about those   
windows." said Sheriff Dobson.

"The man we're looking for is most likely a fan who exhaustively studied the first killings And used them to form his own murder fantasies." said Hotch as they headed to the bedroom.

"He knows this case as well as us; better, maybe, if he had actual contact with Ryan while he was incarcerated." said Spencer.

"We sent one of our agents to Hawkesville prison to look into it." said Hotch.

"And the semen?" asked Sheriff Dobson.

"Smuggled out of the prison, kept on ice, brought out on the anniversary of the execution." said Hotch.

"There's an entire cottage industry based on serial killer effects and memorabilia. You can find absolutely anything if you know the right people." said Spencer.

"Question is, is this a one-time commemoration or is it just the beginning?" asked Hotch.

xxxxx

Spencer held the bagged letter as he read out loud.

""I give you a legacy, a breath of life from the angel maker himself. Those who prayed to forget me will one day see my face and shrink in fear."" read Spencer.

"That's the last thing people need right now." said Sheriff Dobson.

"Reid, how's it compare with the original correspondence?" asked Morgan.

Spencer studied the bagged papers as he walked to a table.

"They share some compelling characteristics. I'd obviously like to look at it under magnification with a better light." said Spencer.

"Best guess, Reid?" asked Hotch.

"Say it's authentic." said Spencer as he looked at Hotch.

A few minutes later Sheriff Dobson studied the letters before removing his reading glasses.

"How can this letter be authentic if the guy's been dead for a year?" asked Sheriff Dobson.

"Could be an elaborate forgery." said Hotch.

"Or it could be the genuine article, just written before his death." said Spencer.

"Well, mail here isn't that slow." said Sheriff Dobson.

"Or released through an intermediary." said Spencer.

"You mean the copycat?" asked Sheriff Dobson.

Spencer nodded as he continued to study the letters.

"We're going over the prison visitor logs to check who had multiple visits with Ryan, Try to narrow our suspect pool." said Morgan just as a   
woman came into the station.

"Sela? What are you doing here?" asked Sheriff Dobson as he looked at his wife.

"Is it true? There's a letter?" asked Sela.

"How did you know?" asked Sheriff Dobson.

"You didn't really think you could keep that quiet around here." said Sela.

"The letter's not from him, not the way people might be saying." said Sheriff Dobson.

"What does that mean?" asked Sela.

"It... It means we think he has someone on the outside, a friend." said Hotch.

"What if you're wrong? What if-." said Sela.

"There's no such thing as ghosts, Sela." said Sheriff Dobson.

"I'm not talking about a ghost. I am talking about those rumors about the execution, How there were problems, how it didn't work right." said Sela.

"What are you suggesting?" asked Hotch.

"What if he's still out there?" asked Sela before noticing a look on her husband's face, "Don't do that. You think I'm the only one? Look outside. They want proof that he's dead." said Sela.

Spencer, Hotch, Morgan, and Sheriff Dobson noticed the group of people that were outside.

xxxxxxxx

Two days later Spencer was standing in front of the Lower Canaan police officers.

"There have been some strange happenings in this case, But I urge you not to abandon reason in the search of the truth. This is not the work of a ghost, and it's not the work of a killer come back from the dead. This is the work of somebody who lives right here in Lower   
Canaan, and this person is a woman." started Hotch.

"Her last victim, Sid Rutledge- he was the Angel Maker's mule. He smuggled items out of Hawkesville prison, including the semen that was planted at the first crime scene." said Morgan.

"She killed Rutledge because he knew she was the copycat, and also because he was blackmailing her." said Spencer.

"We now know that Rutledge was transferred to Hawkesville from a female prison, in the wake of allegations that he was using his position   
to leverage sexual favors from inmates." said Morgan.

"And we think he did the same thing to our unsub; in exchange for his silence, he wanted sex." said Hotch.

"Because she shot him in the junk, right?" asked an officer.

"That, and the fact that he took a PDE 5 inhibitor shortly before his murder." said Spencer.

"A what?" asked Sheriff Dobson.

"Viagra." said Morgan.

"We're looking for a white woman in her mid-30s and she's highly intelligent. And she's not just a fan, she's a groupie." said Hotch.

"Now, she's not what you would normally expect. More often than not, they're attractive, they're well-educated, They're successful; some   
are even married." said Morgan.

"Generally, they fall into types. Some are reformers. They're on a mission to save or rescue these murderers. Often, this type of groupie has been raised in a repressive, religious environment And specifically have been exposed to the ideals of sexual repression and subjugation of women." said Spencer.

"Our unsub is a different type, one who suffers from hybristophilia. It's a sexual attraction to men who commit violent crimes. They give her a power that she lacks, which stems from low self-esteem and a need for a father figure." said Morgan.

"Well, the victims were raped. How do you explain that?" asked another officer.

"She's using an instrument to simulate the sexual assault... This is something that she keeps in her rape kit, along with the weapon that she's using to bludgeon her victims." said Morgan.

"This is a list of women who visited and wrote the Angel Maker while he was in prison. We've started to track these leads, but the list is extensive, so we're gonna need your help." finished JJ.

xxxxxxx

The next day Spencer was going through the letters with Rossi.

"Here's another one to dove- November 2, 2006." said Spencer.

"Same thing?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah." said Spencer before he started to read out loud, ""Weather is good here. Out in the garden all day. Birds land on the fence. The moon is full now."" read Spencer.

Rossi took the letter from Spencer before Spencer started sorting through the letters.

"He got an hour a day in a concrete yard. There was no garden. There were no birds. Death row haiku. I mean, you have to try to write this   
bad." said Rossi.

"I think he did. He tried very hard to put each word, each letter, even, in the right order." said Spencer.

"So it's a code." said Rossi.

"This steganographic method would allow him to write letters that don't appear enciphered. The real message would be hiding in plain sight." said Spencer.

"What do you need to crack it?" asked Rossi.

"The ability to clone myself and a year's supply of Adderall." quipped Spencer.

"I'll put on the coffee." said Rossi.

xxxxxxx

Spencer listened to Emily tell everyone about why the stomach wounds were the way they were, he was working on decoding the cipher. When he was finished he spoke up.

"They weren't just close." said Spencer as he turned around, "They were in love." said Spencer.

"How'd you crack it?" asked Rossi.

"I profiled the author. Cortland Ryan was on death row with several high ranking members of the Aryan Brotherhood." said Spencer.

"He got the code from the Aryans?" asked JJ.

"Either that or he read a lot of 16th century literature. The Aryans liked to use a cipher based on a 400 year old code written by Sir Francis Bacon." said Spencer as he watched his teammates glance at the work he ended up doing.

"So it's a binary code." said Morgan.

"Yeah. Bacon used a 21 letter alphabet. This one's 24. Each letter is assigned a bit string of 5 binary digits. This combination yields 32 possible encodings. Normally you'd use a computer to run all these combinations, But it was quicker just to do it longhand until I found the right one." rambled Spencer.

Emily reached out and poked Spencer's cheek.

"He's so lifelike." said Emily.

Spencer stared at Emily while JJ and Morgan chuckled before Spencer walked to the table.

"Now we don't have a complete record of their correspondence, but I was able to make a chronology. The woman he calls "dove" established contact shortly after the trial." said Spencer as he passed out the letters.

""My dearest Cortland, thank you for writing back to me. The day the verdict was read, we shared a silent moment…." said Emily while she   
started to read the letters.

xxxxxx

After Emily was finished reading, she looked at her teammates.

"What do you think she meant by that last line: I will bring a part of you back?" asked Emily.

"The murders? She brought him back to life." said Morgan.

JJ thought about her own pregnancy.

"What if she was talking about his child?" asked JJ.

"Well, she did say "us"- watch over us from the stars." said Spencer.

"She used the semen samples to plant evidence, not to get pregnant." said Rossi.

"What if she did both?" asked Hotch.

"Well, if she actually had his kid, we might be able to track her through birth records." said Emily.

Sheriff Dobson entered the room.

"Agent Hotchner? We just got a report of a woman attacked in her house by a female assailant." said Sheriff Dobson.

"Is she OK?" asked JJ.

"Sounds like it, but I can't say the same for the attacker, though. Neighbors heard cries for help, pretty soon half the block was on her." said Sheriff Dobson.

xxxxxxxxx

The next morning Sheriff Dobson was helping them figure out which woman was their unsub.

"Hannah Dreyfus was in an auto accident. She could barely walk. Shannon Conway moved away when the plant closed a year ago." said Sheriff Dobson.

"Any other names you recognize?" asked Morgan.

"No. I don't." said Sheriff Dobson before recognizing a name, "Whoa." said Sheriff Dobson.

"What is it?" asked Hotch.

"Well, this one here sounds familiar, but I can't really place it. Chloe Kelcher." said Sheriff Dobson.

"Chloe Kelcher. That is familiar." said Spencer before he hurried to pick up a box and grabbed a file, "Chloe Kelcher. She was on the jury." said Spencer.

"Well, that makes sense. She would have been exposed to the case evidence, seen firsthand what he did to his victims." said Morgan.

"That's when she fell in love with him, sitting across the courtroom every day." said Hotch.

"Well, it's one thing to have a relationship with a killer, it's another to become one." said Sheriff Dobson.

"There might have been an incident that prompted the transformation." said Spencer.

Hotch noticed something in a file.

"I think I know what it was." said Hotch before he handed Spencer a file.

"It's a death certificate. Microvesicular steatosis. Her baby died at the hospital." said Spencer sadly.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer stood in one of the open doors of a police car when Emily looked at Hotch.

"Hotch, I don't think you can get through to her." said Emily.

Hotch took the microphone from Sheriff Dobson.

"No, but maybe you can." said Hotch as he passed the microphone to Emily.

"Profile's clear. You can't talk this woman down." said Spencer.

"No, but just to occupy her. If we're right about the MO she's left a window open somewhere. Morgan will find a way in. We just need to buy him some time." said Hotch.

A few minutes later Hotch looked at Sheriff Dobson.

"Hit the lights." said Hotch.

Sheriff Dobson turned on the lights of his police car, and Emily spent the next couple of minutes trying to talk Chloe down while Spencer wrote down what Emily should say to Chloe.

When Emily was done trying to talk down Chloe, Sheriff Dobson looked at Spencer, Hotch, Emily, and Rossi.

"I think we got some tear gas. I'm assuming it's still good." said Sheriff Dobson.

"We're not gonna need it. She doesn't have any place to go." said Hotch.

"Well, maybe she'll do us all a favor and put herself down." said Sheriff Dobson.

"She's not gonna do that, either. She's not done." said Hotch.

Chloe came outside and pointed her gun out at everyone causing Spencer to garb his brand new revolver.

"Chloe, drop the gun. Chloe, drop the gun." ordered Hotch.

"Damn it, lady, drop it!" ordered Sheriff Dobson.

Chloe looked up at the sky.

"I'm coming to you, baby." said Chloe as she was about to shoot her gun at Spencer, Hotch, Emily, Rossi, and Sheriff Dobson causing the sheriff to shoot his gun while Hotch clutched his ears.

"Hotch." said Rossi.

xxxxxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was leaning against a car when JJ walked over.

"Anyone get directions back to the airstrip?" asked JJ.

"Town's only got one road. We'll find it." said Morgan.

"Yeah, Morgan doesn't like to follow directions. You didn't know about that?" asked Emily as she looked at JJ.

"Yeah, he likes to vibe it." joked Spencer.

"Ok, smart ass. You drive." said Morgan as he tossed Spencer the keys.

Spencer easily caught the keys as he thought about how rare it was for Morgan to allow him to drive.

"Sweet." said Spencer.

"Oh, great." said JJ.

Spencer quickly opened up the backseat door for JJ.

"Thank you." said JJ as she got in.

A few seconds later Spencer got into the driver's seat, and through the open door he listened to Hotch telling Rossi and Emily that he's driving back to Quantico before he shut his door. After Emily and Rossi were in, Spencer waved to Hotch before pulling out of the parking lot.

xxxxxx

As soon as they reached the airstrip, Morgan looked at Spencer.

"You've gotten better with driving an SUV." said Morgan.

"Maeve and I just bought an SUV during our two weeks off since my Volvo isn't a type of car to drive a baby around in." said Spencer.

"When Jocelyn's older and no longer needs a car seat you could drive her around in your classic." said Rossi.

"I'm already planning on it." said Spencer.

"Good." said Rossi.

xxxxxxx

Over an hour later Emily looked at Spencer who was reading another parenting book.

"Ever gone stargazing in the desert?" asked Emily.

"Countless of times since the weather in the desert is perfect for stargazing." said Spencer.

"Ever took Maeve stargazing the two times you taken her to Vegas?" asked Emily.

Spencer blushed a bit.

"Both times, and Maeve loved it." said Spencer.

"You and Maeve actually got some loving in the desert?" smirked Morgan.

Spencer's face turned beat red.

"My man." grinned Morgan.

JJ looked at the brownie that was suppose to go to Spencer.

"Your not going to eat your brownie?" asked JJ.

"I'm planning on sharing mine with Maeve since Mary told me in a text that Maeve's been craving brownies." said Spencer.

"That's so sweet of you." said Emily.

JJ looked at Spencer.

"Other than brownies, what's Maeve's latest craving right now?" asked JJ.

"Jell-o." said Spencer.

Morgan burst out laughing.

"Seems like Jocelyn is going to inherit your sweet tooth." laughed Morgan.

xxxxxxx

Later on that afternoon Garcia approached Spencer with a gift bag.

"When I went shopping the other day, I ended up finding a few dresses that I love." said Garcia.

"Garcia, Jocelyn's already spoiled with all the clothes that you, JJ, and Emily bought for her." said Spencer.

"I know, but I'm having so much fun shopping for a baby girl." said Garcia.

Emily looked up from her desk.

"So after Jocelyn's born, who's going to watch Jocelyn when Maeve goes back to work?" asked Emily.

"Mendel University has a daycare center, and Jocelyn already has a place there for as soon as she turns three months old." said Spencer.

"That's great." said Emily.

"I know." said Spencer before looking at his watch, "I'm going to go ask Rossi if I can go home early and surprise Maeve with dinner." said   
Spencer as he got up and headed up to Rossi's office.

A minute later he was knocking on Rossi's open door.

"Yes, Reid?" asked Rossi.

"Mind if I head home early?" asked Spencer.

"Want to get home before Maeve?" asked Rossi.

Spencer nodded.

"I want to get dinner started." said Spencer.

"Its a good thing that you learned how to cook as a child, because if you didn't I would be spending a lot of time teaching you how to cook." said Rossi.

"I know, and Maeve actually texted me earlier about craving spaghetti." said Spencer.

"Use one of the recipes I gave you." said Rossi.

"I will." said Spencer.

"Go home, Reid." said Rossi before smirking a bit, "I convinced Strauss to give us the rest of the week off, so you don't have to show up here until Monday." said Rossi.

Spencer chuckled.

"Go tell the others that I got us permission to go home early, and that means JJ too since she needs her rest for herself and the baby." said Rossi.

Spencer nodded before leaving Rossi's office, and 10 minutes later Spencer was getting into the elevator with JJ, Morgan, and Emily while Garcia opted to wait for Kevin.

"I could go for spaghetti." said JJ as she rubbed her belly.

"Maeve's craving spaghetti right now, so I'm going to surprise her with dinner." said Spencer before looking at JJ, Emily, and Morgan, "Why don't you three come over." said Spencer.

JJ, Morgan, and Emily instantly agreed.

xxxxxxx

Over five hours later Spencer and Maeve were in their claw foot tub together taking a bubble bath.

"Have you decided if you want to start maternity leave sooner?" asked Spencer.

"Its been decided that I start maternity leave next week." said Maeve.

"Why?" asked Spencer.

"I don't want my continuously growing belly to get in the way in the lab." said Maeve.

"Your beautiful, Mae." said Spencer.

"My mom tells me that every day, and I know that all the other men in the lab will be pleased to be spared from my pregnancy hormones for the remainder of my pregnancy." giggled Maeve.

Spencer rested his hands on Maeve's belly and smiled when he felt Jocelyn kick.

"I can't wait to meet you, Jocelyn." said Spencer.

Jocelyn kicked again.

"Seems like she's excited about meeting you too." said Maeve as she rubbed her belly before feeling another kick, "She's excited about meeting me too." said Maeve.


	18. Minimal Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place eight weeks after the last chapter. So Maeve's now 36 weeks pregnant in this chapter, and Hotch is cleared to fly again.

Spencer looked at Maeve as they ate breakfast.

"Only four more weeks." said Spencer.

"I know." said Maeve as she pushed her plate away, "I can't eat anymore." said Maeve.

"Just eat again after your doctor appointment." said Spencer.

"I'm already planning on it." said Maeve.

xxxxxxx

45 minutes later Spencer and Maeve were looking at Dr. Marks.

"Only four more weeks." smiled Dr. Marks.

"I know." said Maeve as she groaned when she felt Jocelyn kick, "I'm getting tired of being pregnant." said Maeve.

"Jocelyn will come when she's ready." soothed Spencer.

Maeve glared at her husband right before Spencer's cellphone vibrated causing Spencer to see a text from Hotch.

WE HAVE A CASE, SO PLEASE GET HERE ASAP. ~ AH

"There's a case, so I'll have to get going." said Spencer.

"Please stay safe, and I'll call you as soon as I'm in labor." said Maeve as she kissed her husband.

xxxxxxx

Over two hours later Spencer and Emily stood in front of Hotch in Hotch's office.

"Are you sure you really want to go undercover, Reid?" asked Hotch.

"Even though Maeve's 36 weeks pregnant, I want to go undercover for all the children that lives on that ranch." said Spencer.

"But as soon as you are finished with this case, your going to be working here with Garcia until Maeve goes into labor." said Hotch firmly.

"Yes, sir." said Spencer.

"You should call Maeve and let her know that your going away, but don't reveal where your going." said Hotch.

"OK." said Spencer before glancing at his wedding band, "Am I able to wear my wedding band while undercover?" asked Spencer.

"Your wedding band won't be a problem, but just don't reveal Maeve's name or mention that your about to become a father." said Hotch.

"OK." said Spencer as he left Hotch's office and called Maeve.

"You have a case, Spencer?" asked Maeve.

"Just Emily and I are only going on a simple consult together, and I should be back tomorrow night." said Spencer.

"OK, and please stay safe." said Maeve.

"I promise, and I love you." said Spencer.

"Love you too." said Maeve before hanging up.

xxxxxxxx

The next day Spencer was sitting in the back seat of Nancy Lunde's car while Emily was in the front passenger seat listening to the 911 recording.

"He comes into my bedroom and lays with me. He says it's god's will. I'm only 15. And I'm not the only one. Please help me!" said a female voice.

Spencer leaned forward a bit as he opened up a file.

"Tell us about the 911 call." said Spencer.

"I believe the he that they referred to is the church's leader, Benjamin Cyrus." said Nancy.

"Benjamin Cyrus." said Spencer as he read the file, No criminal record. No record at all, really. What else do you know about him?" asked Spencer.

"It's rumored that he's practicing polygamy and forced marriages." said Nancy.

"Any idea who the caller is?" asked Emily.

"Uh, Jessica Evanson is the one who the age fits, but... We can't be sure. So I negotiated interviews with all the children. It wasn't easy." said Nancy.

"Well, considering their view on outsiders, It would be best if you didn't identify us as FBI." said Emily as she passed her badge and guns to   
Spencer, "Just use our real names, and introduce us as child victim interview experts." said Emily as she glanced at her new IDs while Nancy pulled up at the ranch.

A minute later Spencer got out of the back seat, and 20 seconds later Spencer, Emily, and Nancy approached a man.

"I'm looking for Mr. Benjamin Cyrus." said Nancy.

"You found him." said Benjamin.

"I'm Nancy Lunde. We spoke on the phone regarding the allegation." said Nancy.

Benjamin got up.

"Savages, the call us. 'Cause our manners differ from theirs." said Benjamin.

"We didn't come here to hear you cite scripture, Mr. Cyrus." said Nancy.

"Actually, it's Benjamin Franklin." corrected Spencer.

"Emily Prentiss, Spencer Reid. They're child victim interview experts." said Nancy.

"How far from God's word must we have strayed for there to be the need to invent a job called child victim interview expert?" asked Benjamin.

"We wish we didn't have to be here." said Emily.

"So do we. But you are welcome, nonetheless. The children are in the school as I indicated." said Benjamin.

"Thank you." said Emily before she and Nancy walked away.

Spencer looked at the solar panels.

"You're using solar power?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah. We're completely self-sufficient- electricity, food, water. Ben Franklin said, "God helps those that helps themselves." You look surprised." said Benjamin.

"No... Impressed, actually." said Spencer.

"Thank you." said Benjamin.

"For what?" asked Spencer.

"For admitting that." said Benjamin before motioning Spencer to follow him.

xxxxxx

Spencer and Emily stood in front of Jessica Evanson and her mother Kathy.

"We go to school. We do our chores. And we treat ourselves and each other with the respect God demands." said Jessica.

"But you've never been off of the ranch?" asked Emily.

"I brought Jessie here when she was 2." said Kathy.

"You've talked to lots of children in your work. Tell me their lives somehow better than ours?" asked Jessica.

"We devote ourselves to God. That doesn't mean we're not devoted to our children." said Kathy.

"We are not here because of your religious beliefs." said Emily.

"Why are you here?" asked Jessica.

"We received a phone call alleging that an adult male member of your church was having inappropriate relations with the younger women here." said Emily.

"You're talking about Cyrus." said Jessica.

"What makes you say that?" asked Emily.

Kathy rested a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Jessie, come on." said Kathy.

"Is it inappropriate for a husband to share a bed with his wife?" asked Jessica.

"You are married to Cyrus?" asked Emily.

"Yes. Cyrus is my husband and a prophet. It's an honor to bare his children." said Jessica.

"Jessica, you're 15 years old. The state of Colorado requires parental consent." said Spencer.

Emily looked at Kathy.

"She gave consent." said Emily just as Benjamin and a few men came into the room and demanded that everyone stands up.

"What's going on?" asked Nancy.

Spencer felt himself being patted down while Benjamin stared at him and Emily.

"We just got a very strange phone call from a news reporter. Is there anything you want to tell me about a raid maybe?" asked Benjamin.

Spencer and Emily stayed silent to maintain their cover.

"They don't know." said Benjamin.

A few minutes later Spencer, Emily, and Nancy were entering a tunnel with everyone.

"What's going on?" asked Nancy.

"I don't know. Just stay calm." said Spencer as he continued to follow everyone, and a few seconds later he was hearing shooting.

"All right, move quietly. Quickly go to the left. Everybody stay together. Children listen to your parents. All right, everyone. Down to this end. Have faith." reassured Benjamin.

A few seconds later Emily noticed guns.

"Where did all these guns come from?" asked Emily.

"I don't know. Garcia checked with the state police." whispered Spencer.

"Stay together. Remain calm. Everyone remain calm. There is nothing to fear here." said Benjamin.

Nancy turned towards Spencer and Emily.

"This is ridiculous." said Nancy.

"It's OK. Just calm down." soothed Emily.

"All right. Remain calm. Stay quiet. God will protect you." said Benjamin.

A few minutes later Nancy looked at Spencer and Emily.

"It's the state police. I'm an officer of the state." said Nancy.

"Well, there's nothing we can do right now." said Emily firmly.

"I can talk to him." before walking away.

Spencer and Emily quickly followed after Nancy.

"No, you can't. It's dangerous. Nancy, stop! Nancy!" shouted Emily.

Nancy quickly made it through before one of Benjamin's men stopped Spencer and Emily from getting away, and a few minutes later Benjamin came back.

"We are on the side of the righteous." said Benjamin.

"Where's Lunde?" asked Emily.

"It wasn't us." said Benjamin.

Spencer and Emily instantly realized that Nancy was dead.

"What? You can't shoot it out with the cops! You have children here." said an angry Emily.

"I didn't start this." said Benjamin as he cocked a rifle and looked at one of the man, "I'll take the roof. You take the tunnel." said Benjamin.

A few minutes later a man was shouting.

"They're pulling out! They're pulling out!" shouted a man.

"Not for long." whispered Spencer while being thankful that he was wearing his glasses instead of his contacts.

xxxxxx

Two hours later in Washington DC, Maeve looked at her father.

"What's wrong?" asked Maeve as she held her hands protectively over her belly.

"I just talked to Aaron, and he explained to me that he sent Spencer and Emily undercover in Colorado." said Joe before looking at   
Maeve, "Apparently the state police raided the ranch that Spencer and Emily are at, and Aaron told me that he'll do his best to get Spencer out alive." said Joe.

Maeve burst into tears while Mary gently hugged her daughter.

"Its going to be OK, and we'll stay with you the entire time while we wait for news." said Mary.

"Aaron told me that he'll have Spencer call you as soon as he gets out alive." said Joe.

"Can we go to the BAU and wait?" asked Maeve.

"Aaron said we can go there and wait since Penelope will keep us updated." said Joe.

xxxxxxx

A short while later Christopher came into the basement.

"Miles is dead. He was locking the door when they shot him. Lauren and Robert were asleep in their bed. The bullets came through the wall." said Christopher.

"What about the baby?" asked Benjamin.

Jessica came forward with a toddler in her arms.

"I have her. She was at the school." said Jessica.

"Hello, darling. It's all gonna be all right, honey. Mommy and daddy have gone to God. Ok? It's all gonna be all right. Take her to the temple and pray." said Benjamin.

Jessica quickly walked away with the little girl while Benjamin looked at Christopher.

"Distribute weapons and ammo. I prayed this day would never come. But it has. God will see us through." said Benjamin.

xxxxxxxxx

An hour later at Quantico, Maeve, Mary, and Joe entered the BAU where Garcia was waiting for them.

"They just landed in Colorado." said Garcia as she gently hugged a crying Maeve.

"I didn't know that Spencer was going undercover." cried Maeve.

Mary quickly got her daughter to sit down.

"Reid wasn't allowed to tell you that he was going undercover, but knowing Reid, he'll fight to survive since he can't wait to meet Jocelyn." said Garcia.

xxxxxxxx

A few hours later Hotch was pulling out his phone when Morgan looked at Hotch.

"Going to have Garcia tell Maeve that Reid's alive?" asked Morgan.

"Who's Maeve?" asked Dan.

"Reid's 36 weeks pregnant wife, and I promised Reid's father-in-law that we'll keep them updated." said Hotch as he sent Garcia a text message.

PLEASE TELL MAEVE THAT REID AND PRENTISS ARE ALIVE. ~ AH

"And you sent Dr. Reid in there?" asked Dan.

"We didn't know that this will happen." said Hotch before whispering to himself, "And I promised him that I wouldn't let this happen to him again." whispered Hotch.

Morgan who heard Hotch spoke up.

"Don't blame yourself for putting him in danger again, we didn't know that the Attorney General would make those phone calls." said Morgan.

xxxxxx

Meanwhile at Quantico, Virginia Garcia made her way to the office that Maeve, Joe, and Mary were staying in and gently woke up Maeve and her parents.

"You have news about Spencer?" asked Maeve as she accepted a bottle of water from Garcia.

"Reid and Emily are alive." said Garcia.

"Thank you." said Maeve as she rubbed her belly while Mary and Joe hugged their daughter.

"Get some rest, and I'll come back with news as soon as possible." said Garcia.

xxxxxx

A couple of hours later Rossi sighed in relief when he saw Spencer and Emily sitting next to each other causing him to make a mental note to send Maeve a message as soon as he's back with the rest of the team.

"The children. And our guests." said Benjamin as he gestured to Spencer and Emily.

"I'd hoped you'd let me take the children." said Rossi.

"Nah, their our protection. I remember Waco. We all do." said Benjamin.

"This isn't Waco." said Rossi.

"They stay for now..." said Benjamin as he grabbed a Bible, "While I pray for God's guidance. Please don't try to force us out." said Benjamin.

"No one's gonna try to force you out of here. Trust me." said Rossi.

"Trust is earned." said Benjamin.

"It is." said Rossi before walking away with Benjamin.

A few minutes later Spencer and Emily watched glasses of wine being poured.

"We are celebrating. Everyone drinks. Everyone rejoices. Because today we are one day closer to being with him." said Benjamin as he poured wine for his wife.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"Look at Jessica's body language. The way she looks at him." whispered Emily.

Spencer looked at Jessica.

"She literally worships him. There's no way she made that 911 call." said Spencer.

"Trust in God with all your heart. Lean not on your own understandings. Trust in mine." said Benjamin.

Emily noticed Kathy blocking her daughter.

"Look how she comes between Cyrus and her daughter. She's inserted herself between them." whispered Emily.

"Acknowledge him in all things, and he will guide your way. Drink to acknowledge him. And I will guide our way." said Benjamin as he took a sip causing everyone except Spencer and Emily to take a sip.

xxxxxxxx

A few minutes later at the BAU, Maeve's cellphone vibrated and she sighed in relief when she saw a text from Rossi.

I SAW SPENCER AND EMILY ALIVE MYSELF, AND I PROMISE TO GET SPENCER HOME TO YOU AND JOCELYN SAFELY. ~ DR

"Who was that?" asked Joe.

"It was David telling me that he saw Spencer and Emily alive himself." sighed Maeve as tears streamed down her face before she rested her hands on her belly, "Your daddy's team is going to make sure that daddy and auntie Emily gets home safely." said Maeve.  
Josie kicked in response.

xxxxxxx

A minute later in Colorado, Benjamin looked at everyone.

"We will be with him soon. We have drank the poison together." said Benjamin.

Spencer and Emily exchanged glances as they looked at everyone's reactions.

"Mothers... Fathers... Children, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we fear no evil. For thou are with us. And God will wipe the tears from their eyes, and there will be no more death nor sorrow nor crying. And there will be no more pain. For all of the former things have passed away." quoted Benjamin.

Spencer noticed Christopher writing on a notepad.

"What do we do?" asked a whispering Emily.

"Nothing." whispered Spencer.

"We have to do something. These people just took poison." whispered Emily.

"Cyrus just told them he did. I think he's just bluffing." whispered Spencer.

"Why do you think that?" asked Emily.

"Just after he told them about the poison, he waited for them to start to react. Then he nodded to Cole. And he started writing. Look."   
whispered Spencer.

Emily noticed the different reactions.

"They're scanning the audience looking for reactions." whispered Spencer.

Emily sighed in relief as she realized that she's glad that Spencer's with her while making a mental note to keep Spencer safe for Maeve's and Jocelyn's sakes.

"They're writing down the names of the people who are crying." whispered Emily.

"It's a loyalty list." whispered Spencer.

"So he knows who will follow him to the end." whispered Emily.

"Be still. There was no poison." said Benjamin.

Spencer sighed in relief.

"Instead a test of faith. Because your adversary, the devil, waltzes about as a roaring lion! Choosing whom he may devour. Watch each other   
for signs of weakness. You are your brother's keeper." said Benjamin.

xxxxxx

Spencer and Emily were sitting in the bunker when Benjamin and Christopher came into the room.

"Which one of you is it?" asked Benjamin as he unholstered his revolver, "Which one of you is the FBI agent?" demanded Benjamin.

Spencer and Emily both worked hard to maintain their reactions.

"Why do you think one of us is an FBI agent?" asked Spencer.

"God will forgive me for what I must do." said Benjamin.

Spencer kept calm as he tried to keep the flashbacks of Hankel pointing a revolver at his head away.

"I—I don't know what you're talking about." said Spencer softly.

"One of you does. Who is it?" asked Benjamin.

Emily glanced at Spencer and decided that she needed to keep her promise to keep Spencer alive.

"Me. It's me." said Emily.

Spencer glanced at Emily before Benjamin grabbed Emily's hair and dragged her away before Christopher pointed his machine gun at   
Spencer.

"Don't do anything stupid or you won't be going home to your pretty little wife." said Christopher.

xxxxxxxx

Over an hour later Spencer entered the room that Benjamin was cleaning his hands in.

"Did you know she was FBI?" asked Benjamin.

Spencer instantly knew that he still had to maintain his cover while knowing that Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan were most likely listening in.

"Nancy told me the woman was a child abuse interview expert from Denver. In the 4 years I worked with her, Nancy never lied to me before." said Spencer.

Benjamin stood up.

"As far as you know. Their law says that a 15 year old girl is a child. 50 years ago that same law said a 14 year old was an adult. Have children changed so much in 50 years?" asked Benjamin.

"I can't tell you the number of times I've investigated abuse charges against small religious groups. Almost all of them turn out to be false." said Spencer.

"What do you think of that?" asked Benjamin.

"Doesn't really matter what I think." said Spencer.

"It does to me." said Benjamin.

"Why?" asked Spencer.

"Because God wants to save you. I mean, that's why he sent you here. That's the reason." said Benjamin while Christopher nodded.

Spencer quickly thought about what to say.

"On the next call, you should test them. Test the negotiator. Make him prove that he isn't a liar." said Spencer.

"How would you suggest I do that?" asked Benjamin as he started to sit down.

"Ask for the identity of the FBI agent." said Spencer.

"No. We already know her identity." said Christopher.

"They don't know that." said Benjamin.

"Yeah. But the FBI would never tell us." said Christopher.

"They keep on asking you to release people." said Spencer before he made his decision, "Tell him you'll release a kid, and you won't harm the agent. And if they really care about the children, they'll have to tell you." said Spencer.

"You're trying to get us to release a child." said Christopher.

"It's one kid. If they don't hold up on their end of the deal, you know they can't be trusted." defended Spencer.

"He has a point." said Benjamin before looking at at Christopher, "What is it, Christopher?" asked Benjamin.

"Some have been talking about... Leaving." said Christopher.

"Leaving?" asked Benjamin.

Yeah." said Christopher.

Benjamin made his decision.

"Wake the baby. Let's let them meet the orphan that they've made." said Benjamin.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer listened to Benjamin correspond with Rossi, and when Benjamin promised to release the child, Spencer sighed in relief when he realized that his plan worked when it came to Benjamin wanting to give another sign of good faith.

"Assemble everyone in the chapel. Get Agent Prentiss down here." said Benjamin.

xxxxxx

Spencer stood in the back of the chapel while members were coming into the room and sat down.

"It has come to my attention that some of our brothers and sisters have lost their faith in God. That they no longer love us. They want to abandon us. So when I call out your name, please stand." said Benjamin as he started to read his list while Spencer made his way to Emily, "Todd Sutters. Melanie Sutters..." read Benjamin.

"He looks pissed." whispered Emily.

"Evan Radley." read Benjamin.

Emily noticed a guilty Spencer looking at her while thinking about how he was raised to protect woman.

"It's not as bad as it looks." whispered Emily.

"I'm so sorry." whispered Spencer.

"Sean Ebbins. Sherry..." read Benjamin.

Emily looked at everyone who were standing up.

"Look at who he's releasing." whispered Emily.

"Wyatt Rayborn." read Benjamin.

"It's the ones who failed the loyalty test." said Spencer.

"Doris Beasley." read Benjamin.

Spencer made his decision.

"We'll get word to the team. Wait for a sign from outside to indicate what time the raid will come." ordered Spencer.

"Willis Farwell." finished Benjamin.

Spencer made his way to Benjamin.

"I told her she shouldn't have lied to you like that." said Spencer.

"To either of us." said Benjamin before he looked at Christopher, "Take her back." said Benjamin.

Spencer watched Christopher lead Emily away.

"Those of you that are standing, please collect your belongings And report to the front hallway immediately." said Benjamin before walking away.

xxxxxxx

Spencer listened to Benjamin talk to Rossi, and when Benjamin hung up, Christopher looked at Benjamin.

"I don't understand. Why did you let them go?" asked Christopher.

Spencer decided to quickly answer.

"They weren't prepared to do what needs to be done." said Spencer.

Christopher looked at Spencer.

"You're not one of us. You don't know what it takes to be prepared." said Christopher.

Benjamin looked at Christopher.

"Listen to him." said Benjamin before looking at Spencer, "Tell him." said Benjamin.

"They failed the test. They-they had a chance to prove their faith when Cyrus told them that they'd sacrifice themselves for God. But instead they showed they weren't worthy. That's why he wants the media to bare witness to your true final act of sacrifice." said Spencer.

"How do you know that?" asked Christopher.

Spencer quickly chose his wording since he needed to know when his team were coming to extract him.

"I'm always looking for signs of things to come." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Spencer inwardly smiled when he recognized Hotch's hand writing on a food container before another container was dropped on Hotch's message to him.

"I know what you're thinking. You don't have to be a part of this. You can go." said Benjamin.

"I think I'd prefer to stay. Somebody needs to tell your story." said Spencer.

"And I'm glad it'll be you. Now that the false believers have been cleared from our midst, we make our final preparations." said Benjamin as   
he pulled out TNT out of a box.

xxxxxx

Hotch looked at the building that Spencer and Emily were in as he thought about his still fragile ears being the reason why he can't go save Spencer and Emily.

"I can't go in there." said Hotch.

"I'm going." said Rossi.

"If something happens to Prentiss or Reid, I... I don't know." said Hotch.

"You're not alone." said Rossi.

"I just hope that we can make sure that Jocelyn gets to meet her father in four weeks." said Hotch before taking a shaky breath, "Because if we can't, I'm not sure if I can ever hold Jocelyn without feeling guilty about sending her father to his death." said Hotch.

"Morgan and I'll make sure of that Jocelyn gets to meet her father." said Rossi.

xxxxxxx

Spencer looked at Christopher as he decided to use his eidetic memory to quote the Bible.

"Jeremiah 29:11- "I have for you, " declares the lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to bring you hope and a future."" recited Spencer before looking at Christopher, "Is blowing yourself up part of the prosperous future that God wants?" asked Spencer just as   
Benjamin approached him.

"You think you know the word better than I?" asked Benjamin.

"No. I'm just demonstrating that you can use the bible to manipulate anything." said Spencer.

"Matthew 10:24- "Do not suppose that I've come to the earth to bring peace. I did not come to bring peace but a sword."" quoted Benjamin before slamming his machine gun into Spencer's abdomen causing Spencer to groan in pain, "You cannot convert my brothers." said   
Benjamin before he slammed his machine gun into Spencer's abdomen.

Spencer fell to the ground while Benjamin held the detonator for his bomb.

"No one had to follow. God could have stopped me." said Benjamin.

Spencer sighed in relief as he saw Morgan and SWAT agents come into the room and shoot all the men except him.

"He just did." said Spencer.

"Clear!" shouted a SWAT agent.

Spencer got himself to stand up while clutching his abdomen.

"You all right, kid?" asked Morgan.

"Fine. Where's Emily?" asked Spencer.

"We got her out of here." said Morgan just as Jessica came into the room.

"Sweetheart, come with me. We need to get you out of here. Come on. Let's go right now." called out Morgan.

Jessica saw that her husband was dead causing her to pick up the detonator.

"Run!" shouted Spencer.

Spencer and Morgan opened up the doors, and they made it outside just as the bomb went off causing Morgan to tackle Spencer to protect him, and a minute later Morgan was helping Spencer up.

"Reid. Morgan." cried Emily.

"We're OK." said Morgan.

30 seconds later Emily pulled Spencer into a hug that Spencer returned, and a few minutes later Hotch gave Spencer a brief hug.

"With how your coughing and clutching your abdomen right now, you're going to the hospital before we get you home to Maeve." said Hotch as he used a tone for no arguing.

"We'll need to look out for internal bleeding since Cyrus butted his machine gun against my abdomen two times." said Spencer.

xxxxx

Two hours later Spencer was sitting on a gurney in the emergency room while Hotch sat in a nearby chair.

"Does Maeve know that I've been a hostage for three days?" asked Spencer.

"I called her parents and asked them to tell her, and they've camped out at the BAU so Garcia could keep them updated." said Hotch.

"Did her reaction about me being held hostage cause any stress to Maeve that would cause her water to break?" asked Spencer.

"Maeve hasn't gone into labor yet." said Hotch as he passed Spencer his cellphone, "You should call Maeve, and I'm staying in here since your treating doctor should be back with the x-ray results soon." said Hotch.

Spencer dialed Maeve's cellphone number and a few seconds later he heard Maeve's voice.

"Spencer?" choked Maeve.

"I'm safe at the hospital, Mae." said Spencer as he let a tear fall down his face.

Maeve started sobbing in relief.

"Thank God." cried Maeve.

"I take it that your wanting to know my injuries?" asked Spencer.

"Yes." said Maeve.

"I received some oxygen for some smoke inhalation and a rifle was butted against my abdomen a few times, and right now I'm being treated for dehydration and malnutrition since I was given little food and water." said Spencer just as there was a knock on the door before a doctor came in, "The doctor is here with results so I'll put you on speaker, Mae" said Spencer as he put his phone on speaker.

Hotch looked at Dr. Summers.

"Dr. Reid's wife Dr. Maeve Reid is conferencing in." said Hotch.

"OK." said Dr. Summers before introducing herself to Maeve.

"Sorry that I can't be there since I'm 36 weeks pregnant and not allowed to fly." said Maeve through Spencer's phone.

"Its OK since Agent Hotchner told me that he shares medical power of attorney duties with you." said Dr. Summers before looking at Spencer, "Other than the bruising your dealing with on your abdomen, I found no signs of internal bleeding on your X-rays." said Dr. Summers.

"Anything else?" asked Maeve.

"I just want to keep Spencer here for the day, and he'll be going home tonight." said Dr. Summers.

"I'll be seeing you tonight, Mae." said Spencer.

"Get some rest and I'll be waiting at the BAU with my parents." said Maeve before deciding to address Agent Hotchner, "Thank you for getting my husband out of there alive." said Maeve before exchanging love yous with Spencer and hung up.

As soon as Spencer placed his phone on the bedside table, Dr. Summers looked at Spencer.

"Is your wife pregnant with your first or second child?" asked Dr. Summers.

"Our first child." said Spencer.

"Know the gender?" asked Dr. Summers.

"Its a girl." said Spencer.

"Congratulations." said Dr. Summers.

xxxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer who was wearing clean clothes was sitting on the jet reading a book when Emily sat down across from him.

"Hey." said Emily.

Spencer looked at the bruises on Emily's face.

"Hey." said Spencer.

Emily reached out and had Spencer set his book down before taking ahold of Spencer's hands.

"I need you to listen to me. What Cyrus did to me is not your fault. It was my decision, and I would do it again. Do you hear me?" asked Emily.

Spencer nodded.

"Thank you." said Emily.

Emily looked at Spencer as she squeezed Spencer's hands.

"What I did in there was to make sure that Jocelyn gets to meet her father." said Emily.

"Thank you for making sure that." said Spencer before looking at Emily, "When I talked to Maeve earlier, she insisted that you be Jocelyn's godmother." said Spencer.

"Really?" asked Emily.

Spencer nodded before both agents spent the remainder of the flight holding hands as a way to cope over what happened to them.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later Spencer exited the elevator with his teammates, and a minute later he was looking at Maeve who was standing with her parents and Garcia.

"Spence!" cried Maeve as she did a waddling run to her husband.

"Maeve." said Spencer as he hugged his wife the best he could.

"I thought I lost you when I saw the news." said Maeve as she kissed her husband.

As soon as Spencer and Maeve broke out of their kiss, Spencer looked into his wife's red eyes.

"After being a hostage for three days, Hotch told me that I'm now off until a month after Jocelyn's birth." said Spencer.

Maeve felt a burst of pain before feeling water trickle down her legs causing her eyes to go wide.

"Spence." said Maeve.

Spencer looked into Maeve's eyes and noticed the pain in them.

"What's wrong?" asked Spencer.

"My water just broke, and luckily you made it back in time." said Maeve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm sorry for this cliffhanger, but Jocelyn will be born in the next chapter!


	19. Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts at 9 PM on August 2nd. Haley Hotchner does appear in this chapter since Hotch would want to take Jack to meet Jocelyn.

Spencer quickly looked at his watch before noting the time of the contraction before he started to rub Maeve's lower back while looking at his teammates and in laws.

"Spence?" asked JJ.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Paternity leave starts now since Maeve's water just broke." said Spencer.

Mary and Joe quickly rushed over.

"Let's get you two to the hospital." said Mary.

"Luckily its late enough that there'll be less traffic to get back to DC." said Joe.

Spencer looked at his teammates as he and Mary both looped arms around Maeve while Joe grabbed Spencer's bags.

"With how exhausted we are from the past few days, why don't you guys go home and get some sleep and come by in the morning." said Spencer.

"Good idea." said Hotch.

"If Jocelyn is born before any of us wake up, please send pictures that we can wake up to." said Garcia.

"We will, but its definitely going to be awhile before I'm in the delivery room." said Maeve.

Two minutes later Spencer, Maeve, Mary, and Joe were in the elevator.

xxxxxxx

Three hours later Spencer, Joe, and Mary were standing outside of Maeve's hospital room at Georgetown University Hospital drinking coffee when Dr. Marks exited Maeve's room.

"How far along is she?" asked Spencer.

"Maeve's only five centimeters dilated." said Dr. Marks.

"Can I join my wife?" asked Spencer.

"Go ahead." said Dr. Marks before looking at Spencer, "I hope I'm not being rude, but you look like hell." said Dr. Marks.

"Have you heard about what happened in Colorado?" asked Spencer.

"You were at that ranch?" asked Dr. Marks.

Spencer looked at his watch and realized that it was already the next day.

"I was one of the two FBI agents that was held hostage for three days, and luckily my real identity wasn't revealed so Benjamin Cyrus only thought that there was one agent. So I look exhausted because I got very little sleep while I was held hostage while to spend yesterday in a hospital in Colorado before I was cleared to fly." said Spencer.

"Well thank you for saving those womens' and childrens' lives yesterday." said Dr. Marks as she shook hands with Spencer.

"Your welcome." said Spencer before looking at Maeve's doctor with worried eyes, "With the stress that Maeve had to deal with me being held hostage, do you think the stress of the past few days is why Maeve went into labor this early?" asked Spencer.

"Not at all since I delivered many healthy babies at 36 weeks, so Jocelyn decided not to wait to meet her parents and grandparents." said Dr. Marks.

Mary looked at her son-in-law.

"Maeve was born at 36 weeks, and there wasn't any problems." said Mary.

Spencer sighed in relief as Dr. Marks looked at Spencer.

"I just gave Maeve something to help her sleep for a few hours, so why don't you go get some sleep in Maeve's room." said Dr. Marks.

"OK." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer, Mary, and Joe were in Maeve's hospital room to see a tired looking Maeve.

"I'll be falling asleep in a few minutes." said Maeve before looking at her parents, "Can you stop by our house and grab a bag that contains clothes for us and bring Jocelyn's car seat?" asked Maeve.

"We will, and we'll be here in the morning, princess." said Joe as he gave her daughter a gentle hug.

Maeve smiled tiredly at the nickname that her father gave her.

"I love you, daddy." said Maeve.

"We'll be back in the morning with breakfast for you, Spencer." said Mary.

"I promise keep you two updated." said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were alone in Maeve's hospital room, and a few minutes later Maeve was asleep in her hospital bed while Spencer was sleeping in the recliner.

xxxxx

Eight hours later Dr. Marks stood up and smiled at Spencer and Maeve.

"Its time to go into the delivery room." smiled Dr. Marks before looking at Spencer, "You'll need to scrub up and change into scrubs." said Dr. Marks.

Spencer nodded.

"Can I have one more person in the room?" asked Maeve.

"You sure can." said Dr. Marks.

Maeve looked at her mom.

"I want you in there with us, mom." said Maeve.

Joe looked at Spencer.

"I'll keep your team company." said Joe.

Spencer smiled a bit as he thought about how his team had filtered in and out over the past few hours.

"I appreciate you for doing that." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Mary were scrubbing up while changing into scrubs and booties while Joe headed to the waiting room to see his son-in-law's team waiting.

xxxxxxx

Four hours later Maeve screamed as she pushed before leaning back against her husband.

"You can do this, Maeve." said Spencer as he kissed his wife's hair.

"Your going great, Maeve." said Mary as she wiped sweat that was dripping off Maeve's face.

"I see some brown hair so only a couple more pushes." said Dr. Marks.

10 minutes later Spencer was tearing up at the sound of his daughter's cry while seeing his daughter through a mirror that was placed in front of Maeve so he, Maeve, and Mary could watch Jocelyn be born.

"Congratulations mommy and daddy, its a beautiful baby girl." said Dr. Marks before looking at Spencer, "Do you want to cut the cord, daddy?" asked Dr. Marks.

"Yes please." said Spencer.

30 seconds later Spencer was slowly cutting the umbilical cord before looking at his wife as they watched nurses check over Jocelyn.

"Happy birthday, Maeve." said Spencer.

Maeve's eyes went wide.

"Its my birthday?" asked Maeve.

"Its August 3rd, and being in labor would be a good excuse for you to forget." said Spencer.

"Sometimes I'm envious of your eidetic memory, Spence." said Maeve.

Mary looked at her daughter.

"I gave birth to you 26 years ago today and exactly 26 years later I finally have a grandchild on one of my favorite days of my life." said Mary.

Maeve looked at her mother and her husband.

"Since I have to deliver the placenta and get cleaned up why don't you two watch over Josie and go tell everyone that Josie finally arrived."

"OK." said Spencer as he gave his wife a kiss on the lips, "I love you." said Spencer.

Mary hugged her daughter before she escorted Spencer towards the area where Josie was being cleaned up and looked over.

xxxxxxx

Joe was pacing in the waiting room when Dr. Norman entered the room with Diana who was wearing a blouse and a skirt.

"Is my granddaughter here yet?" asked Diana.

Joe looked at Diana.

"They've been in the delivery room for four hours." said Joe.

Diana looked at Hotch and recognized him from the pictures she had displayed in her room.

"Nice to see you again, Aaron." said Diana.

"You too." said Hotch.

Diana looked at JJ, Morgan, and Garcia.

"Nice to see you three again." said Diana before turning to JJ who was resting her hands on her pregnant belly, "Congratulations, Jennifer." said Diana.

"Thanks." said JJ.

Diana looked at Emily and Rossi.

"You two must be Emily Prentiss and David Rossi." said Diana.

"How did you know our names and our faces?" asked Emily.

"Spencer sent me a photograph of the team together from the 4th of July cook out that was held at his house." said Diana just as Spencer who was still wearing his scrubs entered the room with his scrub clad mother in law, "You look like a medical doctor, Spencer." said Diana.

Spencer stared at his mom with wide eyes.

"When did you get here mom?" asked Spencer.

"Agent Hotchner called me this morning and we just arrived 10 minutes ago." said Dr. Norman.

Spencer quickly made his way to his mom and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm glad that you could make it here, mom." said Spencer.

"So did my granddaughter arrive?" asked Diana.

Spencer instantly beamed with happiness.

"Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid born at 12:15 PM. Six pounds and eight ounces, and both Maeve and Jocelyn are doing great." grinned Spencer as he received hugs and pat on the back from his teammates and father in law.

"Can we meet Jocelyn?" asked an excited Garcia.

Spencer took a deep breath.

"Can Jocelyn's grandparents get to meet their granddaughter first?" asked Spencer.

"We can wait." said Garcia as everyone nodded in agreement.

"We'll go get some lunch and come back after lunch." said JJ.

"We'll bring you guys some non hospital food." said Morgan.

"Thank you." said Spencer before looking at his mom, "Ready to go meet your granddaughter and wish your daughter-in-law a happy birthday?" asked Spencer.

"Yes." said Diana.

Dr. Norman looked at Spencer.

"I'm going to meet my colleague at this hospital, and there is a nurse coming down here from the psych ward that will keep an eye on Diana." said Dr. Norman.

"How long can my mom be in town for?" asked Spencer.

"Only three hours since I have a meeting early tomorrow morning, so in two hours I'll be taking Diana to the airport." said Dr. Norman.

"A few hours is better than nothing." said Spencer as he looped arms with his mother, and a few seconds later he was leading his mom and in-laws to his wife's hospital room.

xxxxxxx

10 minutes later Spencer entered his wife's private room with his mom and his in-laws and a freshly showered Maeve who was sitting up in her hospital bed smiled when she saw her mother-in-law.

"Well this is a nice surprise, Diana." said Maeve as her father greeted her.

"Agent Hotchner called Dr. Norman who brought me out here." said Diana as she hugged her daughter-in-law, "Happy birthday, Maeve." said Diana.

"Thank you." said Maeve.

"How are you feeling, Maeve?" asked Diana.

"As soon as I heard Josie cry, I instantly stopped feeling the pain I was in for the past 15 hours." said Maeve.

"Giving birth to your baby is one of the most wonderful things we can do." said Diana as she smiled at her son.

Spencer looked at his wife.

"Where's Josie?" asked Spencer.

"Josie's getting diapered and clothed, so she'll be here in a few minutes." said Maeve.

A few minutes later a nurse entered the room with Jocelyn.

"I take it that these are the grandparents?" asked Nurse Brenda.

"Yes, and our friends will be stopping by after they have lunch." said Spencer as he gently scooped up his little girl who was swaddled up with a pink blanket while wearing a pink hat that covered her full head of curly brown hair.

"Press the call button if you guys need anything." said nurse Brenda before leaving the room.

Spencer looked at his little girl.

"Hello, Josie. I'm your daddy." said Spencer.

Josie stared at her father despite not being able to see her daddy well.

"She's breathtaking, Spencer." said Diana as she watched her son hold his daughter.

Spencer looked at his mom.

"You want to hold your granddaughter?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded, and a minute later a teary eyed Diana was sitting down while her son placed her first grandchild in her arms.

"Hello Jocelyn. I'm your grandma Diana. You look just like your daddy." said a smiling Diana as tears streamed down her face while she didn't even realize that Spencer was taking a picture of his mother holding her granddaughter.

A few minutes later Mary and Joe were taking turns holding their granddaughter before Jocelyn started crying since she was hungry.

"We'll take your mother to get some lunch, Spencer." said Mary.

"Thanks." said Spencer.

"We'll bring her back before Dr. Norman has to take Diana back to Vegas." said Joe.

A minute later Spencer was watching Maeve feed their daughter for the first time before he burped his daughter.

xxxxxx

An hour later Spencer and Maeve were sitting up side by side in Maeve's hospital bed holding their awake daughter together when there was a knock on their open door causing Spencer to see his teammates.

"Hey guys." said Spencer.

"Do you guys have room for six more?" asked Garcia.

"Come on in." said Maeve as she gently took Jocelyn from Spencer.

Hotch, Rossi, JJ, Morgan, Emily, and Garcia entered the room while Spencer slowly got out of the bed before removing his daughter from his wife's arms.

"I want you to all meet Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid." said Spencer as he showed his daughter to his second family.

"Awww." cooed JJ, Emily, and Garcia as everyone pulled out their phones so they could take a few pictures.

"Can I hold her?" asked Garcia.

"I think godparents get to hold Pretty Boy's pretty little girl first." said Morgan as he looked at Spencer, "May I hold her first?" asked Morgan.

"Sure." said Spencer as he gently passed his daughter to Morgan.

As Spencer watched his teammates pass Jocelyn around while talking to Maeve, Hotch looked at Spencer.

"How does it feel?" asked Hotch.

"One of the most wonderful experiences in my life." said Spencer before showing Hotch a picture that he took of his mom holding Jocelyn, "Thank you for calling Dr. Norman so he could bring my mom here." said Spencer.

"Your welcome." said Hotch as he took Jocelyn from Rossi and he smiled softly at the beautiful baby girl in his arms and realized that Jocelyn had her father's curly brown hair and her father's eyes, "She looks like you, Spencer." said Hotch.

"I know." said Spencer as he smiled down at his baby girl.

Jocelyn started whimpering causing Hotch to pass Jocelyn to her father, and a few seconds later Jocelyn stopped whimpering.

"I guess she wanted her, daddy." said Hotch.

"She's already a daddy's girl." said Maeve.

"Did you have an epidural?" asked JJ.

"No epidural at all, and the pain went away as soon as I heard Josie cry for the first time." said Maeve before yawning which caused Spencer to follow suit.

Hotch to look at his teammates.

"We should let the new parents get some rest." said Hotch.

"We'll be back tomorrow." said Garcia.

A few minutes later a nurse was taking Jocelyn back to the nursery while Spencer and Maeve took a nap.

xxxxxxxx

Two hours later Hotch knocked on Haley's door and a few seconds later Hotch looked at his ex-wife.

"My team and I have a few days off because of the case we got back from yesterday. So do you mind if Jack stays the night tonight before I take him to the hospital tomorrow?" asked Hotch.

"Why would you be taking Jack to the hospital?" asked Haley.

Hotch pulled out and showed his ex-wife a picture of Spencer holding Jocelyn who was swaddled up in pink.

"Is that Spencer holding a baby girl?" asked Haley.

Hotch nodded.

"Spencer met a brilliant young geneticist last October, and they fell in love very quickly and got married after two months of dating." said Hotch as he showed Haley another picture of Jocelyn.

Haley looked at the close up of Spencer's daughter.

"She's beautiful, and what's baby girl Reid's name?" asked Haley.

"Her name is Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid, but her parents are calling her Josie." said Hotch.

"You can take Jack tonight and take him to meet Jocelyn tomorrow, and I might have to stop at the hospital myself and congratulate Spencer myself." said Haley just as Jack came into the foyer.

"Daddy!" cried the two and a half year old boy.

"Hey, Jack." said Hotch as he scooped up his two year old son, "What do you say about spending the night with me before we go to the hospital and meet uncle Spencer's baby girl tomorrow?" asked Hotch.

The two and a half year old boy nodded in excitement.

"Let's go back a bag, Jack." said Hotch before looking at Haley, "Thank you for letting me take Jack tonight." said Hotch.

"I always had a soft spot for Spencer, and what hospital are they at?" asked Haley.

Hotch gave Haley the address and room number for heading upstairs with Jack.

xxxxxx

Three hours later Spencer finished burping Jocelyn when there was a knock on the open door causing Spencer to see Haley.

"Haley." said Spencer.

"I hope that I'm not intruding, but Aaron told me that you became a father since he stopped by and asked me if he could have Jack tonight." said Haley before looking at Maeve, "I'm Aaron's ex-wife Haley." said Haley.

"Dr. Maeve Reid, and its nice to meet you." said Maeve.

Spencer shifted Jocelyn in his arms before looking at Haley.

"Haley, I want you to meet my daughter Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid." said Spencer.

Haley smiled softly at the baby girl who was in her father's arms before noting the brown curls that were peeking out of Jocelyn's hat.

"She's beautiful Spencer, and look at her hair." said Haley.

"Seeing that Jocelyn has inherited her daddy's brown curly hair was worth all that heartburn." said Maeve.

Haley held up a bag and looked at Maeve.

"I got something for you and Jocelyn." said Haley.

Maeve opened up the gift bag and smiled when she found a pink teddy bear and some vanilla bubble bath.

"Thank you." said Maeve.

"Your welcome." said Haley before looking at Spencer, "Mind if I hold Jocelyn?" asked Haley.

"Sure." said Spencer.

A few seconds later Haley was smiling a bit as she held Jocelyn.

"Knowing Jack he's going to want to see you often after he meets you tomorrow since your such a beautiful girl." said Haley.

"Hotch's bringing Jack tomorrow?" asked Spencer.

"He's already planning on it." said Haley before looking at Maeve, "Has Aaron introduced you to Jack yet?" asked Haley.

"I met Jack a few times since Aaron brought him over for dinner, and he's such a joyful little boy." said Maeve just as an employee from the cafeteria came in with a cart that contained two trays of food.

"I'll let you two eat dinner." said Haley as she passed Jocelyn back to Spencer before leaving the room.

"Let's eat, Spence." said Maeve.

Spencer gently placed Jocelyn into her hospital provided bassinet before grabbing his own tray of food.

xxxxxxx

The next day there was a knock on the door, and Spencer smiled when he saw Hotch come into the room with Jack on his shoulders.

"Can I pwease see Osie?" asked Jack.

Maeve smiled as she pressed the call button.

"A nurse will be bringing her in shortly." said Maeve before patting a space on the bed, "Come join me, Jack." said Maeve.

Hotch placed his son besides Maeve, and a few minutes later Maeve was helping Jack hold Jocelyn.

"Osie pwetty." said Jack.

"She sure is, Jack." said Spencer before looking at Jack, "Are you going to help me keep boys away from Josie when she's a teenager?" asked Spencer.

Jack nodded seriously while he started to tell Jocelyn about the fun things they can do together when they see each other.

"Imagine if Jocelyn becomes Jack's future wife in about 25 years." joked Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch in shock while Maeve giggled.

xxxxxx

The next day Spencer was driving his two girls home from the hospital where Maeve's parents were waiting to help settle them in and get through the first couple of nights as parents.


	20. Paternity Leave & Paradise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts eight hours after the last chapter, and there is a time jump since I wanted to include the episode Paradise.

Spencer woke up to Jocelyn crying in her bassinet causing him to quickly put on his glasses and make his way over to Jocelyn and carry her to her nursery where he gently changed her diaper before sitting down in a rocking chair.

"Let's get you back to sleep." said Spencer softly as he slowly rocked his daughter while singing a Welsh lullaby that his mother use to sing to him, "Sleep my child and peace attend thee, all through the night. Guardian angels God will send thee, all through the night." sang Spencer softly as he didn't even realize that Maeve was standing in the doorway recording the moment.

When Spencer was done singing, he looked at Josie and noticed that she was fast asleep.

"I guess you love the lullaby "All Through the Night"." said Spencer softly.

"I believe that her daddy's great singing voice soothes her." said Maeve.

Spencer looked up at Maeve in shock while noticing the video camera in his wife's hands.

"Please tell me that you didn't film me singing to our daughter." said Spencer softly as he slowly stood up with a sleeping Jocelyn in his arms.

"I ended up recording the moment since it was such a precious moment." said Maeve quietly.

"Are you going to be sending that video to the team?" asked Spencer softly as they headed back to their bedroom.

"I was thinking that we could send the video to your mom." said Maeve.

Spencer nodded in agreement as he gently placed Jocelyn in her bassinet before he and Maeve crawled back into bed.

"Even though you were worried about not being a good father, watching you sing Josie to sleep proves that your going to be a great father." whispered Maeve as she kissed her husband.

xxxxxx

Two weeks later Spencer and Maeve stood in the conference room with Jocelyn in Spencer's arms when Hotch, JJ, Emily, and Rossi came into the conference room causing everyone to smile when they saw two week old Jocelyn in her father's arms.

"I thought that I told you to stay away from here." said Hotch.

"You did, but I know that I needed to introduce my daughter to agents and civilian staff members who haven't met Josie yet. Garcia called me to tell me that you guys were flying back from Santa Fe, so we decided to come visit." said Spencer just as Garcia came into the room with a warm bottle.

"Here's a heated up bottle, and I checked the temperature." said Garcia as she passed Spencer the bottle that Maeve pumped earlier.

Spencer shifted Jocelyn in his arms as he started to feed his little girl.

"Is that formula or people juice that my goddaughter is getting?" asked Morgan.

Maeve, JJ, Garcia, and Emily all looked at Morgan in shock before Morgan was slapped on the head by JJ and Emily.

"Just be glad that I'm not allowed to carry a gun right now." said JJ as she glared at Morgan.

Hotch looked at the wide awake two week old baby girl that was currently in her daddy's arms being given her bottle.

"So how much sleep are you losing?" asked Hotch.

"We're being woken up four times a night, and one of those times mainly involves me having to rock Josie back to sleep." said Spencer.

"Spencer's already taking advantage of recording himself reading and singing lullabies that I can play to Josie in two weeks." said Maeve.

"Are you sure that you'll be ready to come back in two weeks?" asked Hotch.

"Hopefully I'll be ready." said Spencer as he removed the bottle from Jocelyn's mouth so Josie could get some air before putting the bottle back into Jocelyn's mouth.

Maeve looked at JJ.

"Are you excited about giving birth?" asked Maeve.

"Seeing Jocelyn does make me excited about my son being born." said JJ as rubbed her belly.

xxxxxxx

Two weeks later Spencer was putting a clean diaper on Jocelyn.

"Today I go back to work." said Spencer sadly.

Jocelyn stared at her daddy.

"I won't always be home, but mommy's going to make sure to send me a lot of pictures and videos of you every day." said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer smiled when he saw pictures that were taken over the past month were on his desk.

"Garcia thought that it would be nice to have pictures that you and Maeve sent us on your desk." said Emily.

At that moment Hotch stepped out of his office.

"Reid, my office." said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was sitting across from Hotch.

"Are you sure that your ready to be back today?" asked Hotch.

"Since Maeve and I have established a routine with Josie, we agreed that I should be back today." said Spencer.

"Have any new pictures?" asked Hotch.

Spencer smiled as he pulled out his phone and showed Hotch a picture that he took.

"I took this picture before leaving." said Spencer.

"She definitely looks like a female version of you." said Hotch.

"I know." said Spencer.

"So have you and Maeve decided on what to do during your first away case?" asked Hotch.

"Mary insisted on staying whenever I'm on a case until Josie starts sleeping through the night." said Spencer.

"I'm glad that you have in laws like Mary and Joe." said Hotch.

"I'm glad too." said Spencer before he started telling Hotch about Jocelyn's development before he went to get started on his consults.

xxxxxxx

Later on that afternoon Spencer was working on his consults when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Spencer." said Maeve.

Spencer turned his chair around to see Maeve pushing a stroller causing him to get up.

"What are you doing here?" asked Spencer.

"Josie had her one month check up, and I thought that bringing Josie to visit you would ease some of your separation anxiety." said Maeve.

Spencer smiled as he looked into the stroller and grinned when he saw that Jocelyn was awake.

"Hi there, Josie." said Spencer as he gently extracted Jocelyn from her stroller.

Jocelyn cooed at her father.

"Are you telling me that you missed me?" asked Spencer as he noticed that Morgan and Emily were quickly making their way over to them.

Jocelyn cooed again.

"I can't believe that she's a month old." said Emily as she looked at her goddaughter.

"Luckily we already established a routine for Josie." said Spencer as he lightly kissed his daughter's forehead.

"May I hold her?" asked Emily.

"Sure." said Spencer as he gently passed Jocelyn to Emily.

Emily looked at the brown eyes and brown curly haired baby girl that was in her arms.

"You look so much like your daddy." cooed Emily.

Jocelyn started whimpering causing Spencer to take his little girl who quieted down instantly.

"Definitely a daddy's girl." said Emily.

"Your definitely going to be in trouble when she's older." said Morgan.

xxxxxxx

Two weeks later Spencer walked to his desk so he could pack up his messenger bag.

"I'm going home to my two girls since I missed them while we were away." said Spencer.

"I have a date." said Emily.

"You got a date? With who?" asked Morgan.

"My hot tub." said Emily.

"Now that sounds like a party." said Morgan.

"You're so not invited." said Emily.

Morgan slaps himself on the face.

"Hold up, guys." said JJ as she came down the stairs.

"Change of plans." muttered Spencer.

"I'm glad I caught you." said JJ.

"Is everything OK?" asked Emily.

"I've been on the phone with a sheriff in Nevada." said JJ as she noticed Spencer perk up at the mention of his home state, "There's been a series of suspicious accidents in the Reno area that may be connected." said JJ.

"JJ, this can't wait till morning?" asked Morgan tiredly.

"I don't think so. If I'm right about this, I think we'll be leaving first thing tomorrow. Sorry." said JJ.

A few minutes later Spencer was in the conference room with his teammates.

"Three nights ago outside of Reno, This car was hit by a tractor trailer." said JJ.

"Any survivors?" asked Morgan.

"The truck driver walked away unharmed. Jonathan and Rebecca Gallen, the passengers in the car, were DOA. When the local sheriff arrived   
on the scene, He noticed several things No blood spatter inside the car. No seat belt burns. No lacerations from the air bags." said JJ.

"They we dead before the accident." said Spencer.

"The autopsy confirmed that and the cause of death. Blunt force head trauma And evidence of rape and torture to the woman." said JJ.

"The unsub wasn't very successful at hiding the fact that he murdered two people." said Hotch.

"There's a chance he has gotten away with it before. After I spoke to the sheriff, I had Garcia look into any similar accidents Near the California, Nevada border. She found two with a similar MO. In the past couple of weeks. Both were couples, in a car, hit by a tractor trailer." said JJ.

"It's always a man and a woman stopped right in the middle of the road." said Morgan.

"It's always at night on a remote highway." said Emily.

"It can't be a coincidence the victim type and this very specific MO. Are the same in all three cases." said Rossi.

"Was Garcia able to find any connection between them?" asked Hotch.

"One thing they have in common is that they all disappeared for 48 hours prior to the accidents." said JJ.

"We know what he does to his victims during that time." said Rossi.

"We just need to figure out where he finds them." said Hotch.

xxxx

Over an hour later Spencer walked into the master bedroom to see no Maeve or Jocelyn causing Spencer to go to the nursery across the hall to see Maeve nursing Jocelyn.

"Welcome home." said Maeve.

"You will need to say those words to me in a few days since I'm leaving for the Reno area of Nevada first thing in the morning." said Spencer.

"Its OK." said Maeve softly.

Spencer looked at his daughter.

"Almost done?" asked Spencer.

"Just about." said Maeve.

"Mind if I burp her?" asked Spencer.

"Not at all." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer had a burping cloth over his shoulder as he burped his daughter.

xxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was sitting sitting between JJ and a window looking over a file when Emily noticed JJ putting headphones over her baby bump.

"JJ?" asked Emily.

"It's so the baby can't hear." said JJ softly.

"What's he listening to?" asked Emily.

"Beethoven." said JJ.

Spencer thought about how he and Maeve placed headphones on Maeve's belly when they knew that Jocelyn developed ears.

"I personally preferred Mozart, myself. But be careful to limit his exposure to one hour a day. Amniotic fluids have a tendency to amplify sound." said Spencer.

JJ smiled as she thought about how Maeve told her that Jocelyn got to listen to Mozart and her daddy reading to her.

"Thanks for the reminder, Doc." said JJ as she patted Spencer on the shoulder, "OK, so, all three crashes were on highways outside of Carson City, Lake Tahoe and Reno." said JJ.

"All cities with a large and diverse, transit population. Not to mention the thousands of locals mixing with seasonal workers." said Emily.

"An endless pool of victims to chose from." said Rossi.

"Rebecca Gallen was beaten badly. Ribs broken ante mortem. He'd need time and privacy to do this." said Hotch.

"That would suggest the killer either lives or works in the area." said Spencer.

"He's going to such extremes to try and hide the murders. Maybe he has a connection to the victims." said Morgan.

"What does the press know?" asked Rossi.

"All media outlets are reporting an accident." said JJ.

"One thing going for us, the killer has no idea we know." said Emily.

"That helps us. JJ, when we land, would you explain to Sheriff Bruner and his deputies how important it is to keep this quiet?" asked Hotch.

"Got it." said JJ.

"If the unsub finds out we're here, all bets are off. He could change his MO. Or just pick up and find his victims somewhere else." said Hotch.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was setting up to the bulletin board as he listened to JJ and Sheriff Bruner brief the locals before Hotch and JJ approached him.

"First victims, Fritz and Johanna Dietrich, were found ten days ago, visiting from Germany." said Hotch.

Spencer looked on a map of an area.

"Their accident site was on highway 50 just south of Tahoe." said Spencer as he pushed a pin onto the map.

"Second couple, Melissa and Tom Taylor, were from Oregon. They were found on the 267, northeast of Tahoe, Not far from the interstate." said Hotch.

Spencer moved a pin to another area on the map.

"It's right here." said Spencer as he pushed a pin.

"And the latest victims, Jonathan and Rebecca Gallen, were from Arizona. Their accident occurred between Reno and Carson city on highway   
395." said Hotch.

Spencer pushed a third pin onto the map.

"Right here." said Spencer.

"All three couples were staying in the area without reservations." said JJ.

"And the only transactions on their credit cards were from gas stations hundred of miles away." said Hotch.

"The common theme here is no paper trail. If no one can contact them or trace them, They become the perfect victims." said Spencer.

JJ looked at her watch.

"Rebecca Gallen's father is going to be here soon." said JJ.

"I'll talk to him. Maybe he can help us fill in some of the blanks." said Hotch.

xxxxxx

Hotch approached Spencer and JJ.

"We have a witness who can put the Gallens at a diner in Sherwood." said Hotch as he drew a circle on Spencer's geographical profile while   
Spencer called Garcia.

"So it's possible they were staying close by." said JJ.

Spencer put Garcia on speaker.

"I thought you forgot about me. It hurt." answered Garcia.

Spencer inwardly shook his head.

"Garcia, what information do you have on Sherwood, Nevada?" asked Spencer.

"Uhh...Sherwood." said Garcia as she started typing, "A lovely town that is east of Lake Tahoe near the state line. This area has close to 300   
hotels, motels and resorts."

"Garcia, can you send us a list of-?" asked Hotch before Garcia interrupted Hotch.

"Addresses and phone numbers? On its way, kind sir. Anything else I can do you for?" asked Garcia.

"Not for now." said Hotch.

"Thank you, Garcia." said Spencer.

"You, my fine furry friends, are welcome." said Garcia before hanging up.

Both Spencer and JJ smiled.

"Remind me to have her drug tested." deadpanned Hotch.

Spencer and JJ both held back their laughter before JJ became serious.

"So what's our plan?" asked JJ.

"I'll start narrowing down the list." said Spencer.

"Then what?" asked JJ.

"We knock on every door and show pictures of the Gallens." said Hotch.

"That could take days, weeks even." said JJ.

"I know we don't have the manpower, but at this point, what choice do we have?" asked Hotch.

xxxxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer yawned causing Sheriff Bruner looked at Spencer.

"Already tired?" asked Sheriff Bruner.

"I had to wake up a few times last night to tend to my six-week-old daughter." said Spencer.

"First child?" asked Sheriff Bruner.

"Yes." said Spencer before yawning again.

Hotch looked at his youngest agent.

"You might as well go to the hotel and get some sleep." said Hotch.

Spencer sighed as he thought about how Hotch has been allowing him to take a nap on paperwork days or head to the hotel early during the first night on a case to catch up on sleep.

"OK." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at JJ.

"You too since you need your rest." said Hotch.

Sheriff Bruner looked at Spencer and JJ.

"I'll have one of my officers drive you two to the hotel." said Sheriff Bruner.

"Thank you." said JJ.

A few minutes later Spencer and JJ were being driven to a nearby hotel.

xxxxxxx

The next morning Spencer walked into the police station with Hotch with a to go cup of coffee in his hands.

"Morning, JJ." said Spencer.

"Sorry for the wake up call." said JJ.

"It's all right. Wasn't sleeping." said Hotch.

"It looks like we've got a possible missing persons." said JJ as she passed a picture of the couple to Hotch, "Ian and Abby Corbin were in   
Reno for the weekend. They were supposed to be home yesterday." said JJ.

"Where's home?" asked Spencer.

"San Luis Obispo." said JJ.

Spencer turned to look at his map.

"They could've driven right through Sherwood." said Spencer.

"They've already been missing a night. His mom's looking after their two kids." said JJ.

"Call me when everybody gets here." said Hotch before walking away.

Spencer took a sip of his coffee while JJ put her hands over her mouth as she looked at leftover food on the table.

"What is this? Left over kung pao chicken? That's disgusting." said JJ as she picked up the containers.

Sheriff Bruner laughed.

"What?" asked JJ as she threw away the containers.

"The smell of Chinese food makes you sick, but you don't even flinch when you look at those pictures." said Sheriff Bruner.

"She's pretty tough." said Spencer.

JJ looked at Spencer.

"I have to say that your pretty tough yourself when it comes to your eidetic memory." said JJ.

"Eidetic memory?" asked Sheriff Bruner.

"I can never forget anything I read, see, or hear." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

"Ian and Abby Corbin have already been missing for over 24 hours, which means we may only have until tonight to find them. According to their families, they left Reno yesterday and were planning on stopping somewhere for the night." said Hotch.

"They didn't use a credit card. Unless they travel with a lot of cash, the room wasn't too expensive." said Rossi.

"They were not traveling on the interstate. That eliminates over half of our previous search." said Emily.

"Sounds like we're looking for somebody who works the night shift at a back road motel." said Sheriff Bruner.

"And we think he's most likely in his early to mid thirties." said Spencer.

"Why is that?" asked Sheriff Bruner.

"Abducting couples is an ambitious task. And this guy's had time to perfect his skill." said Spencer.

"He could be older." said Sheriff Bruner.

"Don't get hung up on his age. That's the hardest thing to predict." said Rossi.

"What we do know is females take extensive beatings from him." said Morgan as he held up too photos, "That, combined with the sexual   
assault, tells us he's a violent anger excitation rapist. A sexual sadist like this can't get off Unless he's torturing and watching the effects on his victims." said Morgan.

"Part of the torture is psychological. This is another reason he takes couples. Chances are he forces one to watch his power over the other." said Rossi.

"Because only the women suffer sexual torture, he's likely a malignant misogynist. This typically stems from an extreme hatred towards a woman Who was relentless in her psychological and physical abuse." said Emily.

"How do you know the dad wasn't the abusive one and he's just continuing the cycle?" asked Sheriff Bruner.

"Only a woman could make him hate women this much." said Emily.

"The idea of the "terrible mother" is best illustrated in world mythology by the negative aspects of the great mother. Instead of nurturing her children, she destroyed him." said Spencer.

"And given this upbringing, it's highly unlikely he'd ever been in a relationship, let alone been married." said Hotch.

"And since he works in the service industry, he's forced to deal with a lot of people. So he can probably hide his aversion to women until he   
gets them behind closed doors." said Morgan.

"With that said, we shouldn't rule out anyone With prior offenses toward women." said Rossi.

"Given the amount of time he spends with his victims, He requires a great deal of privacy. He may even utilize an ATV to get away from the   
accident sites, So the property may back up onto an off road trail. We should therefore concentrate on the most remote motels first. Thank you." finished Hotch.

xxxxxx

JJ looked at Spencer who was working on his geographical profile.

"It's already dark, and we've barely gotten through half of the motels." said JJ tiredly.

"Maybe he's not in the remote areas." said Spencer.

"You think he's hiding in the middle of everything?" asked Hotch.

"Maybe." said Spencer.

"Let's go." said Hotch.

"Wait. Guys? Garcia found a connection between a motel handyman and Rebecca Gallen. They went to high school together. So, I thought maybe he was connected to other victims. It turns out he's not, But there's something else that all of the women have in common." said Emily as she opened a file, "Rebecca Gallen was found in a bra, t-shirt, skirt and flip flops. Johanna Dietrich in a dress and sandals. Melissa Taylor was wearing a bra, tank top, and jeans. None of them were wearing underwear." said Emily.

"How do you know it was taken?" asked Spencer.

"Because they all packed it in their bags, But none were wearing it during the collisions. He leaves his victims in a car without their   
underwear and waits for them to be hit. A violent collision of metal against flesh. It's like the accidents are the final rape. This sexual aspect didn't show up over night This is something he's been building up to." said Emily.

xxxxxx

"So this guy sees these collisions as some kind of rape." said Sheriff Bruner.

"We know that an underwear fetish typically begins in adolescence with peeping in neighbors' windows." said Spencer.

"When that no longer satisfies them, they'll burglarize homes and start taking the object that arouses them." said Morgan.

"If they get away with that long enough, they become more confident. Then the object becomes he woman wearing it. That's when rape can   
occur." said Rossi.

"The one constant is they always take the underwear as a souvenir." said Emily.

"Is it possible a pervert like this has ever been arrested?" asked Sheriff Bruner.

"There's a good chance a serial sex offender with an underwear fetish has been caught before." said Hotch.

"Right again, Agent Hotchner." chirped Garcia's voice through the phone.

"What is it, Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"For the last two days I've been searching through ViCAP for similar rapes and murders in cases that are still open. That has yielded me diddly squat. So I regrouped. I looked at some pictures of baby pandas. I went back I and I started searching for similar rapes and murders in cases that had been solved. OK?" asked Garcia.

"What did you find?" asked Emily.

"Five months ago this guy named Clint Barnes is convicted of 5 rapes that have been 30 miles away in Selbyville. Now, what's interesting   
and by interesting I also mean icky and sad and wrong, is that Mr. Barnes only stole the undergarment of his last victim and she was beat in exactly the same manner as our current victims. And she was the only one who died." said Garcia.

"The first four showed no sign of torture?" asked JJ.

"According to statements made by the survivors, yes. Some questions about his performance, things like, "did you enjoy it?"" said Garcia.

"That sounds like a power reassurance rapist. That doesn't fit his last crime at all." said Spencer.

"The last victim wasn't his. It was our unsub's." said Hotch.

xxxxxx

Sheriff Bruner walked over with a box.

"Files rushed over from the DA's office." said Sheriff Burner.

"How many suspects did the have in the Selbyville case?" asked Morgan.

Spencer was looking at a file.

"Let's see. Including Clint Barnes, says they had about 10 other men who looked good for it. Brought in double that for questioning." said Spencer.

"JJ, cross-reference these names of suspects. See if you get a match with people we still need to talk to in Sherwood." said Hotch.

"You got it." said JJ.

"You can us my office." said Sheriff Bruner.

"Almost all these guys had criminal records." said Emily.

"Offenses range from spousal abuse, sex crimes, molestation and attempted rape." said Morgan.

"Our unsub is using brutal, physical force and extreme violence. Look for somebody who's angry and hostile towards his victims." said Spencer as he passed files out.

"Look for an intellectual component. This guy used the MO of another rapist To make sure the wrong person went to jail for his crimes." said Rossi.

"The Selbyville police talked to our unsub. He looked good for these crimes. He's in here somewhere." said Hotch.

xxxxxx

"All right, Garcia, let's try again." said Hotch.

"Go for it." said Garcia.

"Name's Floyd Henson. Lived and worked in Sherwood his entire life. Went to jail at 25 for breaking and entering." said Hotch.

"Our friend got caught red handed with some bloomers Charged with attempted rape. Jerk served time, got out a year ago." said Garcia.

"His last known address is at the crest cottages. JJ, the list of hotels and motels we went to. I interviewed the manager there. His name was Dryden, right?" asked Hotch.

JJ looked at a file.

"Employee records say Wayne Dryden was fired from the crest cottages six months ago. The only employee now is the owner... Floyd Hansen." said JJ.

"Let's go. I know where we're going. JJ, tell Garcia we'll call her from the car." said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer was following Hotch.

xxxxx

Spencer was sitting in the backseat of an SUV while Rossi consoled Hotch.

"Hotch, we've talked to so many people. It could've been any of us." said Rossi when Spencer's cellphone rang.

"Hello? Hello?" asked Garcia.

"Do you hear me, Garcia?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, that's better. I can sort of hear you. So, like I was saying, It looks like Floyd Hansen didn't even have a chance. His mother drank herself to death when he was two. Father remarried but to a prostitute." said Garcia.

"Where's his father now?" asked Hotch.

"He died six months ago. Floyd inherited the crest cottages from-." said Garcia before Spencer heard static.

"Garcia? We lost her." said Spencer before hanging up, "Timeline fits. He gets out of jail a year ago, He's on good behavior for a few months.   
But the urges are too strong, Rapes and kills a woman, But he's smart enough to blame it on another guy." said Spencer.

"His father dies, he inherits all the privacy, control and victims he could ever need." said Rossi.

xxxxx

Spencer got out of the backseat of an SUV that he was in.

"There are 10 cabins on 10 acres. There are maps outside the office. He's got a lot of privacy. There's a garage, there's the sheds, there's stables..." said Hotch.

"Why not keep them in one of the cabins?" asked Emily.

"We're going to have to check everything." said Hotch.

Rossi gestured Spencer to follow him.

"We'll look in here." said Rossi.

"OK. Morgan, Prentiss this way." said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was going through an office with Rossi and Sheriff Bruner when Spencer found some newspaper articles.

"He's been following the investigation." said Spencer.

Rossi held up a plastic bag.

"He's been at this longer than we thought." said Rossi.

xxxxxxx

Spencer leaned against an SUV with Rossi when Emily approached them.

"Well, roadside motels definitely go on my list. Of things to never do again." said Emily.

"You've got a list?" asked Spencer.

"You don't?" asked Rossi.

Morgan approached them.

"It's going to take a while to get this mess cleaned up." said Morgan.

"Well, it's going to take a hell of a lot longer for that couple to recover." said Emily while Rossi walked away.

"I'm so ready to go home." said Spencer.

"You don't want to stay behind and take a trip down to Vegas to visit your mom?" asked Morgan.

"Just want to get home to Maeve and Josie, and I promised mom that Maeve, Josie, and I will visit her during Thanksgiving." said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Later on that morning Spencer entered his house and smiled when he saw Maeve and Josie.

"Hey." said Spencer.

"Your home for the day?" asked Maeve.

"I don't have to go back to work until tomorrow." said Spencer as he locked his revolver in the safe by the door.

Jocelyn started whimpering, and 20 seconds later Spencer had Jocelyn in his arms.

"Seems like she missed you." said Maeve.

"I missed both of my girls." said Spencer as he pecked Maeve on the lips before lightly kissing Josie's forehead causing a wide awake Jocelyn to smile at her daddy.

"Her first smile." said Maeve as she wiped a tear that was streaming down her face.

"Most babies smile for the first time between one and two months old, and Josie's six weeks old." said Spencer before yawning.

"Why don't you take a shower and get some sleep, and when Josie goes down for a nap I'll join you." said Maeve.

"OK." said Spencer as he gave his daughter one last kiss before passing Jocelyn to her mother so he could head upstairs.


	21. Catching Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts September 27th and there will be a time jump since I'm going to include Spencer's birthday in this chapter.

Spencer was cooking breakfast when he heard a happy squeal causing Spencer to turn around to see Maeve entering the kitchen with Jocelyn in her arms.

"Is that my Josie Posie saying good morning to me?" asked Spencer.

"When I told her that daddy's in the kitchen making breakfast, she couldn't stop kicking her legs as I got her dressed." said Maeve as she gave her husband a kiss.

"Breakfast is almost done." said Spencer before looking down at his daughter, "Eventually you will get to eat what mommy and I are going to be eating." said Spencer.

Five minutes later Spencer and Maeve were enjoying scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes while Jocelyn was in her baby seat.

"So what should we do during our Sunday off?" asked Spencer.

"I was thinking that we can get out of the house for a bit." said Maeve.

"Good idea since fresh air is good for Josie, but we shouldn't go to crowded places." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Later on that afternoon Spencer and Maeve entered their house with a sleeping Jocelyn in her car seat, and a few minutes later Maeve looked at her husband.

"We might as well take a nap before my parents come here for dinner." said Maeve.

Spencer nodded in agreement, and a few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were asleep in their bed with a sleeping Jocelyn laying on top of her father.

xxxxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer allowed his in laws into the house.

"Hi mom. Hi dad." said Spencer as he accepted hugs from his in laws.

"Where's our granddaughter?" asked Joe.

"Maeve's currently feeding Josie right now." said Spencer.

"I just can't believe that Jocelyn's seven weeks old." sighed Mary.

"I know." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Mary and Joe were cooing over their granddaughter before Maeve and Mary banished Spencer and Joe into the living room with Jocelyn.

"At least we get to spend time with Josie." said Joe as he looked at his seven week old granddaughter who was having her first five minute session of tummy time.

"I know." said Spencer as he laid himself on his tummy so he could be eye to eye with his daughter.

"So how are things at the BAU?" asked Joe.

"I've been definitely busy since I returned to work." said Spencer.

"I've noticed, and how is the lack of sleep affecting you at work?" asked Joe.

"Luckily working for the BAU has prepared me to be woken up at off hours." chuckled Spencer before becoming serious, "On paperwork days, Hotch will let me take brief naps in the conference room." said Spencer.

"What about sleeping during cases?" asked Joe.

"Hotch would send me to the hotel a bit earlier so I can get some extra sleep." said Spencer.

"That's nice of Aaron." said Joe as he scooped up his granddaughter.

"It helps that he's a father himself." said Spencer as he got himself into a sitting position.

xxxxxxx

Later on that week Spencer was fixing himself some coffee as he looked at Morgan who told him about his encounter at his favorite coffee shop with a woman who knew his name.

"So wait, she knew your name?" asked Spencer as he stirred his coffee.

"I don't know how I could forget a face like hers." said Morgan.

Spencer decided that he needed to have some fun and tease Morgan about his love life.

"You've been with so many girls that you can't remember all their names?" asked Spencer as he headed towards the stairs.

"Oh, come on, are you surprised?" asked a laughing Emily.

"This has never happened to me before." said Morgan.

"It hasn't happened to me before either." said Spencer as he walked towards the conference room.

"Well, it can't happen to you. You have an eidetic memory." said Emily.

"Besides, you only have your wife's name to remember." said Morgan.

"At least I have more game than you." teased Spencer as he held up his left hand while Morgan and Emily laughed.

"OK. Six victims have been killed in a series of burglar/homicides all over central California. In order... Bakersfield, Fresno, Chico and, two   
nights ago, Alan and Brenda Paisley in Sacramento." said JJ as she showed crime scene pictures.

"Big area. Are we sure it's the same unsub?" asked Rossi.

"His DNA was found in all the homes." said JJ.

"They hadn't connected it because he crossed jurisdictional lines." said Hotch.

"The head of the Sacramento field office has established a multi-agency task force and he wants us to run point." said JJ.

Morgan looked at the list of names that they were given.

"Looks like we got a lot of investigators on this one." said Morgan.

"We'll streamline it if we need to." said Hotch.

"You should know that they've already named him the ""Highway 99 Killer."." said JJ.

Everyone exchanged glances as they thought about not liking it when the locals name the unsub their catching.

"We'll deal with that when we get there." said Hotch.

"He targets one to two person households. He kills the victims while they sleep." said JJ.

Spencer looked at the autopsy report.

"Blunt force trauma with objects found at the home. Multiple bashes to the head." read Spencer.

"After he kills the victims, he ransacks the homes for valuables." said JJ.

"Which is not unusual for a nighttime burglary-homicide. What's unique about this unsub is that after he kills them, Apparently he sits down to dinner in their homes. They found his DNA all over the food and the table." said Hotch while JJ showed pictures.

"Are these burglaries that turned into homicides or homicides that turned into burglaries?" asked Rossi.

"Between the two offenses, it seems the primary motivation is homicide. Otherwise, he would have just stolen the items and fled." said Morgan.

"But he stays there for hours. He eats their food, he tries on their clothes, he showers, he even sleeps in their beds." said JJ.

"It's like Goldilocks became a serial killer." said Emily.

"They've got plenty of DNA, but they found no fingerprints." said JJ.

"He doesn't take their cars. So, how does he get there?" asked Emily.

"No witness reports of strange cars on the street." said JJ.

"No prints, no gun, no noise, no car, no witnesses. This all adds up to prior experience." said Rossi.

"There's a record on him somewhere." said Spencer.

"And until we find it, he's moved on to another town." said Hotch.

"Which could be anywhere." said Emily.

A few minutes later Spencer was sending Maeve a text message.

I DIDN'T KNOW IF YOU ARE SLEEPING, BUT I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I'M HEADING TO SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA. I LOVE YOU AND JOSIE, AND I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE. ~ SR

A few seconds later Emily looked at Spencer.

"Why text Maeve instead of call?" asked Emily.

"I don't want to wake her or Josie up if they're sleeping." said Spencer.

"Makes sense." said Emily.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting on the couch working on a geographical profile.

"So, four homes in about five weeks. The first one at the beginning of September in Bakersfield. Then Fresno a week later. Chico eight days after that." said JJ.

"Then he changes direction, heads south to Sacramento at the end of September." said Spencer.

"These crime scenes are spread out over 400 miles. I mean, how many serial killers move around like that?" asked JJ.

"Not many." said Rossi.

"Of the ones who do, we categorize them into two subgroups. In one model, he's an itinerant homeless person, someone who's been displaced." said Spencer.

"With the second type, their occupation allows them to travel. He could be killing while on business." said Morgan.

"A truck driver make sense?" asked JJ.

"Long haul truck driver Bruce Mendenhall shot his victims and disposed of their bodies at truck stops, across at least 4 different states." said Spencer.

"But Mendenhall targeted mostly high-risk victims. Prostitutes and hitchhikers, he picked up right off the highway." said Emily.

"A truck driver's MO, he'd use his rig for getaway. Somebody would have noticed a tractor trailer parked in the neighborhood." said Hotch.

"How about someone in corporate sales? They still travel." said Rossi.

"Or computer professionals. They travel to install software." said Morgan.

"Or someone in real estate. Like a land assessor." said Emily.

JJ looked at her phone.

"They just discovered a new murder. In Modesto." said JJ.

"He went south again." said Spencer as he marked his geographical profile.

"Right, when we land, Reid, JJ and I will go to task force headquarters." said Hotch before looking at Rossi, Morgan, and Emily, "The three of you..." said Hotch.

"Modesto." said Rossi.

"We're going to log some miles on this one." said Hotch.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer followed Hotch and JJ to an African American man.

"I'm Agent Liman." said Agent Liman as he shook hands with JJ.

"Hi, Agent Jareau. These are agents Hotchner and Reid." said JJ as she gestured Hotch and Spencer.

"We reserved this room for you." said Agent Liman as he led Spencer, Hotch, and JJ to a conference room that already had a few agents in.

"Who named him this?" asked Hotch as he pointed to a piece of paper.

"I did." said Agent Liman.

Hotch turned to his two youngest agents and gave them a silent order to leave the room.

"I'm gonna go get started on that memo." said JJ.

"I'm gonna help you." said Spencer before following JJ out of the room.

xxxxxxx

After Agent Liman left the conference room and told everyone in the task force to go home, Spencer slowly walked into the room and looked at Hotch.

"How'd he take it?" asked Spencer.

"He'll get over it." said Hotch as he removed the sheet of paper that had the name that Agent Liman gave their unsub.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer's cellphone rang causing Spencer to see that it was Rossi calling.

"Yeah?" asked Spencer.

"Reid, are you in front of a map?" asked Rossi.

Spencer quickly moved to a map.

"Yeah, I am now." said Spencer.

"I think I know how the unsub's getting around. Do you see tracks linking Bakersfield to Sacramento?" asked Rossi.

Spencer looked at the map.

"He's hopping trains." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

An hour later Spencer's personal cellphone rang causing Spencer to look at Hotch.

"Its Maeve calling so I can say goodnight to Josie." said Spencer.

"Go ahead." said Hotch.

Spencer quickly answered his personal phone.

"Hi, Mae." said Spencer.

"Josie wants to hear your voice before I put her down." said Maeve as she put her cellphone on speaker.

Spencer's face broke into a huge grin as he heard Jocelyn coo and gurgle over the phone.

"Is that my beautiful Miss Josie Posie that I'm hearing?" asked Spencer while not realizing that Jocelyn's face broke into a huge smile.

"She just grinned at the sound of your voice." laughed Maeve.

"I miss you two girls." said Spencer.

"We miss you too, Spencer." said Maeve before noticing that Jocelyn fell asleep, "Josie's now asleep." said Maeve softly.

"Mission accomplished." said Spencer.

"Call me when you get to the hotel for the night?" asked Maeve.

"I'll definitely call you so I can hear about what you and Josie did today." said Spencer.

"I'll let you get back to work." said Maeve.

"Love you." said Spencer.

"Love you too." said Maeve before hanging up.

Spencer pocketed his phone when Hotch looked at him.

"Maeve and Jocelyn definitely makes you happy." said Hotch.

"I'm just glad that I took the chance with Maeve." said Spencer.

"Still planning on going to Vegas for Thanksgiving?" asked Hotch.

"My mom wants to see her granddaughter again since Josie's old enough to fly." said Spencer.

xxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was on the phone with Emily.

"Where are you?" asked Spencer.

"I'm just off Highway 99, the whole drive up from Modesto, all I see are crops. Just rows and rows of crops." said Emily.

"Farmlands. You can't see that from standard road maps." said Spencer.

"The railway track runs parallel to Highway 99 most of the way. I think I'm seeing a lot of what the unsub saw." said Emily.

Spencer drew a yellow circle on a map as he thought about the state that he spent his college years in.

"Most of central California is one big valley, a flat basin completely surrounded by mountain ranges on all sides, supported by rivers, lakes   
and aqueducts. It's ideal for farming." said Spencer.

"Well, I don't know what it gets us, but I think we should at least factor it into the conversation." said Emily.

"I agree." said Spencer as he patched Garcia into the conversation.

"Go ahead, guys, I'm listening." said Garcia.

"Garcia, I need you to look into small farm towns all over central California. Track all unsolved homicides that involved nighttime burglaries   
in homes within a mile of train tracks." said Spencer.

"Oh, you think there's more?" asked Garcia.

"I don't know." said Spencer.

xxxxx

After Emily arrived, Spencer, Hotch, and Emily were standing in front of the task force.

"Let's get started." said Hotch as he looked at the agents and officers that were on the task force, "I'd just like to reiterate that this unsub is not getting around on Highway 99. His travel is linked in close proximity to railway lines." said Hotch.

"He's targeted five homes and killed eight people in six weeks. We're looking for a male, indigent transient between the ages of 25 and 45."   
said Spencer.

"He's fit enough for the physical demands of train hopping, or "catching out" as they call it." said Emily.

"He'll be bruised from jumping on and off trains. And he might also be beat up from just defending himself in any kind of turf wars." said Hotch.

"He may look homeless, but he's taking clothing from his victims' homes. So he'll be the only transient on the tracks in clean clothing." said Emily.

"The trains and the rail yards are his home. And when he gets tired of these, he chooses a house to make his own." said Hotch.

"He'll have a pronounced red, dry rash around his mouth and nose, What's commonly referred to as a "sniffer's rash."" said Spencer.

"How do we know that?" asked Agent Liman.

"He takes household cleaners. And we believe he's abusing them as psychoactive inhalants. Nail polish remover, glue, paint thinner, lighter   
fluid, whatever is the cheapest high available." said Hotch.

"They're referred to as "tollyheads" because they derive a high from sniffing toluene, a chemical solvent. Once inhaled, the effects are felt instantaneously." said Spencer.

"We believe he's living out a fantasy in these homes. The fantasy is that it is his house for the night. He spends hours enjoying the comforts of his victims' homes. Upon leaving, he takes clothing, money, jewelry, and small electronics. If you get close to him, you won't miss him.   
He will smell like a combination of human filth and paint thinner." finished Emily.

xxxxxx

Spencer was reading a file as he sat near JJ who groaned when she felt a kick.

"He's kicking a lot today." said JJ.

Spencer smiled a bit as he thought about all the books he read when Maeve became pregnant with Jocelyn.

"In the third trimester, there's an average of 30 fetal movements per hour. Babies kick to explore movement and strengthen muscle." said Spencer.

A smirking JJ looked at Spencer.

"Maeve told me that Jocelyn's kicks freaked out out for awhile." said JJ as she took Spencer's hand and rested it on her belly.

Spencer shuddered when he felt JJ's son kick.

"I end up thinking about Aliens when I felt Josie kick until her birth eight weeks ago, and now I'm thinking about Aliens when I felt your son kick." said Spencer.

JJ laughed.

"Every time I see Jocelyn or see a new picture of her, I'm getting excited about your future son-in-law's birth." smirked JJ.

"Your son might have to fight with Jack over Josie because Hotch has been joking about Josie becoming the future Mrs. Jack Hotchner." said   
Spencer.

JJ laughed as a phone rang causing JJ to answer the phone.

"Hey, Garcia." said JJ.

"Bad news alert." said Garcia.

Spencer realized that Garcia found the information he was looking for.

"Hold on one second." said Spencer as he looked towards Hotch and Emily, "Guys?" said Spencer.

Hotch, Emily, and Agent Liman quickly joined them.

"What is it?" asked Hotch.

"I had Garcia look into all unsolved burglary homicides in central California, Paying particularly attention to small farm towns." said Spencer.

"I found his DNA in three more cities." said Garcia.

"How did I miss this?" asked Agent Liman.

"Small towns don't always link their evidence up to state or national DNA databases." said Spencer.

"It can happen when unsubs cross jurisdictional lines." said Hotch.

"What are the cities, Garcia?" asked Emily.

"Tehachapi, Vacaville, and Orange Cove. All farm towns. All super far away from Highway 99." said Garcia.

xxxxxxx

Spencer looked over where JJ was sitting and fanning herself with a file while thinking about how he's immune with the California dry heat due to growing up in the desert before moving out East to join the FBI when Emily looked at him.

"You considering it?" asked Emily.

"Considering what?" asked Spencer.

"Having more baby geniuses with Maeve." said Emily.

Before Spencer could answer a phone rang causing Spencer to quickly answer.

"Hello?" asked Spencer.

Emily smirked.

"I've noticed in the cities, including the new ones we've discovered, There's a spike in the sales of certain crops during the time the unsub is there. Last week of August, apples in Tehachapi. First week of September, tomatoes in Bakersfield. Second week of September, fall squashes in Fresno." said Garcia.

"So he's in town for a big harvest." said Emily.

"We have an unsub riding trains town to town during big harvests who doesn't have a car or permanent residence." said Spencer.

"Migrant farm worker." said Emily.

Spencer nodded.

xxxxxxx

Spencer looked at the recent crime scene with Hotch and Emily.

"He left a shirt on his male victim again." said Emily.

"That's not all he left." said Spencer as he picked up a newspaper, ""Modesto couple victims of Highway 99 killer." This was printed before we released to the press he's using trains to get around." said Spencer.

"He's taunting us, telling us he's smarter than we are because we got his mode of transportation wrong." said Emily.

"The more confident he gets, the more he's experimenting with his ritual." said Hotch.

"The first few murders were five to eight days apart. This one was just one day since Modesto. If we don't find him soon..." said Spencer.

"Goldilocks will be sleeping in someone else's bed tonight." said Emily.

"When I read "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" to Josie, I might end up thinking about this case instead of the book." muttered Spencer.

xxxxxx

"This couple is Hispanic. The previous couples were Caucasian. He switched his victim profile." said Emily.

"I don't think he knows or cares what race they were. I think this house was just an easy target." said Hotch while Spencer's work cellphone rang.

"Yeah?" asked Spencer.

"So, we got something. Jewelry stolen from the home in Sacramento turned up at a pawn shop in Modesto. Garcia just sent you a picture from the security cam." said JJ.

Spencer quickly pulled up a picture.

"Yeah, I got it." said Spencer as he showed Hotch and Emily the picture.

"Employee said he was about 5'8", slight, late thirties, dark skin. With a red rash around his mouth." said JJ.

"Circulate the picture, JJ." said Hotch.

"I'm already on it." said JJ.

xxxxxx

Spencer and Emily followed Hotch to a man that was waiting for them.

"I'm Agent Hotchner." said Hotch.

"Cesar from the housing authority." said Cesar.

"These are Agents Prentiss and Reid." said Hotch.

"Good morning." said Cesar as he shook hands with Emily.

"Good morning." said Emily.

Spencer shook hands with Cesar.

"Hi." said Spencer.

"Thank you for meeting us here." said Hotch.

Emily passed a photo to Cesar.

"Does this man look familiar to you?" asked Emily.

"Hard to tell." said Cesar.

"Have you had any complaints in the camps? This man would show disruptive behavior." said Spencer.

"He might be stealing things from other workers, starting fights. He sniffs chemicals to get high." said Hotch.

"Well, our facilities have a zero tolerance policy. No drinking, no drugs, certainly no violence. Anyone who cannot follow these rules would be kicked out." said Cesar.

"Have you kicked anyone out recently?" asked Emily.

"The camps in this area are at full capacity. We have to turn people away." said Cesar.

"Thank you." said Hotch as he shook hands with Cesar.

"Mucho gusto." said Cesar before walking away.

Spencer, Hotch, and Emily started walking.

"If he's pawning the jewelry he's stealing to get money, why is he still working in the fields?" asked Hotch.

"Here's another question. Why is he circling the farm towns at all?" asked Emily.

"There are over 140,000 miles of tracks in this country. He could go anywhere." said Spencer as he leaned against the hood of an SUV.

"But he's still in California." said Emily.

"Something's keeping him here. What is it?" asked Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer, Hotch, and Emily were being protected from the sun by an open trunk of their loaned SUV while they had Garcia on Spencer's work phone.

"OK, mini-lesson. Migrants travel and work in these groups and the groups are called cuadrillas. Now, I have found one such cuadrilla that was in Chico at the same time as our unsub. And then I checked and they were in Sacramento and Modesto And Vacaville at the same time as our unsub as well." said Garcia.

"What about the first town?" asked Spencer.

"I got employment records from the apple farm in Tehachapi. This Cuadrilla last worked there two days before Mildred Younce was killed. Now, here's the whammy. An Armando Salinas checked in with this group in Tehachapi. But then, he falls off the map. There's no sign of him in any of the camps." said Garcia.

"Interesting." said Emily.

"Double whammy. Customs and immigration have a rap sheet on him for theft and assault And he's wanted in connection to some burglaries." said Garcia.

"There's the record we've been looking for." said Spencer.

"Triple whammy. His fingerprints were one of 17 found at Mildred Younce's house." said Garcia.

"Get us his photo and get JJ to get it out to the media. We're going to need the public's help." said Hotch.

"Sending you his mug. The group that he's been following, they checked into Lockeford early this morning. That's not far from you." said Garcia.

xxxxx

Spencer, Hotch, Emily, and Cesar approached a group of migrant workers causing Cesar to start speaking in Spanish causing one of the men to run away.

"Let them go. Let them go." said Hotch before looking at everyone, "We're sorry to interrupt your evening. But we've come here because we need your help." said Hotch.

Cesar quickly translated for everyone.

"Go ahead and read out the names of the men in the cuadrilla." said Hotch.

Cesar started reading the list while Spencer and Emily passed out flyers.

""Ricky Zaparilla, Ruben Garcia, "Felix Zapato, Olman Hernandez, "Roberto Hernandez, Arturo Torres, Tony Guzman."" read Cesar until Emily found their unsub's brother.

xxxxx

Due to Spencer's rudimentary knowledge in Spanish from growing up in the Southwest, Spencer stood outside the interview room listening to Emily converse with Ruben in Spanish before they switched to English.

"He likes to know where I'm going." said Ruben.

"Why does he have to follow you? Why isn't he with you anymore?" asked Emily.

"He's not a good worker. He got us fired from a big job. My cuadrilla wanted him gone." said Ruben.

"So you kicked him out?" asked Emily.

"Si." said Ruben.

"Your brother has been following you ever since. Burglarizing homes and killing people in every city." said Emily.

Ruben sighed.

"Is that where he gets the money from?" asked Ruben.

"What do you mean?" asked Emily.

"He's been leaving me money at the camps." said Ruben.

"Does he know you're in Lockeford right now?" asked Emily.

"I found this at the camp today." said Ruben as he pulled out a stuffed envelope.

"Just- un momento." said Emily as she got up and joined Spencer, "The killings started in Tehachapi. I think his brother rejecting him must   
have been a stressor." said Emily.

"Morgan and Rossi made it here, they're with rail security. Hotch and Liman are patrolling neighborhoods." said Spencer.

"OK. I think it's time to get these guys going." said Emily.

A few seconds later Emily looked at the officers that were in the room while Spencer started passing out a picture of Armando.

"Excuse me. Could we have your attention, please? Everybody? This is Armando Ruis Salinas. He is 38 years old, a Mexican national. We believe he is currently in the vicinity of Lockeford and its outlying towns." said Emily.

"He'll only target homes within a mile of train tracks. You'll be assigned search quadrants." said Spencer.

"Think the way a burglar would. Pay close attention to houses that have no exterior lights on, No security alarm signs or barking dogs   
nearby. Let's go." said Emily.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting on the counter as Emily talked with Ruben more.

"Are you surprised the police are looking for him?" asked Emily.

"He's my half-brother. I wasn't around for him when he was young. He's been in trouble all his life. Was in jail in Mexico. I thought if he   
came to work with me, he would change. I'm grateful to work. But Armando hated work. Hated the camps. Always complained he never had a nice bed to sleep on. When he was a kid, he slept on the floor. In jail, he slept on the floor. All he ever talked about was having a house of his own. A bed to sleep on." said Ruben.

xxxxxx

Spencer sat near a radio and listened to a woman talk about a 911 call that was received.

"Suspect seen fleeing the 400 block of pear blossom avenue. All units respond." said a woman.

Spencer quickly picked up a walkie talkie and addressed Morgan.

"Morgan, that's in your area. I'm gonna send Hotch for back up." said Spencer.

xxxxxx

The next evening Spencer opened the glass doors for Emily, Morgan, and himself as he thought about Maeve wanting to get out of the house with Jocelyn for a bit.

"You guys have plans tonight?" asked Spencer.

"I was thinking about getting a burger." said Morgan.

"Oh, I could eat." said Emily just as JJ joined them with an unfamiliar woman.

"Oh, hey, guys, I wanted to introduce you to someone. This is Agent Jordan Todd. She'll be taking over for me while I'm on maternity leave." said JJ.

Jordan smiled at Spencer, Emily, and Morgan.

"Agent Jareau's told me so much about you all." said Jordan before looking at Emily, "You must be Agent Prentiss." said Jordan as she shook hands with Emily.

"Yes. Nice to meet you." said Emily.

Jordan then shook Spencer's right hand.

"Hello, Dr. Reid." said Jordan.

"Hi." said Spencer.

"Agent Jareau told me that you have a nearly two month old daughter with your wife, so congratulations on the new addition." said Jordan.

"Thank you." said Spencer.

Jordan turned to Morgan and shook hands with him.

"And Agent Morgan. Nice to see you again." smiled Jordan.

"Nice to see you, too. So this must be the good news." said Morgan.

"This would be my brownie." said Jordan.

Spencer and Emily exchanged amused glances as they thought about teasing Morgan as soon as JJ and Jordan were out of their ear sight.

"You two have met?" asked Emily.

"Briefly." said Morgan.

JJ noticed mischievous looks on Spencer's and Emily's faces.

"Well, Agent Todd comes to us from seven years at counter-terrorism." said JJ.

"I'm really looking forward to working with the Behavioral Analysis Unit." said Jordan.

"We're starting her training now." said JJ.

"You're training her right now?" asked Spencer.

JJ rested her hands on her pregnant belly.

"Well, we're kinda running out of time." said JJ before looking at Jordan, "So... Let me introduce you to the rest of the team." said JJ.

"Yeah. I'll see you all in the field... Team." smiled Jordan.

"We're looking forward to it." said Emily.

As soon as JJ and Jordan were out of earshot, Spencer and Emily quickly flanked Morgan.

"So, is there anything you want to tell us?" asked a laughing Emily.

"Nope." smirked Morgan as he pressed the down button.

"Your forehead's sweating." said Emily.

"No, it's not." said Morgan as he avoided eye contact.

"Oh, he's avoiding eye contact." laughed Emily.

Spencer smirked.

"His blink rate just sped up." said Spencer.

"You know, guys, I don't think I want that burger too much anymore." said Morgan as he walked into the elevator.

Spencer's jaw dropped.

"Oh, come on. You can't run from us." said Emily.

"Oh, watch me." said Morgan as the elevator doors closed on Spencer and Emily.

Spencer and Emily grinned as the elevator doors closed on them causing Spencer to smirk at Emily.

"What do you say about me calling Maeve and have her bring your goddaughter along and I can take pictures of you holding Josie and send them to Morgan?" asked Spencer.

Emily grinned.

"Definitely call her so we can show Morgan what he's missing." smiled Emily before looking at Spencer, "So when I asked you if you and Maeve considered having more baby geniuses, are you two going to give Jocelyn some siblings?" asked Emily.

Spencer fired Maeve a quick text message.

EMILY AND I ARE JUST LEAVING WORK, AND WE'RE GOING TO PATSY'S FOR BURGERS SO PLEASE BRING JOSIE SINCE EMILY WANTS TO SEE HER GODDAUGHTER. ~ SR

"We are." said Spencer just as his cellphone vibrated.

WE'LL MEET YOU THERE SINCE JOSIE'S EXCITED TO SEE YOU. ~ MR

"Maeve and Josie will be meeting us at Patsy's." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Over an hour later Spencer smiled when he held Jocelyn in his arms.

"Daddy missed you so much." cooed Spencer as he smiled at his daughter.

Jocelyn happily cooed at her daddy while a waitress came over.

"She's so adorable." said a waitress.

"She missed her daddy." smiled Maeve.

For the next few minutes the waitress took Spencer's, Maeve's, and Emily's orders before Emily looked at Spencer.

"Let me hold my goddaughter so you can take a picture and send it to Morgan." said Emily.

Spencer passed his daughter to Emily, and 30 seconds later Spencer was taking a picture of a grinning Emily holding Jocelyn who had a smile on her face before sending the picture to Morgan.

xxxxxxx

A minute later at Morgan's apartment, Morgan was looking at a picture message from Spencer that revealed a grinning Emily holding Jocelyn.

WITH YOU BAILING OUT ON US, YOU ENDED UP MISSING OUT ON SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR GODDAUGHTER. ~ SR

Morgan laughed.

"Touche, kid." said Morgan.

xxxxxxx

A week and a half later Spencer was sitting in front of a birthday cake that had two lit candles that spelled 27 while blushing a bit as his teammates, Maeve, and his in laws sang "Happy Birthday" to him before he blew out the candles.


	22. The Instincts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jocelyn's turns three months old in this chapter, and its true that three month olds can start teething.  
> At first I was going combine The Instincts and Memoriam, but then that chapter would be over 10,000+ words. So I'm sorry to say that Memoriam takes place during the next chapter.

Spencer smiled as he changed his baby girl's diaper.

"I can't believe that your finally three months old today, Josie." said Spencer.

Jocelyn cooed and gurgled at her daddy.

"In a few weeks we're going to my hometown Las Vegas, Nevada so you can see your grandma Diana for Thanksgiving." said Spencer.

Jocelyn smiled at her daddy.

"Your grandma Diana loves getting new pictures of you, and she's excited about seeing you over Thanksgiving." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were sitting on their living room floor playing peek a boo with Jocelyn.

"Where's daddy?" asked Maeve.

Jocelyn looked at her daddy who had covered his head with a blanket.

"Here I am." said Spencer as he uncovered his head while making a funny face.

Jocelyn started laughing.

"Her first laugh." said Maeve as she wiped a tear that fell down her face.

"One of the best sounds ever." said Spencer as he pulled another funny face at his daughter.

Jocelyn ended up laughing again.

xxxxxxx

A few nights later Spencer was rocking a very fussy Jocelyn.

"I know that your not your usual happy self due to teething." murmured Spencer as he massaged Jocelyn's gums with an infant finger toothbrush.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer just put his empty plate into the sink when his work cellphone vibrated, and a few seconds later he grimaced as he saw where he was going next.

"Missing five year old boy in Las Vegas, Nevada." said Spencer.

"Make sure you grab all the photos that we recently took and our video camera." said Maeve.

Five minutes later Spencer was quickly leaving the house while Maeve sent Hotch a text message.

HERE'S A HEADS UP THAT SPENCER MIGHT BE TIRED SINCE JOSIE KEPT SPENCER AND I UP FOR OVER FOUR HOURS LAST NIGHT DUE TO TEETHING.~ MR

xxxxxxx

Three hours later Spencer yawned as he listened to his teammates brief before he closed his eyes causing Hotch to look at his teammates.

"Lets allow Reid to get some sleep because Maeve sent me a text telling me that Jocelyn kept them up for most of the night last night." said Hotch quietly.

Emily, JJ, Morgan, and Rossi all nodded in agreement.

xxxxx

A half hour later in Spencer's dream

Spencer followed Hotch and Emily through a house before he opened a door that revealed a basement causing him to look at Hotch and Emily who were coming towards him.

"There's a basement." whispered Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer was leading Hotch and Emily down the stairs before Emily noticed a body behind a dryer.

"Damn. Damn." muttered Emily as she crouched down a bit.

"You sure it's him?" asked Spencer.

"Who else could it be?" asked Hotch.

"I just want to make sure." said Spencer.

"Male. Approximately 6 years old. I'm sorry." said Emily.

Spencer quickly heard some gurgling causing him to turn around

"There's something in here." said Spencer before flashing his flashlight on JJ's son.

"What's that baby doing here? JJ can't let her baby be at a crime scene." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Hotch, Rossi, JJ, Emily, and Morgan all noticed that Spencer was showing signs of having a nightmare

"Reid." said Rossi before trying again, "Reid." said Rossi.

Spencer woke up to his name being called again.

"Sorry, I was dreaming." said Spencer as he rubbed his eyes.

Emily laughed as she thought about how Spencer was still adjusting to the lack of sleep.

"Ha, no kidding." smiled Emily.

Spencer decided that he needed to explain his nightmare.

"We found a 6-year-old boy who had been abused and stabbed." said Spencer before looking at JJ who was rubbing her belly, "Your baby was at the crime scene. I was trying to get him out of there. Sorry." said Spencer.

"It's OK." said JJ.

"You know, Reid, simple dream analysis... If there's a baby in your dreams, that baby's actually you." said Morgan.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"I don't believe in dream analysis." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"I don't know. It makes sense. The case we're working on and the case in your dream both involve children. Maybe your subconscious is telling you you want to sit this one out since your perspective on cases has changed since you became a father." said Hotch.

"I don't." said Spencer.

"Well, maybe you're just stressed out about going home to Las Vegas. Did you tell your mom you're coming?" asked Emily.

Spencer instantly became guarded as he thought about his mother occasionally becoming a sensitive topic for him.

"Why aren't we reviewing the case file?" asked Spencer.

Emily laughed a bit.

"I don't know. Maybe because someone fell asleep on the jet." said Emily.

"Its just that Josie actually started teething at three months old, so a nap sounded like a good idea." muttered Spencer as he looked at his file.

"All right, let's start from the beginning one more time." said Hotch.

JJ held up a photo.

"This is Ethan Hayes. He was 5. Two weeks ago he was abducted out of his own front yard." said JJ as she passed Emily a picture of Ethan.

"Where were the parents?" asked Spencer.

"His mom just ran inside to grab her purse. When she came back, he was gone. She wasn't away for more than a minute or two. Police found his body exactly one week later in the desert. He was in a new change of clothes. His nails clipped. His hair was combed." said JJ.

"That's a lot of remorse." said Rossi.

"No sign of sexual assault. The medical report suggests he was smothered. Unsub could see this death as merciful." said Hotch.

"Who's the new boy?" asked Emily.

JJ passed Emily a picture.

"Michael Bridges. Yesterday, he set out to walk by himself to a friend's house a block away. He never showed up." said JJ.

"Are we sure these cases are even connected?" asked Spencer.

"The unsub called each of the families." said JJ.

"But no ransom demand." said Rossi.

"It was more like taunts. He's telling them it's their fault that their child was taken." said JJ.

"OK. So, we have an unsub who shows remorse and then projects his guilt onto the victims' parents." said Morgan.

"And if we're lucky, 6 more days to find a boy before he's killed." said Hotch.

Spencer's cellphone vibrated causing Spencer to smile softly when he saw a picture of Jocelyn.

MAKE SURE TO SHOW YOUR MOM THIS PICTURE IF YOU HAVE TIME TO VISIT HER! ~ MR

"Maeve?" asked Rossi.

"She just sent me a picture of Josie, and Maeve actually made me grab pictures and videos that we were going to send to my mom just in case I have time to visit her." said Spencer as he passed his phone to Rossi who started passing his phone around.

xxxx

Spencer held his breath as the medical examiner pulled Ethan's body out.

"There was no bruising around his neck or face. I'm guessing he used a pillow." said the medical examiner.

"Was there any sign of a struggle?" asked Spencer.

"No, but he would have been extremely weak." said the medical examiner.

"Why's that?" asked Morgan.

"This is where it gets weird. He was noticeably thin. And both his stomach and intestines were completely empty." said the medical   
examiner.

"He was being starved?" asked Spencer.

"It seems that way." said the medical examiner.

"OK. So, what's the weird part?" asked Morgan.

"I wanted to determine if malnutrition played a part in his death. So, I looked for evidence of starvation ketosis by analyzing some vitreous humor... The squishy part of the eyeball... and I couldn't find any ketone bodies there." said the medical examiner.

"Meaning?" asked Morgan.

"He was getting nutrients somehow." said Spencer.

"Through an IV?" asked Morgan.

"There were no marks to indicate that." said the medical examiner.

"Any idea what else could it be?" asked Spencer.

"Honestly, I have no idea." said the medical examiner.

xxxxxx

Spencer and Morgan quietly entered the Bridges family home when they heard Amy speak.

"May I speak with Michael?" asked Amy.

"He doesn't want to talk to you. He knows what a bad mother you are. Your 3 minutes are up." said a modified voice before hanging up.

"Garcia, anything?" asked Hotch.

"It looks to be a disposable cell phone. I couldn't triangulate the call. But it did bounce off not one but two towers." said Garcia.

"Meaning?" asked Hotch.

"I know he's mobile. And I know he's moving within the Las Vegas limits. He didn't travel outside the city." said Garcia.

Hotch looked at Amy and Craig.

"It's just a start. Like I said, the more he talks, the more we'll learn about him." said Hotch.

JJ noticed the confused looks that Amy and Craig was giving Spencer and Morgan.

"These are Agents Morgan and Reid. They'll be here all night just in case he calls back." said JJ.

"I need to lie down." said Amy.

"Of course." said Hotch.

JJ looked at Craig.

"You should go with her." said JJ.

"Yeah." said Craig before he went to follow his wife.

As soon as Craig was out of earshot, Hotch looked at Spencer and Morgan.

"What'd you find out from the medical examiner?" asked Hotch.

"We think that he's starving them." said Spencer quietly.

"But that doesn't fit with the care he takes with the bodies. Starvation would be a form of torture." said Hotch.

"There's no sexual assault. The torture could be a substitute for the sex act." said Morgan.

"I'll coordinate with Rossi and Prentiss. We'll call you if there's anything new." said Hotch.

xxxxxx

Spencer's Dream

Spencer woke up and got off the couch and headed towards the basement where he found the same six year old's body before Morgan and Rossi joined him in the basement

"Couldn't find any evidence of forced entry." said Rossi as he holstered his gun.

"Why would that matter?" asked Spencer.

"'Cause it means he most likely knew his attacker." said Morgan.

Spencer started to feel something slimy underneath his shirt causing him to feel around.

"Reid?" asked Rossi.

Spencer quickly unbuttoned his shirt to see a lot of leeches on his chest.

"Get 'em off. Morgan! Get 'em off! Get 'em off! Morgan, get 'em off me!" shouted Spencer.

xxxxxx

Present time

Morgan ran into the living room where he heard Spencer shouting.

"Get 'em off me! Get 'em off me! Get 'em... Morgan, get 'em off me!" shouted a still asleep Spencer.

Morgan quickly put his hands on Spencer's shoulders as he tried to wake up his little brother.

"Reid. Reid. Wake up. It's Morgan." said Morgan as he tried to calm down his brother.

Spencer opened his eyes just as Craig and Amy rushed into the living room.

"What the hell's going on?" asked Craig.

Morgan quickly approached Craig and Amy.

"Sir, ma'am. Everything's OK." said Morgan.

"You wake us up screaming, you think everything's OK?" asked Craig.

"I understand we startled you. And I'm sorry for that." said Morgan.

Spencer ran his hands through his hair.

"You're the FBI." said Craig.

"You're right. I'm really sorry." said Spencer.

"Sir, please, go back upstairs and try to get some rest. It was just a misunderstanding. Everything is fine, I promise you that." said Morgan.

As soon as Craig walked away, Amy looked at Spencer who was now standing up.

"Are you OK?" asked Amy.

"It was a dream. I'm really sorry." said Spencer.

"Was it about Michael?" asked Amy.

Spencer shook his head.

"No." said Spencer.

"I've been afraid to close my eyes. I'm scared I'll see him die." said Amy.

"Ma'am, I know it's hard. But I need you to go upstairs and try to get some sleep. Please. I am sorry for the disturbance." said Morgan.

As soon as Amy headed back upstairs, Spencer flopped back onto the couch.

"I'm making everything worse." sighed Spencer.

Morgan sat down.

"Reid... These cases get to all of us, and I don't blame you for being affected since you have a three month old daughter." said Morgan.

"I'm losing it in their living room. And I'm dreaming... I'm dreaming about dead kids and covered in leeches." said Spencer.

"What the hell is scaring you?" asked Morgan.

"This boy's gonna die and there's nothing I can do to stop it." said Spencer as he pulled out his personal phone and looked at the photo of him, Maeve, and Jocelyn together.

Morgan looked at the wall clock.

"Since its 6 AM in DC, why don't you see if Maeve's awake and if she is spend a few minutes talking to her." said Morgan.

"OK." said Spencer as he pulled out his phone and typed Maeve a text message.

ARE YOU AWAKE? ~ SR

A few seconds later Spencer's phone rang and he smiled softly when it was Maeve causing Morgan to leave the room.

"Are are you awake while its three AM in Las Vegas?" asked Maeve.

"I had a nightmare that ended up waking up Morgan and the missing boy's parents." said Spencer quietly.

"So you called so I can talk you back to sleep?" asked Maeve.

"Yes." said Spencer before hearing some babbling over the phone.

"Josie's awake?" asked Spencer.

"I just finished nursing her and burping her." said Maeve.

"I miss you and Josie." said Spencer quietly.

"We miss you too." said Maeve before putting her cellphone on speaker, "Don't we, Josie." said Maeve.

Jocelyn started babbling causing Spencer to smile.

"Are you saying good morning to me, Josie Posie?" asked Spencer quietly.

Josie started squealing causing Spencer to smile.

"You sure do love hearing my voice." said Spencer as he spent a few more minutes talking to Maeve and Jocelyn before falling back asleep.

xxxxxxx

Spencer looked around Michael's bedroom as he thought about how Jocelyn's room was going to turn out in five years when Morgan entered the room.

"Hey, kid, we're almost ready to go." said Morgan.

"You know, they're right. Odds are we'll catch the unsub when he dumps the body or when he tries to snatch another kid." said Spencer.

"I know the odds, Reid." said Morgan.

Spencer decided that he needed to give Morgan an insight on how his childhood was like.

"It's weird. Some things never go away." said Spencer as he picked up a dinosaur, "When I was a kid, every boy I knew had piles of dinosaur toys." said Spencer.

"Not you?" asked Morgan.

Spencer shook his head as Morgan made his decision about buying Spencer dinosaur toys for Christmas that he could eventually share with Jocelyn.

"I had books and notebooks. My mom filled hundreds of them with poems by WS Merwin, songs by Bob Dylan. She liked it when I   
memorized them. She was convinced that they were watching us and writing songs about our lives. Basements are the first part of a house to be built, right? So if you're having recurring dream about a basement, kinda speaks to the core fundamentals of who you are as a person." said Spencer.

"I thought you didn't believe in dream analysis." said Morgan.

"Freud's been discredited but Jung still has his merits. My dream. The dead boy. I've been having different versions of it since I was a little   
kid." said Spencer.

Morgan walked closer to Spencer.

"Hey. You know, nobody would think less of you if you took a little time off to get your head together." said Morgan.

"I just want to find this boy." said Spencer before walking away.

xxxxxxx

Spencer stood next to Morgan as they watched the crowd while listening to the minister talk.

"There's a very full crowd here today, Which I believe is part of the natural outpouring of grief over losing someone so innocent. It is also a reminder that there is another boy out there who is in danger and need of our prayers. Let's take a moment and pray for that boy. For his safe return." said the minster.

A minute later Spencer flashed back to a much younger self attending a funeral with his mother before Morgan noticed a look on Spencer's face.

"Reid. What's going on?" asked Morgan quietly.

"I've been here before." whispered Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer in shock while making a mental note to do some searching after the funeral before both men decided to focus on what the minister was saying.

xxxx

Spencer stood outside the interrogation room with Detective Ashby as they listened to Emily and Rossi interrogate the man who was filming the funeral when Morgan came over with a file.

"How's it going?" asked Morgan.

"He's nervous. They're trying to pin him down." said Detective Ashby.

Spencer noticed a file that Morgan was holding.

"What's that?" asked Spencer.

Morgan looked at the detective.

"You mind giving us a minute?" asked Morgan.

"Oh, sure." said Detective Ashby before walking out of the room.

"I had one of the detectives pull it. The name Riley Jenkins mean anything to you?" asked Morgan.

Spencer quickly thought about it.

"No." said Spencer.

"Think. Back to when you were a little boy." said Morgan.

"I had an imaginary friend named Riley when I was little." said Spencer.

Morgan passed Spencer the file causing Spencer to start going through the file.

"Riley Jenkins. He was murdered right here in Las Vegas when he was six years old. My math says that you would have been around four at the time. He was found him in the basement of his own house, behind the dryer. He'd been sexually abused and stabbed." said Morgan before both men decided to focus on the interview.

xxxxxx

After the interview was pretty much over, Spencer pulled out his phone and called Hotch.

"Hotchner." answered Hotch.

"He doesn't know details of the murder." said Spencer.

"You sure?" asked Hotch.

"He assumes the boy was molested." said Spencer.

"All right. Thanks." said Hotch before hanging up.

xxxxxxx

Spencer listened to the recorded call as he went through the transcript.

"You were trying to trick me. No one was trying to trick you. You were trying to lock me down but you arrested the wrong person!" said a modified voice before Amy and Craig came into the room.

"Would it be possible for us to work in private for a while?" asked Hotch.

"He was at the funeral. I told you." said Amy.

"He was at the funeral, and you arrested the wrong man." said Craig.

"I don't think it is a man. Did you hear the way she described the clothing? She said the blue shoes. Lime green oxford. A male wouldn't   
reference specific details like that." said Spencer.

"I think Reid's right. She talked about what the child wanted. How he slept. How she took care of him. She said, "I loved him. "" said Morgan.

"A male unsub would have emphasized the competition, not the care giving. He would have talked about how he was smarter than the FBI. Bragged about not being caught." said Spencer.

"We could have been looking at both men and women..." said Amy.

"The statistics are overwhelming. Women abduct newborns. Men take children." said Rossi while Hotch got Garcia on the phone.

"Garcia." said Hotch.

"I'm right here, sir." said Garcia.

"Will you run the license plates the police gave you and find any that might be registered to a woman." said Hotch.

"That would be... Zero." said Garcia.

"How's that possible?" asked Amy.

"Transcript almost reads like she's been institutionalized." said Spencer as he sat down.

"You mean she's crazy." said Craig.

Spencer shot Craig a look while Hotch, Rossi, Emily, JJ, and Morgan all stiffened.

"She described herself as being "locked down" not "arrested" or "put away. " Plus, most mental facilities are very rigid about the amount of phone time they allow per day. I think her talking about only having 3 minutes isn't her rule to us. It's what she's been institutionalized to think of as normal." said Spencer.

"Garcia, can you get records of women released from mental institutions this past month? She most likely has some trauma in her case file... possibly the death of a child." said Rossi.

"I'm sorry. I can't do that. To protect patient privilege there's no central database. I could hack each hospital individually, but even then, most diagnoses are kept separately by the different doctors." said Garcia.

"I think I might have a way." said Spencer.

"What do you mean?" asked Craig.

"I was born and raised in this city, and my mom's been sick her entire life. So in order to live my life I had to make the decision to put her into a care home so she can be given the medical care she needs." said Spencer before looking at Hotch, "I'm going to go talk to my mother's doctor while showing my mom some new pictures of her granddaughter." said Spencer.

"Do you want anyone to go with you?" asked Hotch.

"I just want to go alone right now." said Spencer.

Morgan tossed Spencer a set of keys to the SUV they were in earlier.

xxxxxx

A short while later Spencer watched his mom when Dr. Norman approached him.

"Dr. Reid. Your mom didn't tell me you were in town." said Dr. Norman as he shook hands with Spencer.

"She doesn't know I'm here. I'm working on a case. And I actually thought you might be able to help us." said Spencer.

"Of course." said Dr. Norman.

"You've read about the recent child murder and second abduction?" asked Spencer.

"Yes." said Dr. Norman.

"We think the person responsible is a woman. She would have been institutionalized. But we believe she may have been released within the   
past few weeks, just before the first abduction." said Spencer.

"What can I do?" asked Dr. Norman.

"I'm assuming you have a good working relationship with the administrators at other hospitals." said Spencer.

Dr. Norman nodded.

"I know no one can open their files. But if you wouldn't mind just giving them the profile, that would be a tremendous help." said Spencer as he passed the case file to Dr. Norman who opened the file, "She's delusional. Fueled by grief. Very well might have lost a child of her own, probably around the age of 5." said Spencer.

"I'll see what I can do." said Dr. Norman before walking away.

Spencer looked at where his mother was writing while smiling at a picture causing him to make his decision to visit with his mother as a way to pass the time. So a few seconds later he was standing in front of his mother who looked up.

"Spencer? What are you doing here?" asked Diana.

Spencer sat down.

"I'm here for work. We're investigating the murder and abduction of two 5 year old boys." said Spencer.

"I don't like the idea of you working on things that are so sad especially since your now a father yourself." said Diana.

"I know, but I'm making this country a safer place for Josie." said Spencer softly.

"Even though you gained some much needed weight since Maeve entered your life, you're so thin." said Diana.

"I was going to come see you the second we solved the case." said Spencer.

Diana looked at her son.

"What else is going on in there?" asked Diana.

Spencer smiled a bit as he realized that his mother's western accent was still pronounced while his accent had faded since moving out East.

"Nothing." said Spencer.

"Don't lie to your mother, Spencer. We know. We feel things." said Diana.

Spencer looked at his mom.

"Before I tell you what's on my mind, I'm going to show you a picture of Josie." said Spencer.

"Please so." said Diana.

A few seconds later Diana was smiling at a picture of Jocelyn.

"She looks so much like you, Spencer." said Diana.

"Everyone is saying that." said Spencer before becoming serious, "Did I know a boy named Riley Jenkins?" asked Spencer.

"Riley Jenkins..." said Diana as she searched her mind for the name that Spencer gave her, "He was a story you made up." said Diana.

"No. No. He was a real kid who was murdered when I was four years old." said Spencer.

"Oh, I think you're mistaken." said Diana.

"I've been seeing things." muttered Spencer.

"Don't say that." said Diana as she looked around.

"I've been having dreams about his death since I was little, mom." said Spencer.

"You were always a reader. It affected your dreams." said Diana.

"I remember, when I was 4, we went to a funeral." said Spencer.

"Your uncle Daniel's, maybe?" asked Diana.

"I also remember we moved houses. And you and dad argued about it. And you told dad that I was in danger." said Spencer.

"Because you were." said Diana.

Spencer looked at his mom.

"Why... why did you think that?" asked Spencer.

"I don't know. I just knew. I told you. A mother knows. We're animals, Spencer. We feel things." said Diana just as Dr. Norman joined them.

"I'm sorry. I talked to the heads of nine different hospitals. There's no one who matches your description." said Dr. Norman as he passed   
Spencer back his file.

"Thank you for trying." said Spencer.

"You know, if this person has an axis-1 condition, her release wouldn't be as important as whether or not she keeps to her medications." said Dr. Norman.

"All right. Thank you. Again, thank you very much." said Spencer.

After Dr. Norman walked away, Diana looked at her son.

"I went off my medication when I was pregnant with you. I spent every day in terror, but I made it. And it was beautiful. I had you." said Diana.

Spencer's eyes went wide.

"Oh, God." muttered Spencer.

"What is it, baby?" asked Diana.

"Women abduct newborns. Excuse me." said Spencer as he got up.

"I don't understand." said Diana.

Spencer approached Dr. Norman.

"Doctor, would it be possible for a woman to convince herself that a random five year old child's actually her own newborn?" asked Spencer.

"If her psychosis is strong enough. And, again, if they'd stopped taking their medication, absolutely." said Dr. Norman.

"Thank you. Thanks." said Spencer as he pulled out his phone and called Hotch.

"Find anything out, Reid?" asked Hotch.

"Hotch, I'm pretty sure I know why the medical examiner was so confused. I think she's breastfeeding them." said Spencer.

xxxxxx

Spencer sped towards Claire's house, and a few seconds later he was running into the house. After clearing the house he unlocked a door and sighed in relief when he saw Michael standing in the room causing him to reach for the mic on his vest.

"I've got Michael! I've got Michael!" said Spencer.

As soon as Spencer holstered his revolver he knelt down to Michael's eye level allowing the five-year-old boy to run into his arms causing the five-year-old boy and 27-year-old man to hug each other.

"I got ya." said Spencer before standing up to his full height with the boy still in his arms.

"Am I going to see my mommy and daddy?" asked Michael.

"You sure will." said Spencer as he carried the boy into the living room and sat on the couch with the boy on his lap, "Want to see a really cool magic trick?" asked Spencer.

Michael nodded, and a few minutes later Hotch, Rossi, Emily, and Morgan walked into the house to find Spencer doing slight of hand tricks   
for a smiling Michael.

xxxxx

Spencer looked at the familiar sights of the desert when Morgan approached him.

"You know, this is about as good a day as we're gonna get on this job." said Morgan.

"I know." said Spencer.

"And yet you're still thinking about a boy you're not even sure if you really knew." said Morgan.

"When I was 4, my mother had a sense that I was in danger." said Spencer.

"Reid, your mother wasn't well." said Morgan.

"I know facts about the case." said Spencer.

"Reid, you've got a photographic memory. Odds are, you saw the story. He was just a kid like you. And it caught your imagination." said Morgan.

"I don't really think that you believe that." said Spencer.

"You wanna know what I really believe? I believe you could have done anything in the world with your life and you chose to do this job. Your man Carl Jung says our unconscious is the key to our life's pursuits." said Morgan.

"Yeah. Yeah." said Spencer.

"So, for whatever reason, that case was stuck in your brain all these years and it not only led you to this career choice but to the same city where your mother lives and for us to have the opportunity to save this child." said Morgan.

Spencer nodded.

"Yeah." said Spencer.

"Like I said, this is about as good a day as we're gonna get, man. Enjoy your moment." said Morgan as he clapped Spencer on the shoulder just as Hotch approached them.

"Hotch, do you think it would be possible to wait until tomorrow to return home?" asked Spencer.

Hotch nodded as he thought about giving Spencer some more time with his mother before looking at Morgan.

"Do you think you could find something to do in Las Vegas for the night?" asked Hotch.

Morgan grinned before Hotch smiled and walked away with Morgan.

xxxxxx

Spencer approached his mother with Dr. Norman, and when Diana finished taking a sip of water she looked at her son.

"I'm proud of you, Spencer." said Diana.

"For what?" asked Spencer.

"Saving that boy." said Diana.

"How'd you know?" asked Spencer.

"I told you. A mother knows." said Diana.

"Dr. Norman gave me permission to sleep on the couch in your room tonight if it's all right with you." said Spencer.

Diana gave Dr. Norman a stern look.

"If anyone tries to keep him in here any longer, I'll scratch your eyes out." said Diana.

A slightly disturbed Dr. Norman looked at Spencer.

"One night only." said Dr. Norman before walking away.

"It helps if they think you're crazy. They don't argue." said Diana.

Spencer quickly sat down across from his mother.

"I have new pictures and videos of Jocelyn to show you." said Spencer.

"Then please show me." said Diana.

Spencer reached into his messenger bag where he started showing his mom all the photos of Jocelyn he was going to send her before showing the videos he made on his video camera.

"I just can't believe that Jocelyn's three-months-old." said Diana.

"I know." said Spencer.

"I'm glad that you met Maeve since she makes you happy." said Diana.

"She makes me happy too." smiled Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Later on that night Spencer woke up to his usual nightmare that included his father this time.


	23. Spencer Confronts His Father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make some huge changes for Memoriam because of Maeve's influence on Spencer, and please don't be upset about William Reid meeting his granddaughter once since my grandma (Who has watched Criminal Minds since the beginning helped me brainstorm this chapter) insisted that William Reid should get to meet his granddaughter at least once while enjoying the counterbalance that I came up with which involves William Reid having to face consequences for leaving Spencer in a dangerous situation.
> 
> This chapter starts the morning after the last chapter.

The next morning Spencer was leaving Bennington when his cellphone rang causing him to see that it was Maeve.

"I was just about to call you and ask you if you wouldn't mind me staying for a few more days." said Spencer.

"Well its a good thing that you already decided on staying in Vegas for a few more days because my parents, Josie, and I are currently with your team at The Fountain View." said Maeve.

"Really?" asked Spencer.

"Last night Aaron called me and told me that David and Penelope booked mom, dad, and me a flight, and we just arrived at The Fountain View a half hour ago." said Maeve.

"Why?" asked Spencer.

"Your teammates decided that you should cash in a few vacation days to spend some extra time with your mom while Josie gets to see her grandma Diana again, and you should probably hurry to the hotel and rescue our daughter from Derek who is currently being approached by some women asking him if Josie's his daughter." laughed Maeve.

"I'll get there as quick as I can, and I better call Hotch to thank him." said Spencer before hanging up.

A few seconds later Spencer had Hotch on the phone.

"So I take it you found out about the surprise I arranged for you?" asked Hotch.

"I did, and thank you." said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxxx

Spencer rushed into the hotel that he stayed in with his teammates and hurried towards Morgan and took his baby girl from Morgan.

"I missed you so much, Josie." said Spencer as he kissed his daughter's forehead before giving Maeve a kiss, "Hi." said Spencer.

"Hi." said Maeve.

A few seconds later Jocelyn started fussing causing Maeve to look at her husband.

"She's most likely hungry so I'll take Josie up to your hotel room while you spend a few moments with your team." said Maeve.

"You have a key?" asked Spencer.

"I had the front desk give Maeve one." said Rossi.

"Thank you." said Spencer.

After Maeve and Jocelyn were out of ear shot, Spencer looked at his teammates.

"Thank you for having Maeve, Josie, and my in-laws come out here." said Spencer.

"With how difficult the case was for you, we all thought that you deserve some time with your mom while Jocelyn gets to see her grandmother again." said Emily.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"I'll pay you back for spending all of that money on the plane tickets." said Spencer.

"Its my early Christmas gift for you." said Rossi.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"So what are you guys going to do other than visit your mom?" asked Morgan.

Spencer learned forward.

"I'm going to track down my father and demand the truth about why he left mom and me." whispered Spencer.

"So your not going to look into Riley Jenkins's murder?" asked a whispering Morgan.

"Not at all, but finding about the truth from him would help put my nightmares to rest." said Spencer.

"Good luck, kid." said Morgan.

After Morgan, Rossi, and Emily walked away, JJ approached Spencer.

"Hey, um, take care of yourself." said JJ.

"You, too." said Spencer before glancing at JJ's belly, "Both of you." said Spencer before he hurried up to his hotel room.

xxxxxx

Spencer entered his hotel room and looked at Maeve.

"I'm going to take a shower and then we'll go out for breakfast before visiting mom." said Spencer.

"Good idea." said Maeve.

"So why did your parents tag along?" asked Spencer.

"So we can have child free night since I was given the all clear." smiled Maeve.

xxxxxxx

A half hour later Joe and Mary looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"Would you two like us to come along to see your mother, Spencer?" asked Mary.

"No need to come with us, but I will need you two to watch Josie later on today." said Spencer.

"OK." said Mary.

xxxxx

A few hours later in Quantico, Virginia Jordan looked at Emily, JJ, Rossi, and Morgan.

"Where's Dr. Reid?" asked Jordan.

"Our last case happened in Dr. Reid's hometown Las Vegas, Nevada so we all decided to fly Maeve, Jocelyn, and Maeve's parents out to Las   
Vegas so Jocelyn can see some of her relatives." said JJ.

"That's nice of you guys." said Jordan.

xxxxxxxx

An hour later Spencer looked at his mom who was holding Jocelyn.

"Mom? Can I ask you some questions about dad? I'm having... Having trouble remembering." said Spencer.

"What do you want to know?" asked Diana.

"Did he like to be around children?" asked Spencer.

"Children? Well, yes. If it were up to him, you'd have a house full of brothers and sisters." said Diana.

"So, you didn't want more kids?" asked Spencer.

"Why mess with perfection?" asked Diana before giving Spencer and Maeve a look, "I better be getting more grandchildren from you two."   
said Diana.

"We already planned that we'll have more kids." said Maeve.

"Um, what about other people's children? How was he around them?" asked Spencer.

"He was good with kids, I guess. He coached your little league team." said Diana.

Spencer and Maeve smiled softly at each other as they thought about the pictures they seen.

"He was always trying to put you into normal activities. I tried to tell him you're not normal. You were exceptional." said Diana.

xxxxxxx

As they took Jocelyn to Maeve's parents, Spencer pulled out his phone and called Garcia.

"What can I do for you, boy wonder?" asked Garcia.

"Did Morgan tell you about what I'm going to do?" asked Spencer.

"About tracking down your father?" asked Garcia.

"Yes." said Spencer.

"Luckily I already got that information for you and I was waiting for your call." said Garcia as she gave Spencer the address to his father's law firm.

After hanging up, Spencer looked at Maeve with fire in his eyes.

"He was only 10 minutes away and never let me know." said Spencer with quiet anger lacing in his voice.  
Maeve rested a hand on her husband's arm.

"Want to go there now?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

xxxxxx

Spencer and Maeve entered the lobby of Kierschenbaum, Wieder and Moore law firm when a receptionist go up and made her way to Spencer and Maeve.

"Can I help you, two?" asked the receptionist.

Maeve looked at her husband who was unable to speak.

"Yeah. We'd like to speak with William Reid." said Maeve.

"Is he expecting you?" asked the receptionist.

"I don't think so." said Spencer.

"He's in a meeting right now. Why don't you have a seat and I'll tell him you're here." said the receptionist.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were sitting while holding hands.

"You OK?" asked Maeve.

"No, but I hope he doesn't ask to be back in my life when he finds out that he's a grandfather." said Spencer quietly.

A minute later William Reid came out with the receptionist who pointed at them causing William's eyes to go wide when he noticed his son holding hands with a woman.

"Hello, dad." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

After introductions were made, Spencer and Maeve were standing in William's office when William looked at his son.

"You don't look like me anymore. You used to. Everybody said so." said William.

"They say some people look like their dogs, too. It's attributed to prolonged mutual exposure. Elderly couples, also. They unconsciously mimic the expressions of people they've been around their whole life. So, it kind of- kind of makes sense that I wouldn't really look like you. I haven't seen you in 17 years." said Spencer with quiet anger lacing in his voice.

Maeve took hold of her husband's hand and squeezed it.

"So, are you in town on work?" asked William.

"Just finished a case that dealt with a five-year-old boy being abducted and murdered." said Spencer before smiling a bit, "And my team decided to send Maeve all the way from home in DC so we can spend some time with my mom." said Spencer.

"I read about that. Uh, Ethan Hayes, right? That's terrible." said William.

"That case got me thinking about Riley Jenkins." said Spencer.

"You remember Riley Jenkins?" asked William.

"Of course. I've been having dreams about him for a really long time. But when we came back here for this case, it jogged something." said Spencer before looking at his father, "I need to know the truth because I'm scared that I'm going to abandon your three-month-old granddaughter and any other children that Maeve and I have together." said Spencer.

William sighed as he realize that his son is right.

"I have to get back to that meeting, but will you be seeing your mom later?" asked William.

"Yes." said Spencer.

"I'll make sure to leave here at 5 PM and we'll meet at the hospital." said William.

A few minutes later Maeve looked at her husband as they made their way to their rental.

"You do have his brown eyes and brown hair." said Maeve.

"I know." said Spencer.

xxxxxx

A half hour later Spencer and Maeve were pushing Jocelyn's stroller in one of the parks that Spencer frequented to as a child.

"Are you sure that your wanting to find out what happened?" asked Maeve.

"I need my frequent nightmares to stop." said Spencer.

"So what are you planning on doing if your father didn't kill that boy?" asked Maeve softly.

"I'm still not going to forgive him for leaving me in a dangerous situation." said Spencer.

"What if he asks to meet Jocelyn?" asked Maeve.

"Part of me wants to forbid my father from meeting his granddaughter, but knowing you, you'll convince me to let him meet Josie at least once." said Spencer.

"Your right about that." said Maeve.

xxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer and Maeve listened to William them about who killed Riley Jenkins until Diana remembered.

"I'd seen him around at your ball games, at the park. You used to play chess there, do you remember?" asked Diana.

Spencer nodded.

"You played with him once." said

"With Gary Michaels?" asked Spencer.

"I didn't know that was his name back then, But it wasn't unusual for you to play with adults. And you'd win, too." said Diana.

Spencer looked at his parents.

"Did he do something to me?" asked Spencer.

"Oh, no. God, no. It never got to that point. But when I saw the way he looked at you, I knew what he was. I could just tell." said Diana.

"A mother knows." said Spencer.

"Yes." said Diana.

"So, you told Riley's dad." said Spencer.

"Two nights later, Lou called the house. He was agitated. He said he needed me to meet him." said Diana as she started to explain what she could remember, "I sat there. I couldn't move. It was like a dream. That paralysis in the face of something terrible." said Diana.

"What happened after that?" asked Spencer.

William looked at his ex-wife.

"It's OK, Diana. Go on." said William.

"At some point, I found myself walking towards the house. And the rest..." said Diana as she rubbed her head, "It's all dark after that." said Diana.

"You came home. She couldn't talk at first. But eventually I came to understand what had happened. And I knew that nobody could ever know." said William.

"So, you never told anyone?" asked Spencer.

William and Diana nodded.

"No, she could have been implicated. And I had to protect her." said William before looking at his son, "But the knowing, you can't burn that away. It changes everything." said William.

"Is that why you left?" asked Spencer.

"I tried to keep us together, Spencer. I swear to you, but the weight of that knowledge, it was too much." said William.

"You could have come back. Could have started over." said Spencer.

"I didn't know how to take care of you anymore. When I lost that confidence, there was no going back." said William.

"What's done is done. At least now you know the truth." said Diana.

Maeve squeezed her husband's hand.

"I guess Riley Jenkins's murder is what led me to the FBI." said Spencer.

William nodded.

"I'm proud of you, you know that? You've done a lot of good. I mean, other people with your talents, they might have sought different opportunities. The private sector. My god, you could have made a fortune. But you chose to help people." said William before getting up.

Spencer looked at his father.

"With you not calling the police to tell them what Lou Jenkins did to protect my mom, I know that with being an FBI agent I should tell the police about what Lou Jenkins did and how Detective Hyde allowed Gary Michael's murder be covered up." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Maeve and I will keep quiet since I'm going to give you a deal that you better accept." said Spencer.

"What if I don't accept?" asked William.

Spencer gave his father his best 'Hotchner glare' that caused Maeve to stifle her giggles.

"My unit chief Aaron Hotchner who is a former criminal prosecutor will have us settle everything in court where he'll play a tape recording that was made in 2003 which involved me explaining to him about you leaving me in a dangerous situation for eight years especially since I remembered mom telling you to take me with you. And when the judge hears that recording, he or she will most likely want to revoke your license to practice law since Hotch wanted to do that right away when I told him about you leaving me with a paranoid schizophrenic." said Spencer firmly.

Diana looked at her ex-husband.

"You should accept that offer because Agent Hotchner is very protective of our son." said Diana.

William sighed.

"What are you going to have me do?" asked William.

"Until either you or mom are gone, your going to start paying for what mom's medical care isn't covered by health insurance so Maeve and I can use the money that I use from my salary to pay for Jocelyn's and any of my future children's education." said Spencer.

"Deal." said William before looking at his son, "I know that your not going to let me be in yours or my granddaughter's life again, but do you think I can meet my granddaughter at least once?" asked William.

"Maeve convinced me that I should let you meet Josie once, so you can meet your granddaughter." said Spencer.

William nodded.

"So am I going to have to travel to DC to meet Jocelyn or wait until the next time you come and visit your mom?" asked William.

Spencer pulled out his cellphone and dialed his father-in-law's number.

"Are you two on your way back?" asked Joe.

"Dad, can you bring Josie to Bennington Sanitarium?" asked Spencer.

"We'll be there in 30 minutes since Mary's currently feeding her." said Joe.

"Thank you." said Spencer before hanging up.

"Who did you just call dad?" asked William.

"My father-in-law who insisted that I call him dad." said Spencer.

"My parents insisted on coming out here so Spencer and I can have some child free time together." said Maeve.

William looked at his son.

"Tomorrow we can work out the details over paying your mom's medical bills, so whatever money is left in that account can be put into a different account." said William.

"Would you like to see a picture of Jocelyn?" asked Diana.

William nodded causing Diana to look at her son.

"Can you go grab the scrap book that you sent me?" asked Diana.

Spencer got up and grabbed the scrap book, and a few seconds later William was going through the scrap book from the ultrasound photos that Diana was sent to the most recent picture.

xxxxxx

William watched his son remove Jocelyn from her car seat, and a few seconds later Spencer was placing Jocelyn into her grandfather's arms.

"Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid, I would like to introduce you to your grandfather William Reid." said Spencer.

William looked at his granddaughter who was staring at him.

"She's beautiful." said William before taking in Jocelyn's features, "She looks just like you, Spencer." said William.

"I know." said Spencer before noticing that Jocelyn was content in her grandfather's arms.

William looked down at his granddaughter.

"I hope you don't make the same mistake as I did and leave your family." said William.

"I already promised myself that I won't leave my family." said Spencer.

"Do you think I can see Jocelyn one last time tomorrow?" asked William.

"Sure, and maybe I'll eventually allow you back into my life again." said Spencer.

"Can you take a picture of me holding Jocelyn?" asked William.

"Why?" asked Spencer.

"I ended up telling my colleagues that I found out that I have a granddaughter, and I'm wanting to show a picture." said William.

"Fine." said Spencer as he pulled out his camera and took a picture.

A minute later Diana looked at her son.

"Can there be a picture of you, Maeve, William, Jocelyn, and me together be taken?" asked Diana.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other.

"OK." said Spencer.

A few minutes later Mary was taking a picture of Spencer, Maeve, Diana, William, and Jocelyn together before Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Mary, and Joe headed back to the hotel.

xxxxxx

A few hours later Maeve looked at her sweaty husband.

"So are you glad to know the truth?" asked Maeve.

"Yes, and hopefully someday I'll let my father see Josie more often." said Spencer.

"At least you agreed to let him send Christmas and birthday presents for Josie." said Maeve.

"If I won't let him see his granddaughter a few times a year, I know that I can't stop him from sending gifts." said Spencer.

"Why don't we clean ourselves up and get some sleep since it will be a bet before we have a baby free night again." said Maeve.

"OK." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

The next evening Spencer and Maeve knocked on the open doorway of JJ's hospital room.

"Is there room for two more in here?" asked Spencer.

JJ smiled when she saw Spencer and Maeve.

"Spence, Maeve, hi." said JJ.

Hotch looked at Spencer and noticed how he looked like he had a huge weight taken off of his shoulders.

"Welcome back." said Hotch.

Spencer and Maeve looked at the baby boy that was in JJ's arms.

"Wow." said Spencer before looking at Will, "Congratulations." said Spencer as he shook hands with Will.

"Thank you." said Will.

"Congrats." said Maeve.

"Thanks." said Will.

"So did you have a good time with your mom?" asked JJ.

"She told me to extend her congratulations to you." said Spencer.

JJ looked at her boyfriend.

"Well, I could sure use some coffee. Anyone else?" asked Will.

"Sure." said Hotch.

"My treat." said Will.

"You can stay, Maeve." said JJ.

Will clapped Spencer on the shoulder before leaving the room with Hotch, Emily, Morgan, Rossi, and Garcia before JJ looked at Spencer.

"You OK?" asked JJ as she tried to calm down a fussy Henry.

"Finally confronted my father who will be paying for my mom's medical care for now on." said Spencer before looking at JJ, "You?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, yeah, you sure? 'Cause there's something I wanted to ask you, but it can wait since you two had a long flight." said JJ.

"What is it?" asked Spencer.

"Will and I were talking, and, um... We want you to be Henry's godfather." smiled JJ.

Maeve squeezed her husband's hand.

"I'm honored." said Spencer.

"Do you want to hold him?" asked JJ.

"Sure." said Spencer as he gently took Henry from JJ.

After staring at Henry for a few seconds, Spencer looked at his godson while thinking about the first time he held Jocelyn.

"Hello, Henry." said Spencer softly.

"If anything should happen to us, it's up to you and Garcia to make sure this boy gets into Yale." said JJ.

Spencer let out a breath.

"Yale. Yale? Do you want to go to Yale, Henry? That was your godfather's safety school." said Spencer before whispering, "Don't worry, I can get you into Cal-Tech with one phone call since my three month old daughter Jocelyn can get in with one phone call." whispered Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"Can I hold him?" asked Maeve.

Spencer gently passed his godson to his wife.

"He's gorgeous." said Maeve.

"Thank you, and I assume that you and Will are going to be arranging a lot of play dates while Spence and I are on cases." said JJ.

"Most likely." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve went to track down Hotch.

"So why do you look like you have a huge weight lifted from your shoulders?" asked Hotch.

"Did Garcia or Morgan say anything to you about me tracking down my father?" asked Spencer.

"Morgan mentioned on the jet that you were going to track down your dad, so what did you talk to him about?" asked Hotch.

"I told him about my reoccurring nightmare and that I'm afraid that I'll end up leaving my family like he did, so he decided that I deserved to know the truth." said Spencer before smiling a bit, "And my reoccurring nightmare didn't even happen last night." said Spencer.

"Are you willing to explain why?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded before looking at Maeve who nodded.

"How about I tell you over dinner at our house." said Spencer.

"OK." said Hotch before smiling a little bit, "And I better be the one to hold Jocelyn." said Hotch.

"Deal." said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

While dinner cooked in the oven, Spencer told Hotch who was holding Jocelyn about the real reason why his father left and the deal he made with his father. When Spencer was finished, Hotch was laughing.

"I wish I was there to see his face when you glared at him." said Hotch.

"I had to work hard to hold back my laughter, and Diana ended up warning William that your very protective of Spencer." said Maeve.

"So do you think I gave my father an appropriate deal?" asked Spencer.

"You sure did." said Hotch before looking at Spencer and Maeve, "Does he know about his granddaughter?" asked Hotch.

"He does." said Spencer.

"Are you going to let him be in your life again?" asked Hotch.

Spencer shook his head.

"I'm not allowing him back in my life unless its to deal with mom's medical care, but I did allow him to hold his granddaughter since he asked me if he could meet his granddaughter while giving him permission to send Josie gifts on her birthday and Christmas." said Spencer before pulling out his phone to show Hotch a picture of his father holding Jocelyn.

"He looks like an older version of you." said Hotch.

"I know, and mom insisted that a picture of her, dad, Maeve, Josie, and me was taken." said Spencer as he showed Hotch the picture.

"That's a good picture." said Hotch.

"I know, but I'm grateful that I finally learned the truth." said Spencer.

"I'm glad too." said Hotch as he smiled down at Jocelyn who smiled back at him.


	24. Masterpiece

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I do 52 Pick Up for the next chapter, Austin won't ask Spencer if she can still call him since she'll see his wedding band.

Spencer looked at Maeve who was tying his tie for him.

"I'm not looking forward about giving a recruitment seminar with Rossi." said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Maeve.

"Even though I'm comfortable guest lecturing for Dr. Alex Blake at Georgetown since I'm talking about linguistics for her students who are all intelligent, I just don't know why the FBI has me do seminars like the one I'm giving today." said Spencer.

"The FBI waived their age requirement for you since your one of the most famous academics in this country." said Maeve before smirking slightly, "And your easy to look at. I could have asked anyone else at that coffee shop if I could sit with them, but I decided to sit by you since you looked intelligent and cute." said Maeve.

Spencer blushed a bit before he heard crying through the baby monitor.

"How about I go get breakfast started while you tend to Josie." said Spencer.

"Deal." said Maeve before running her hand down her husband's chest, "When you come home tonight, I'll show you what I mean." said Maeve.

Spencer groaned causing him to quickly hurry towards the kitchen while Maeve dealt with their daughter.

xxxxxxx

Spencer looked at the students that they presented to.

"Most of us have done extensive post-graduate work in areas such as abnormal psychology and sociology, as well as intensive study of relative case work and existing literature." said Spencer.

"But that's after selection to the unit. First you have to be an agent, work in the field, and that's what we're here to talk about. For that, the academics are wide open. Everyone in this room, once you graduate, regardless of your course study, is eligible to apply to the FBI." said Rossi.

"What did you study?" asked a male student.

"Criminal justice. But sports appreciation was all full up at my community college." said Rossi causing some laughter.

Rossi gestured to Spencer.

"I hold doctorates in chemistry, mathematics, and engineering, as well as BAs in psychology and sociology." said Spencer.

After everyone was silent for 10 seconds, a female student looked at Spencer.

"How old are you?" asked a female student.

"Uh, I'm 27. As of last month, I turned 27." said Spencer before deciding to tell everyone the degree he's currently working on, "I'm-I'm also completing an additional BA in philosophy. Which reminds me that I have a joke." chuckled Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"How many existentialists does it take to screw in a light bulb?" asked Spencer.

"Don't." said Rossi.

"Two. One to change the light bulb and one to observe how it symbolizes an incandescent Beacon of subjectivity in a netherworld of cosmic nothingness. Um, an existentialist would-." said Spencer.

"OK, before he does his quantum physics knock-knock joke-." said Rossi causing some laughter, "Do we have any other questions about opportunities in the FBI?" asked Rossi.

"Did you ever shoot anybody?" asked a student.

Spencer and Rossi exchanged glances.

"Yes." said Rossi.

"Yes." said Spencer.

Another student raised her hand.

"Are either of you single?" asked a female student.

Spencer and Rossi exchanged another glance at each other.

"I'm single." said Rossi.

Spencer held up his left hand.

"I'm married." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

After students thanked them for coming, Rossi looked at Spencer.

"You do know we want them to actually join the bureau?" asked Rossi.

"What?" asked Spencer.

"We want these kids to think it's a cool place to work." said Rossi.

Spencer thought about how starstruck he was to meet Jason Gideon while being saddened at the thought about Gideon not knowing about Maeve and Jocelyn.

"I understand that, yeah." said Spencer before they were thanked again.

"Existentialism?" asked Rossi.

"Existentialism is-." said Spencer before he was thanked again, "Yeah, that was a funny joke. What do you mean?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, to Sigmund Freud." said Rossi as they turned towards some stairs.

"I tell them I shouldn't- they keep on sending me here. I don't know why." said Spencer.

"Because you're young." said Rossi.

"Young or Jung?" asked Spencer just as an older man approached them.

"Dr. Reid?" asked a man causing Spencer and Rossi to turn around, "Wouldn't they sit in the dark and hope that the bulb decided to light again?" asked the man.

"Excuse me?" asked Spencer.

"An existentialist would never change the bulb. He would allow the darkness to exist." said the man.

Spencer nodded while chuckling.

"Yeah, that's pretty good." said Spencer before he started to head down the stairs.

"I'm Professor Rothschild. It was a brilliant presentation. Brilliant. You're a remarkably effective recruitment tool. The FBI is very lucky to have you." said Professor Rothschild.

Rossi looked at his watch.

"Thank you for saying that." said Spencer.

"May I show you something?" asked Professor Rothschild.

"Yeah, of course." said Spencer.

"It's all right here." said Professor Rothschild as he handed Spencer a portfolio.

Spencer opened up the picture to see pictures of screaming women.

"I don't understand. What-what are these?" asked Spencer.

"Seven homicide victims." said Professor Rothschild.

"Homicide?" asked Rossi.

"Seven women. The bodies have never been found. Not a fingernail, not a hair fiber. Acid is a very tidy way of disposing of something." said Professor Rothschild as he took the pictures from Spencer.

"Acid?" asked Rossi.

"Are you saying that you killed these women?" asked Spencer.

"There is still time to save the others, though." said Professor Rothschild.

"Others?" asked Rossi.

"Five more." said Professor Rothschild.

"What do you mean?" asked Spencer.

"In a bit less than nine hours, five other people are going to be dead. Unless, you can find a way to save them." said Professor Rothschild as   
he threw the pictures into the air.

xxxxxxx

As Spencer and Rossi headed to a van with campus security escorting Professor Rothschild, Rossi called Hotch causing Spencer to listen to Rossi's side of the conversation before they reached an SUV.

"What is this?" asked Spencer.

"Do not forget a word he says the rest of the time we have him." said Rossi.

Spencer nodded before he got into the front passenger seat where Spencer sent Maeve a text message.

EVEN THOUGH I'M DONE WITH MY LECTURE, I'M NOW WORKING ON A LOCAL CASE THAT WILL ALLOW ME TO COME HOME TONIGHT. SO I MIGHT BE MISSING DINNER. ~ SR

xxxxxx

Spencer looked back at Professor Rothschild.

"So you said you're a professor at Strayer?" asked Spencer.

"No." said Professor Rothschild.

"You didn't?" asked Spencer.

"No." said Professor Rothschild.

"I mean, you did introduce yourself as professor Rothschild, right?" asked Spencer.

"Your degree in philosophy surprises me, Dr. Reid. It doesn't fit with mathematics and engineering." said Professor Rothschild.

"I kind of like it because there's no right or wrong answers." said Spencer.

"Without right or wrong, how would we recognize perfection?" asked Professor Rothschild.

"Is this fun for you?" asked Rossi.

"Excuse me?" asked Professor Rothschild.

"Are you having fun?" asked Rossi.

"It's quite a bit more complicated than that." said Professor Rothschild.

"What do you mean?" asked Rossi.

"You wouldn't understand." said Professor Rothschild.

"Try me." said Rossi.

"I read your books, David. You're not of the intellectual capacity to grasp what's going on here." said Professor Rothschild.

"If you're trying to piss me off, it's not gonna work. But if you killed seven women without leaving a trace of evidence, why turn yourself in?"   
asked Rossi.

"Imagine what the world would have missed if Da Vinci never showed his work." said Professor Rothschild.

xxxxx

Spencer and Rossi entered the bullpen with Professor Rothschild only to see their teammates watching the news.

"Earlier this morning, police were contacted and informed that Kaylee Robinson, Who ran a daycare center out of her home, had been abducted along with four children. When a parent arrived at 9:30 this morning to drop off her child, she discovered the door..." said a reporter.

"What's going on?" asked Spencer.

"He said there were five more victims we could save?" asked Hotch as he gestured to the TV.

"A woman was abducted this morning in Loretto, Virginia. She runs a home daycare center. She had 4 children with her." said Jordan as she   
saw anger in Spencer's eyes.

"They're all missing." said Emily.

"All five." said Morgan.

Rossi looked at Professor Rothschild.

"Are those the five more?" asked Rossi.

"Are you pissed off yet, David?" asked Professor Rothschild.

Rossi quickly walked Professor Rothschild away.

xxxxxx

Spencer stood outside of the interrogation room with Hotch when Morgan and Rossi joined them.

"I never have any normal fans." said Spencer.

"This guy loves the attention." said Morgan.

"He has a God complex. Sooner or later he'll give up something important about Kaylee and the kids. Guys like him always do." said Rossi.

"Before he hurts them?" asked Morgan.

"1:45. He said we had till 10:00." said Hotch.

"We need a button to push." said Rossi.

"The seven original homicides could give us some leverage." said Morgan.

"He says we'll never find any evidence so he has nothing to worry about on them." said Rossi.

"He made of point of saying there are no bodies, no physical evidence." said Spencer.

"We just have to show that a crime was committed. We can do that circumstantially." said Hotch.

Rossi turned around.

"We need to identify the original seven women. Going back in there with names just might shake him up." said Rossi.

"How do we do that?" asked Spencer.

"Reverse profiling." said Rossi.

"Learn everything we can about him and his methods And then profile it back to what kind of victim he would choose and from where." said Hotch.

"From the unsub to the victim." said Morgan.

xxxxxx

Spencer and Hotch both paced in the conference room while Emily, Garcia, and Rossi were sitting down.

"I went through ViCAP. There are literally thousands of open missing women cases across the country." said Garcia.

"It's not the entire country, though. Kaylee was abducted at 9:30 this morning." said Spencer.

"He had time to take them somewhere, hide them, and make it to Fredericksburg two hours later. He'd need a place with a lot of privacy to hide five victims." said Emily.

"A house." said Hotch.

"He's local." said Rossi.

"He was late for the presentation. You know, it was more like 2. 5 hours after the abduction. He got there around noon, which puts him somewhere around that radius." said Spencer.

"Garcia, work up a map. We need the farthest point he could have taken Kaylee from Loretto And still gotten back to Fredericksburg by noon." said Hotch.

"Shouldn't be too hard." said Garcia.

Rossi stood up and grabbed a marker.

"All right, what do we know so far? He's obsessively neat and clean. He did research on Reid and me at least. He's abducted 5 people, and then gets to a scheduled recruitment session at a specific time. That's extensive pre-planning." said Rossi as he wrote on the board.

Spencer looked at Garcia.

"Did you find anything in those pictures, Garcia?" asked Spencer.

"I can't even positively say they're dead." said Garcia.

"What about hair color?" asked Rossi.

"All the ones that show hair, they appear to be brunettes." said Garcia as Morgan started coming towards them.

"So is Kaylee." said Rossi.

"I'll start there. Brunettes from central Virginia that are missing." said Garcia as she wrote down what she will search.

"Ident got zip on his prints. He's not in any system. He's a ghost." said Morgan.

"All right, if he hasn't been fingerprinted, he hasn't been arrested. Which also means he hasn't had a passport, driver's license, or been in the military," said Rossi.

Spencer thought about his mom being a professor before she was forced to retire.

"Never been a teacher, either. You have to be fingerprinted to be a teacher." said Spencer.

"So he's a professor who doesn't teach." said Rossi.

"What kind of professor doesn't teach?" asked Jordan.

"A researcher? Someone on a grant, maybe." said Spencer.

"A grant would give him the time." said Hotch.

"There must be some sort of central grant database. I can't imagine the government just handing out money and not- I'll look into it." said   
Garcia as she closed her binder and stood up.

"From past conversations, we know he's a narcissist and seemingly remorseless." said Rossi.

"Psychopath." said Morgan.

"You know, we can eliminate a lot of these open missing persons cases if we could just figure out how he met them." said Emily.

"Jordan, contact the Loretto PD and get us invitation to consult on the Kaylee Robinson case. Be nice to them. They don't have to let us. And then you and Morgan go down there and find out what you can." said Hotch.

Morgan looked at Jordan.

"Let's go." said Morgan.

"Prentiss, I need you to do something for me." said Rossi.

"Anything." said Emily as she stood up.

"What's our strategy going to be in there with the interrogation?" asked Spencer.

Rossi turned around.

"You're not gonna be in the room." said Rossi.

"What do you mean?" asked Spencer.

"That's what he wants. He wants to play with you. We have to knock him off his game. That's all we have right now." said Rossi.

Hotch noticed a look on Spencer's face.

"He's right." said Hotch.

xxxx

Spencer hurried into Garcia's lair with Rossi.

"He said one of them is already dead." said Spencer.

"One of the five." said Rossi.

"There are only three children." said Hotch.

Spencer's heart broke at the sight of the three children.

"Is this them?" asked Spencer.

"An anonymous site emailed to me." said Garcia.

"He said one will die every two hours, not all five in ten. When he said 10 hours, I just assumed-." said Rossi before Spencer decided to interrupt.

"It's a chess game, he's two moves ahead." said Spencer.

"Let's not get diverted. How we doing with the seven missing women?" asked Hotch.

Garcia quickly did some typing.

"So far, I've got 39 missing brunettes in central Virginia." said Garcia.

"OK, 30 years old like Kaylee. Narcissists tend to be extremely preferential." said Hotch.

Garcia did some typing.

"28." said Garcia.

"He said he's been working on this for five years." said Rossi.

Garcia did some typing.

"Over the last five years, 17." said Garcia.

"All right, if he thinks he's going to jail for even one of the original seven homicides, Maybe he'll tell us where the rest of them are and give himself some deal room. How long do we have until the next one?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at his watch.

"One hour, 48 minutes." said Spencer.

"Dave, can I speak to you for a second?" asked Hotch.

Rossi left the room with Hotch leaving Spencer with Emily and Garcia.

xxxxx

"Margaret Peters, another Gloucester point. Disappeared in 2006 on her way to work. Last seen at the coffee shop she went to every morning." said Hotch.

"Check." said Garcia as she wrote on the clear board.

"That's number six. We need one more." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Spencer looked at the live feed on the laptop that they set up in the room.

"She put herself closest to the end, farthest from the camera." said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Emily.

"Maybe she knows something we don't, like she doesn't have a lot of time. Let's continue." said Hotch.

Another missing woman's face came onto the monitor.

"Uh, Lindsay Connor. She was last seen when she stepped out to have a cigarette while having a blown tire fixed." said Emily.

"Doesn't sound like something routine." said Spencer.

"Lisa McDaniel, Saluda, went missing early 2008 while on her daily jog." said Hotch.

"Oh, she fits." said Emily.

"That's seven, including Kaylee, that makes 8." said Hotch.

All eight womens' faces came up onto the monitor.

"Woah." said Emily.

"They're all incredibly beautiful." said Hotch.

"Almost unnaturally." said Spencer.

"What are the chances that three out of our seven victims are from the same town?" asked Garcia.

"What's the population of Saluda?" asked Emily.

Spencer thought about the research he did when he moved out east.

"Middlesex county is small, but it's near water. A lot of people have boats there and weekend homes." said Spencer.

"And two from Gloucester point." said Hotch just as Spencer's work phone chimed.

Spencer quickly pulled out his phone and saw a picture.

"Morgan just sent this to me from the Robinson house." said Spencer before he had a flashback to his conversation with their mystery man before handing Hotch his phone.

Spencer walked over to the clear board.

"Perfection." whispered Spencer before he had another flashback causing him to shake a marker before writing Loretto and 5 on the board before the wheels in his brain started to turn causing Hotch, Emily, and Garcia to stare at him as they watched Spencer think about what he was told.

As soon as Spencer came back to reality, he drew a circle on the board.

"1-1-2-3-5." said Spencer before he drew a line down the middle of the circle.

"Does that mean something?" asked Emily.

Spencer quickly ran out of the room, and over a minute later he stormed into the interrogation room.

"Dr. Reid..." said Professor Rothschild.

Spencer yanked the pendant off of Professor Rothschild neck and held it up.

"I know where to find them." said Spencer smugly.

xxxxxx

Spencer entered the conference room with Rossi and Garcia.

"Garcia, can you put the map of Virginia up on screen?" asked Spencer as he moved the clear board away before looking at his teammates, "It's an irrational number known as "phi." It's based on the ratio of line segments to each other and of the whole. It's called the golden ratio." said Spencer.

"Golden rat- that's the web address, goldenrat .net." said Garcia.

"It's a ratio found all through life. In fact, many people that we find conventionally attractive are proportioned based on that ratio. He, uh, he made a reference to Leonardo Da Vinci, remember this? Da Vinci used it in a lot of his paintings. A matter of fact, the last supper-" rambled Spencer.

"Reid, Reid, how do we find them?" asked Hotch as he tried to get Spencer to point.

Spencer held up the pendant.

"The whole concept is represented by this pendant, including the logarithmic spiral created by using a Fibonacci sequence. Follow me on this. You can manipulate this image, right?" asked Spencer.

"Tell me what you need." said Garcia.

"Pull up all the towns that the missings are from." said Spencer.

Garcia did what Spencer asked her to do.

"Wonderful." said Spencer as he pointed at the map, "We had one in Richmond. One in Dinwiddie, then two in Gloucester point, and three in Saluda, and finally 5 in Loretto this morning. 1-1-2-3-5 is a Fibonacci series. Each number added to the number before it. It's what his ticks mean. He's subconsciously counting off the Fibonacci sequence in his head over and over again. Now geometrically, it can be expressed as a spiral. It's called a logarithmic spiral. Can you put the spiral up on the map?" asked Spencer.

Garcia put up a picture of the logarithmic spiral on the map.

"Thanks. Ok, now flip it 180 degrees." said Spencer.

Garcia rotated the spiral on the map.

"Now make it bigger. Bigger, just a little bit bigger." said Spencer as Garcia followed his instructions, "Stop, stop, stop." said Spencer.

Garcia stopped making the spiral bigger.

"The pendant is like a key." said Spencer as he held up the pendant to the map, "Chester, Virginia." said Spencer.

Rossi came forward.

"You're sure?" asked Rossi.

"With his level of obsession with these numbers, the ratio will have permeated his entire life. If we took a city map of Chester, the location where Kaylee and her children are being held will follow one of these points on that map as well. The ratio works with any scale at all." said Spencer.

"Morgan and Todd are closer. Call them and tell them to get to Chester. I'm gonna get a chopper ready. Reid and Prentiss, get a city map   
and you're with me." said Hotch before leaving the room.

"There's still something... Bugging me about this." said Rossi.

"What?" asked Spencer.

"Do what Hotch said and I'll text you." said Rossi.

"OK." said Spencer.

xxxx

Spencer, Hotch, and Emily where waiting by the door as a helicopter landed, causing all three agents to who had their sunglasses on and their Kevlar vests in their arms to quickly run towards the waiting helicopter before a pilot helped them get in before they put on headphones.

xxxxxxx

As the helicopter weaved through some mountains, Spencer felt his cellphone vibrating causing him to pull it out of his suit jacket causing him to see a text message and pass his phone to Hotch before Emily called Jordan.

xxxxx

Spencer got out of an SUV with Emily and Hotch and a few seconds later he was rushing towards a house before going around where he found the acid tanks.

xxxxxx

Spencer stood by a police car with Emily when Emily looked at Spencer.

"I bet your glad that you have a PhD in mathematics." said Emily.

"I am." said Spencer.

"Do you think my goddaughter will end up earning a PhD in mathematics too?" asked Emily.

"Only time will tell." said Spencer before he heard Morgan and Jordan bicker.

"They're at it again." smiled Emily.

Spencer shook his head as he and Emily decided to join Morgan and Jordan.

"The man is waiting for a phone call. You told him you'd call him personally." smiled Jordan.

"Am I ever gonna catch a break with you?" asked Morgan before walking away.

"I can dial the number if you'd like." said Jordan as she hurried after Morgan, "I mean, aren't you Supervisory Special Agent Morgan?" asked Jordan.

Spencer and Emily exchanged amused glances.

"This is going to be interesting." smiled Spencer.

"Yeah." said Emily.

Spencer and Emily started walking side by side.

"I'm at least looking forward for next week being a short week." said Spencer.

"Excited about seeing your mom again?" asked Emily.

"Yes." said Spencer.

"When you tracked down your father last week, did you tell him that you'll be in town for Thanksgiving?" asked Emily.

"I told him that I'm not allowing him back into my life." said Spencer.

"Some of us believed that you should have made sure that your father's license to practice law should have gotten revoked." said Emily.

"I know, but I'm not that type of person who would do that. So I thought that having my father take over paying for my mom's medical care would be a good punishment so I can use the money I put aside for my mom's medical care for Josie." said Spencer.

xxxxx

Spencer smiled down as Jocelyn as he rocked his daughter to sleep.

"At least I know that you and your mommy will always be a fan of me." said Spencer softly.

Jocelyn smiled at her daddy who had started singing.

"Sleep well my child and peace attend thee, all through the night. Guardian angels God attend thee, all through the night." sang Spencer as he continued to sing his favorite lullaby as he sung his daughter to sleep.

xxxxxx

20 minutes later Spencer entered the master bedroom and groaned when he saw Maeve wearing purple lingerie.

"I promised you that I would prove to you about what I mean earlier today." said Maeve as she started to undress her husband.


	25. 52 Pick up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spencer will not be cheating on Maeve in this chapter, and this chapter takes place the same week as the last chapter.

Spencer smiled at Jocelyn who was scooting on her tummy on the floor.

"Pretty soon you'll be crawling." said Spencer.

Jocelyn lifted up her head and grinned at her daddy who ended up taking a picture.

xxxxxx

The next morning Spencer and Maeve woke up to Jocelyn whimpering through the baby monitor before seeing that it was 6 AM.

"Six hours of interrupted sleep is a good start." said Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"I take care of breakfast while you take care of Josie?" asked Spencer as he got out of bed and started to pull on the clothing he laid out.

"Yes." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer was in the kitchen making scrambled eggs, bacon, and shredded hash browns.

xxxxx

Spencer pulled a framed photo out of his messenger bag.

"A new picture?" asked Emily.

"Two weeks ago Maeve and I had our first family portraits done, and Maeve picked them up yesterday." said Spencer.

"Let me see." said Emily as she motioned Morgan to come over.

Morgan smiled when he saw the grin on Jocelyn's face.

"Now how did the photographer get my goddaughter to smile like that?" asked Morgan.

"The photographer used some toys." said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Since next week I'll be giving my mom a copy, my mom wrote in a letter that I should let dad have a copy." said Spencer.

"Really?" asked Emily.

"Since tracking down your father do you know if your father is visiting your mom more?" asked Morgan.

"My dad has visited my mom four times since I tracked him down last week." said Spencer.

"How do you know that?" asked Emily.

"After Randall Gardner, I asked that I'm alerted every time my mom has a visitor that doesn't involve my aunt, uncle, or cousin." said Spencer.

"Maybe your mom is giving your father a second chance since being grandparents is giving them a reason to talk." said Emily.

"But I'm still not letting my father see Josie and me every time I take Josie to Vegas." said Spencer just as Jordan came into the bullpen.

"We have a case." said Jordan.

Five minutes later Spencer was sitting in the conference room with his teammates Jordan pulled a picture of a young woman up on the monitor.

"Vanessa Holden, age 25. Last Friday night, she was clubbing with her sister. A stranger, white male, roughly her age, picked her up. They left the club at 1 AM, went back to her place. He forced her on her hands and knees." said Jordan before showing a crime scene photo, "And then he cut her open just below the stomach." said Jordan.

"Woah." said Morgan.

"Yeah. Pretty rough." said Rossi.

"The gutting causes the intestines to spill out. You can survive for a few hours, actually even days." said Spencer.

"Postmortem indicates that he slit her throat at 5 AM." said Jordan.

"So he disemboweled her but didn't kill her for 4 hours." said Rossi.

"He could be a sexual sadist." said Emily.

"Yeah, I thought so, too, but I found two priors from a year ago-," said Jordan as files were passed around, "Prostitutes, actually, in motel rooms." said Jordan.

"OK. So keep running with it. Why do you think this is the same unsub?" asked Morgan.

Jordan pulled up more crime scene photos.

"In Vanessa Holden's apartment, the following were discover- bleach, ammonia, trash bags- all in a triangular pattern." said Jordan before   
pulling out another picture, "One year ago, motel rooms- bleach, ammonia, trash bags- Also in a triangular pattern." said Jordan.

"He's cleaning up." said Emily.

"Might be trying to hide his tracks." said Morgan.

"Could be a sign of remorse." said Spencer.

"Apologizing for the murder by minimizing the mess." said Rossi.

"But there's one other commonality between both sets of murders. Bleach and ammonia were found under the victim's fingernails." said Jordan.

"He's making them clean up their own murder." said Morgan.

"It's the same unsub." said Hotch before looking at his team, "This will be our last case before we're on stand down for Thanksgiving next week." said Hotch as he gave a departure time.

Spencer smiled a bit at the thought about seeing his mom again before Hotch looked at him.

"Reid, mind if I talk to you in my office right now?" asked Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was in Hotch's office when Hotch looked at his youngest agent.

"Since this is our first case in Georgia since Hankel, would you like to sit out and start Thanksgiving break a bit earlier?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at his unit chief.

"As much as I would never like to step foot in Georgia again, but I have to try and see if I can handle being in Georgia again since there will be more cases in Georgia." said Spencer.

"I'll make sure that I'll double up at the hotel room with you tonight just in case you have any nightmares." said Hotch.

Spencer nodded at his boss.

"Why don't you call Maeve and let her know that your leaving." said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer had Maeve on the phone.

"Where are you off to this time?" asked Maeve.

"Atlanta, Georgia." said Spencer nervously.

"Are you sure that you want to go back to Georgia?" asked Maeve.

"I was already asked by Hotch if I wanted to sit out, but I know that I have to see if I can handle being in Georgia again." said Spencer before thinking about his daughter, "Even though I gave Josie a kiss before leaving the house this morning, will you give her a kiss from me and tell her that I'll talk to her at bedtime?" asked Spencer.

"I certainly will, and I expect a kiss from you when you get home." teased Maeve.

"You'll get one, but I'll let you get back to work." said Spencer.

"Love you." said Maeve.

"Love you too." said Spencer before hanging up.

xxxxxxxx

"So if the unsub changed the victimology, does that make him organized or disorganized?" asked Emily.

"Well, the prostitutes point one way, the club goes another." said Morgan.

Spencer looked at a crime scene photo while thinking about this case being his first case back in Georgia since Hankel.

"The triangular arrangement of the cleaning supplies is interesting." said Spencer.

"Obsessive compulsive?" asked Hotch.

"Might have been institutionalized." said Emily.

"We're missing the forest for the trees here. This guy started with prostitutes a high risk victimology. Took a year off, came back, killed a   
socialite." said Rossi.

"No forced entry, no coercion of any kind." said Morgan.

"Exactly. So how does our unsub go from loser of the year to Don Juan?" asked Rossi.

"Actually, as Byron interpreted him, Don Juan was an ironic reversal of sex roles. And when-." said Spencer before he noticed Hotch giving him a look, "Th-that's about it." said Spencer as he blamed his awkward moment on having to deal with returning to Georgia again.

"Something must have happened between the last prostitute and Vanessa Holden making him change his victimology." said Hotch.

"Could the unsub have known Vanessa?" asked Jordan.

"It's unlikely. Sexual sadists attack anonymously." said Morgan.

"They have to sever a personal connection and see their victims as objects to perpetrate this level of torture." said Spencer.

"We have to build two profiles, then. One for the unsub who killed prostitutes, one for the unsub who goes to clubs." said Emily.

"We've never done that before." said Rossi.

"Prentiss is right. The victimology is so different, we'll treat them as separate unsubs and see what overlaps. Reid, work up a geographic profile, focus on location of the murders. Prentiss and Rossi, concentrate on the prostitutes. Jordan, Morgan, and I will go deal with Vanessa Holden." said Hotch.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"Are you OK with being back in Atlanta?" asked Morgan.

"Even though it hasn't been two years, I know that I can't always avoid cases in this state." said Spencer before Emily squeezed his shoulder.

"What's going on?" asked Jordan.

Spencer reached into his pants pocket and fiddled with his one year medallion.

"Last year in February I was abducted and held captive by an unsub in rural Georgia, and this is our first case in Georgia since my abduction." said Spencer before his phone vibrated causing Spencer to see a text from Maeve.

WHEN I WENT DOWN TO THE DAYCARE SO I COULD CHECK ON JOSIE, AND I ENDED UP GETTING A BIG SMILE FROM HER WHEN I TOLD HER THAT I AM GIVING HER A KISS FROM DADDY. ~ MR

Spencer smiled softly at the picture.

"A picture of my goddaughter?" asked Emily.

Spencer showed Emily the picture and Emily smiled at picture of the brown curly haired and brown eyes three month old baby girl.

"I just can't believe how beautiful she is." said Emily.

"Even though Josie's not even four months old yet, its still hard for me to leave her for cases." said Spencer before he focused on the file in front of him.

xxxxxxx

Spencer walked into an Atlanta police department with his teammates when Jordan approached Detective Harding.

"Detective Harding?" asked Jordan.

"Hi." said Detective Harding as she shook hands with Jordan.

"Agent Jordan Todd." said Jordan.

"Thank you for coming." said Detective Harding as she shook hands with Hotch.

"SSAs Hotchner, Morgan, Dr. Reid." said Jordan.

"How you doing?" asked Morgan.

"How are you?" asked Detective Harding.

"Hey, is there a DNA match between the unsub and the prostitutes? We could run through ViCAP just in case." said Spencer.

"Um, there's no DNA at all. No prints, no fibers. Just like Vanessa, everything gets cleaned up." said Detective Harding.

"Pretty effective forensic countermeasure." said Morgan.

"What about witnesses? Somebody must have seen something." said Hotch.

"Oh, yeah. Lots of people." said Detective Harding.

"So you have a sketch." stated Morgan.

Detective Harding pulled out a drawing and passed it to Morgan.

"It's a little vague." said Spencer.

"That's because of this guy's other countermeasure. Take a look." said Detective Harding as she played security camera footage, "So this   
guy right here, that's our killer." said Detective Harding as she pointed at a man.

"It looks like a fedora." said Jordan.

"So he's drawing attention to his face while simultaneously obscuring it." said Hotch.

"It's called peacocking. The adornment of some sort of flashy affect to sort of try to distract witnesses." said Spencer.

"So none of your witness statements agree?" asked Morgan.

Detective Harding looked at the statements and started to read out loud.

"He had a mole, "he didn't have a mole." He had a gap between his teeth, no, his teeth were perfect." read Detective Harding.

"Detective, we're gonna have to have a sit-down with Ashley Holden. She got the best look at the unsub." said Jordan.

"Well, I wish I could make that happen, but unfortunately, the family has decided to stop cooperating." said Detective Harding.

"Why is that?" asked Hotch.

"They won't say. Yesterday the mother would move heaven and earth to help find her daughter's killer. Today, no, thanks." said Detective Harding.

Jordan started dialing on her work phone.

"I'll take care of this." said Jordan before walking away.

xxxxxxx

Spencer walked towards his teammates with two to go cups of coffee in his hands.

"The unsub killed the prostitutes in separate pay-by-the-hour motels in Fulton county." said Spencer as he handed Morgan one of the cups as he pointed at his geographical profile, "Right there in one of the poorer neighborhoods he area. Now, Vanessa Holden's apartment was in the Peachtree district, where there's a lot of big money. Based on the geography, he isn't just changing his victimology, he's changed his whole tax bracket." said Spencer.

"The high profile of Vanessa Holden bears that out. By killing her, he was climbing the social ladder." said Morgan while Spencer sat down.

Rossi looked at a newspaper that he had in his lap.

"If that's the case, this unsub had a long way to climb. Both prostitutes advertised here. Look at their pictures." said Rossi.

Hotch looked at the picture.

"Subservient positioning, asking to be dominated." said Hotch.

"Promising to come to you? That cuts out the social interaction of meeting on a street corner." said Emily.

"That's a long way from a self assured unsub who hits the clubs." said Morgan.

"Except he took a year off between the murders. Maybe he took that time to change himself." said Hotch.

"That's impossible." said Morgan.

"Why?" asked Hotch.

"Well, I mean, you're talking about a total transformation here. I mean how you talk, I mean how you dress, how you think about yourself."   
said Morgan.

"Difficult maybe. Not impossible." said Hotch.

"He already started killing. There must have been a secondary trigger that motivated him to change who he was. So if you're gonna transform yourself, how would you do it?" asked Rossi.

"A steady diet of self-help books. Start hitting the gym?" asked Emily.

"You have to learn how to read people. I mean, what is a pick-up? It's basically just a profile." said Spencer.

"Decoding cues of interest and recoding similar ones." said Morgan.

"If you're too obvious, you turn off your target. If you're oblivious, your target moves on to a better profiler." said Emily.

"That doesn't sound like something he could do on his own." said Hotch.

"No. He'd have to go somewhere to learn it." said Emily.

"Yeah. A self-help class maybe?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, wait a minute. Come on. An unsub who kills prostitutes. Is he really thinking about signing up for a Tony Robbins seminar?" asked Morgan.

Rossi noticed an ad in the newspaper he had on his lap.

"He would if he found a class in the same place he found the prostitutes." said Rossi as he showed his teammates the ad he found about   
picking up chicks.

"At least I met Maeve in a crowded coffee shop and we started talking when she saw the book that I was reading." muttered Spencer.

xxxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was standing outside a building by a puddle of blood when Emily stood on the balcony.

"Well, the preliminary autopsy came back. The victim's name is Becky Williams." said Morgan.

"Was she disemboweled?" asked Rossi.

"No. And what's even weirder is the cleaning supplies were set out, but there was no traces of them on her body." said Morgan.

"Why would the unsub alter his signature and push her out of an 8-story window?" asked Spencer as he looked up at the balcony.

"Escalating to sadism maybe?" asked Morgan.

"Gutting and cleaning are what he has to do to find release. He wouldn't change that." said Rossi.

"Well, why not? He's changed everything else about himself." said Morgan.

"Did anyone see the unsub?" asked Spencer.

"No surveillance cameras at the club. Becky's friends say she was talking to a guy with sunglasses." said Morgan.

"Sunglasses." said Spencer to himself before hurrying towards the apartment building.

A few minutes later Spencer hurried into Becky's apartment and looked at Hotch.

"Can Detective Harding get a copy of the sketch to Garcia?" asked a slightly out of breath Spencer.

Hotch turned around and looked at his youngest agent.

"Did you find anything outside?" asked Hotch.

"No. But I think there might be a new pattern emerging." said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Over 30 minutes later Spencer was sitting in front of a laptop with his teammates and Detective Harding standing behind him.

"Garcia, you ready?" asked Spencer.

"Sending it now. Please be aware that 30 minutes with photoshop does not allow for much artistic flourish." said Garcia.

The sketch that Garcia sent him showed up on the laptop.

"Both times the unsub has gone to a club, he's had some costume, but now there's a theme." said Spencer as he pushed a key to have a   
fedora pop up onto the sketch, "A fedora and colored contacts, sunglasses, each time obscuring- Are you ready, Garcia?" asked Spencer.

Garcia used remote access to zoom in.

"This area." said Spencer as he pointed at the eye brows, "Now, yes, maybe he's trying to draw attention to him, but maybe he's trying to   
draw attention away from here." said Spencer as he pulled up another image.

"Something he knows is identifiable a birthmark or a scar maybe." said Rossi.

"We need to get these out. Jordan, release these to the press." said Hotch.

xxxxxx

"Our unsub is a confident alpha male. He is white. He's between the ages of 25 and 30. He's in excellent physical shape to overpower women and also to feed his self-image." said Emily.

"He has an obsession with cleaning. He probably works in some service industry, wiping up after others, convinced everyone looks down at him. His change in himself and his victimology reflects that." said Rossi.

"This is the kind of guy who wants to stand out in a crowd. He's taken a class in how to pick up women. So he'll repeat a series of well-rehearsed lines and mind games." said Morgan.

"He may be uneducated, but he's by no means stupid. Taking this class has given him the ability to read verbal cues and body language." said Hotch.

"One classic routine the Viper promotes is called the push-pull. He'll insert himself between two women and immediately after complimenting one, He'll deliver a subtle insult, then pay attention to the other." said Spencer before looking at Jordan, "Those are really nice earrings. I like those." said Spencer.

Jordan touched her earrings.

"Thanks." said Jordan.

"My grandmother wears a lot of fake jewelry also. It looks nice." said Spencer causing a couple of chuckles, "Ignoring the one man puts her in direct competition with her friend And causes the other to pursue you more aggressively. I was just demonstrating. So I'm sorry." said Spencer.

Jordan shook her head.

"Well, we've mapped the hot spots he hits. And he frequents the same clubs that the Viper does, so we need eyes and ears in every single one." said Detective Harding.

"Circulate the sketch as widely as possible. We'll need everyone aware that there's a killer out there. Thank you very much." finished Hotch.

After officers started to walk away, Spencer looked at Hotch.

"I think I might just stay home and man the tip line tonight. Clubs aren't really my thing." said Spencer.

"Not a chance, kid. Even though your married, I need a wing-man. Come on, now." said Morgan.

"Actually, there is another angle we need to pursue." said Rossi.

"We still don't know what made the unsub change his victimology, What made him stop killing prostitutes and move into the clubs." said Hotch.

"The answer might be something in Viper's class, but to figure that out, we need to profile the teacher." said Rossi.

"You need to bait him, then, with someone he sees as a challenge." said Morgan.

Spencer realized what Morgan, Hotch, and Rossi were doing.

"We need to study his style up close and personal. It's gonna take someone that he's already attracted to." said Spencer as he smirked at Emily.

Emily saw the looks that her male teammates were giving her.

"Oh, this is really gonna suck." groaned Emily.

xxxxxxx

Spencer looked at a group of women as he gave the profile.

"When you think about the nature of serial crimes, it's amazing there aren't more predators in the clubs. I mean, excessive amounts of alcohol, countless opportunities for date rape drugs, Not to mention surprisingly risky behavior being pursued. All right. So who wants a flier?" asked Spencer.

The women walked away.

"Nobody? OK. All right." said Spencer as he walked towards Morgan.

"So how's it going?" asked Morgan.

"Not good. I gave the profile to one woman, she asked if I was the unsub. How are you doing?" asked Spencer.

"Well, I gave out all my fliers." said Morgan.

"How many phone numbers did you get?" asked Spencer with a small smile on his face.

"None. I'm working a case here, kid." said Morgan.

Spencer gave Morgan a look.

"OK, 4 were offered, but I didn't take any of them." said Morgan before smirking at Spencer, "If you haven't met Maeve I would be schooling you about how to pick up women." said Morgan.

Spencer looked towards where the bartender was.

"With me getting too overstimulated here, we should go give the profile to the bartender before we head back to the station." said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"To get her to listen, why don't you do a magic trick." said Morgan.

Spencer nodded, and a few seconds later they approached a female bar tender.

"Excuse me, sweetheart. Whenever you get a chance." said Morgan.

Austin looked at the two men and noticed that the younger man had a wedding band on his left ring finger causing her to feel slightly disappointed.

"What can I get you?" asked Austin.

Spencer pulled out his badge.

"We're with the FBI. We're looking for this man. Does he look at all familiar to you?" asked Spencer as he slid a sketch over to the woman.

"It's not much of a picture." said Austin.

"I know." said Spencer as he pulled a pen out of his bag, "You know what might help, actually, is he has a scar on his eye right about there." said Spencer as he pushed the pen through the paper.

Austin looked at the sketch.

"We also know that he's taken classes where he's learned how to distract and charm his victim." said Spencer as he pulled the pen through the paper without ripping the paper.

Austin laughed as she picked up the paper as she examined it.

"OK. How did you do that?" asked Austin.

"That's privileged information." said Spencer.

"So what do I do if I see him?" asked Austin.

"You should call us. Even if you just think you see him, you should definitely call us." said Spencer.

"I'll call you if I see anything." said Austin.

Spencer handed Austin his business card.

"Thank you." said Spencer.

"If you weren't married, I would probably asked you if I could still call you if I didn't see the guy your looking for." said Austin.

A few seconds later Spencer made his way to Morgan.

"She told me that she would have asked me if she could still call me if I wasn't married." said Spencer.

Morgan chuckled as he wrapped a brotherly arm around Spencer's shoulder.

"Let's just say that there were some women who got disappointed when they heard that you settled down with Maeve." said Morgan.

xxxxxx

Morgan followed Spencer out of a door.

"The bouncer saw Austin go out the back. She likes to smoke back here." said Spencer as he dialed the number that Austin called him with earlier.

"Well, based on the witness' description, it definitely sounds like the unsub was here. We got units at her apartment, but no one's home." said Morgan.

Spencer pressed his phone to his ear.

"Hey, it's Austin. Leave a message." said Austin.

"It keeps going straight to voice mail. Maybe we could have Garcia try to triangulate where she is based on the cell phone." said Spencer just as they heard a vibrating causing him to reach into a plant, "He has her." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Spencer crouched down by Austin and removed the tape from her mouth.

"Get this off. Get it off. Get it off." pleaded Austin.

Spencer quickly removed the tape from Austin's hands.

"OK. It's OK." soothed Spencer.

A minute later Spencer had Austin outside.

xxxxxxxx

Later on that day Spencer entered his house and he smiled when he saw Maeve sitting on the floor with Jocelyn who was having tummy time.

"Hi." said Spencer as he locked up his revolver in his safe.

Jocelyn grinned when she saw her daddy causing her to slowly scoot across the floor on her belly towards her daddy.

"I guess someone missed me while I was away." said Spencer as he bent down and scooped up his daughter and gave her a kiss.

"We definitely missed you since Jocelyn was fussy last night." said Maeve as she kissed her husband.

"Usually I'm lucky that I don't have a case that takes place during the weekend, but luckily Hotch told us to all go home and paperwork can wait until tomorrow." said Spencer before yawning, "I mainly got a nap on the plane ride home since I had to stay up past 3 AM last night." said Spencer.

"Then you should go take a nap." said Maeve before noticing that Jocelyn's eyes started to droop, "I guess I'll take a nap with you since Josie kept me up most of the night." said Maeve.

Five minutes later Spencer and Maeve were asleep in their bed with Jocelyn sleeping on her daddy's chest.


	26. Thanksgiving & Brother in Arms

Spencer was working on his consults when his cellphone rang causing him to answer without checking the caller ID.

"Dr. Reid." answered Spencer softly.

"Spencer." said Gideon.

Spencer instantly straightened causing Emily to look at him.

"Why are you calling me?" asked Spencer before seeing the concerned looks from Morgan and Emily.

"Yesterday, I arrived in DC to check on you and I found out that you moved out of your apartment and your former landlord refused to tell me why you moved. So if your currently not on a case, I was hoping that we could meet up." said Gideon.

"Right now I'm working on paperwork from the case I returned from yesterday, but I'll see if I can leave earlier than I planned since I have to give a guest lecture at Georgetown University this afternoon." said Spencer.

Gideon gave a time and address before hanging up, and a few seconds later Emily looked at Spencer.

"You OK, Reid?" asked Emily.

"Just got a phone call from the last person I expected to call me." said Spencer.

"Your father?" asked Morgan.

Spencer shook his head.

"Think about who we haven't heard from in over a year." said Spencer.

Morgan's and Emily's eyes went wide.

"Gideon?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded.

"He showed up at my old apartment to check on me, but he ended up finding out that I moved." said Spencer.

"What did he want?" asked Emily.

"He wants to meet up with me." said Spencer.

"Are you going to?" asked Morgan.

"I know that I should tell him about I feel about him leaving, so I'm meeting up with him alone." said Spencer as he signed his case report, "I should go give this to Hotch and tell him what's going on." said Spencer.

30 seconds later Spencer was knocking on Hotch's open door.

"Reid?" asked Hotch.

"I finished my report, and I should tell you about the phone call I got." said Spencer.

"Everything OK?" asked Hotch.

"Gideon called me and he wants to meet up with me today." said Spencer.

"Are you planning to?" asked Hotch.

"Its better that I tell him how I feel, and I told Gideon that I'll see about leaving for lunch earlier since I am giving a guest lecture for Dr. Blake today." said Spencer.

"Are you going to tell him about Maeve and Jocelyn?" asked Hotch.

"Only if he sees my wedding band." said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Two hours later Spencer entered the diner that he and Gideon agreed to meet up at and a 20 seconds later he was sitting across from Gideon.

"Hello, Gideon." said Spencer.

Gideon took in the appearance of his former protégé.

"Other than looking a bit tired, you look very healthy and happy." said Gideon.

"A lot has happened to me since you left over 13 months ago." said Spencer as he rested his hands on the table.

Gideon's eyes went wide when he saw a gold wedding band.

"Is that a wedding ring?" asked Gideon.

Spencer nodded.

"Two weeks after you left I met someone at my favorite coffee shop, and we got married after dating for two months." said Spencer before smiling a little bit, "And the reason why I look a bit tired is because of this." said Spencer as he pulled out his phone and showed Gideon a picture of Jocelyn.

Gideon instantly saw a picture of a smiling baby girl who had her father's curly brown hair and brown eyes.

"Your a father?" asked Gideon.

"I held Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid for the first time on August 3rd." said Spencer.

"She's breathtaking." said Gideon.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"Just wait until you see this." said Spencer as he ended up showing Gideon a picture of Jocelyn and Henry together.

"Who's that?" asked Gideon.

"JJ gave birth to a baby boy less than two weeks ago, and I'm Henry's godfather." said Spencer.

"Who's the father?" asked Gideon.

"Remember Detective LaMontagne from New Orleans?" asked Spencer.

Gideon nodded.

"Even though you tried to push JJ and I together, I'm glad that I met Maeve." said Spencer.

"What's Maeve like?" asked Gideon.

Spencer instantly told Gideon about Maeve before he ended up telling Gideon about his in laws, and when he was finished, Gideon looked at him.

"Maeve definitely seems like the right girl for you since she helped put your fears of inheriting schizophrenia to rest." said Gideon before looking at Spencer, "Do you think I could meet Maeve and Jocelyn?" asked Gideon.

xxxxx

Two days later Spencer and Maeve were sitting across from one another in a booth with Jocelyn's car seat next to her father on the table when a family of three approached them.

"Agent Reid?" asked Amy.

Spencer turned around and smiled when he recognized Craig, Amy, and Michael Bridges.

"Well this is a nice surprise." said Spencer as he pulled a quarter out of Michael's ears.

Michael giggled.

"I remember you since you were the one to find me." said Michael before looking at Spencer, "Who's that lady and baby with you?" asked Michael.

Spencer quickly remembered his manners.

"This is my wife Maeve and our nearly four-month-old daughter Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid." said Spencer.

Amy gasped at the sight of the wide awake baby girl.

"She's beautiful." said Amy.

"Thank you." said Spencer and Maeve in unison.

"Did Agent Jareau have her baby boy yet?" asked Amy.

"She gave birth to Henry a few days after she and the rest of the team left Vegas." said Spencer as he ended up showing a picture of Henry.

"He's beautiful." said Amy.

Spencer looked at the family of three.

"If you guys just arrived, would you like to join us since we just got here too?" asked Spencer.

Michael looked at his parents.

"Can we?" asked Micheal.

"Sure." said Craig.

A minute later Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn were on one side while the Bridges were on the other side.

"How long are you guys in Vegas for?" asked Amy.

"We arrived this morning and we're flying back to DC on Saturday." said Spencer.

"DC?" asked Michael.

"We live in our nation's capital Washington DC which is on the opposite side of this country." said Spencer.

"Then why are you in Las Vegas for Thanksgiving?" asked the five-year-old boy.

"I was born and raised in this city, so we're spending Jocelyn's first Thanksgiving with some of my family." said Spencer.

"I wish you can join my family and me." sighed Michael.

Craig and Amy looked at each other before looking at the Reid family.

"How about you guys come over for dinner on Friday." said Amy.

"Are you sure?" asked Spencer.

"You owe us so much, Agent Reid." said Craig.

"Please call me, Spencer." said Spencer just as a waitress came over and took their orders.

xxxxxxx

Two hours later Diana smiled when Spencer handed her Jocelyn.

"Even though I saw you two weeks ago, I can't believe how big your getting." said Diana as she gently cradled her granddaughter in her arms.

"We're getting more sleep at night too." said Maeve.

Diana looked at her son.

"I invited your father to join us for Thanksgiving tomorrow." said Diana.

Spencer looked at his mom in shock while Maeve took Jocelyn who started to get fussy from her mother-in-law's arms.

"And you didn't decide to ask me if we could invite the coward who left me in a dangerous situation if its OK to invite him?" asked Spencer with venom lacing in his voice as he got up and stormed out of his mother's hospital room.

Diana sighed as she looked at her daughter in law who was now calming a crying Jocelyn.

"I just want him to forgive his father." said Diana.

Maeve looked at her mother-in-law.

"Even though Spence was able to put those nightmares to rest, I'm not going to convince Spence to forgive his father since this is Spencer's choice." said Maeve.

xxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer and Maeve were sitting in their hotel room while Jocelyn was at her great aunt Ethel's house when Spencer looked at his wife.

"With finding out that my mom invited dad to join us for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, now I don't want to go since I'll be in the same room as that coward." said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"Its already been planned that Josie's first Christmas will be spent in DC, and we don't know when we'll be able to visit your mom again." said Maeve.

"Are you trying to tell me that I should still spend Thanksgiving with mom?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

xxxxxx

The next evening Spencer entered his mother's hospital room with Maeve and Jocelyn to see his father talking to his mom just as his work cellphone rang causing Spencer to see that it was Hotch causing him to go into federal agent mode.

"I thought that we're off for Thanksgiving this year?" asked Spencer.

"We are, but I just got a call from the Las Vegas police department about needing assistance." said Hotch.

"And with me already being in town you want me to go assess the situation?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, and I told the detective that your already in town for Thanksgiving so you can go solo and if you need help the rest of the team and I will arrive tomorrow." said Hotch.

"I'll be glad to do a quick consult." said Spencer.

Hotch quickly gave the name of the police department and the detective who called him.

"OK." said Spencer before looking at Maeve, "Hotch asked me if I could do a solo consult for one of the police departments in town, so I'll go see what they need help with." said Spencer.

"Go ahead, and I'll stay here with Josie." said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer was heading to his rental when he spoke up.

"You just saved me from dealing with World War 3." said Spencer.

"What do you mean?" asked Hotch.

"My mom invited my dad to join us for Thanksgiving dinner, and I really didn't want to face that coward." said Spencer.

"Then I'm glad to get you away from your father, and I'll make sure that you can take a day off next week to make it up to Maeve and Jocelyn." said Hotch.

"I'll be by my rental in a minute, and I promise to keep you updated." said Spencer before hanging up.

xxxxxxxx

A half hour later Spencer entered the police department to see Detective Ashby.

"I wish that I could meet you again under better circumstances, detective." said Spencer.

"I'm sorry to have you leave your family for Thanksgiving, Agent Reid." said Detective Ashby as he shook hands with Spencer.

"You calling my boss ended up me saved me from having to deal with World War 3." said Spencer.

"World War 3?" asked an amused Detective Ashby.

"Even though I love my mother and saw my father for the first time in over 17 years the last time I was here, you asking for help got me away from that coward." said Spencer before noticing the file in the detective's hands, "Mind if I look over that file so I can get back to my wife and daughter?" asked Spencer.

"Sure, and before you get started, you should fix yourself a plate of turkey and other dishes that a caterer brought by earlier." said Detective Ashby.

A few minutes later Spencer was quickly going through the file while eating dinner before he got started on a geographical profile.

xxxxxxxx

Four hours later Detective Ashby was shaking Spencer's hand as two officers escorted the person he was trying to catch.

"Thank you for agreeing to help me out." said Detective Ashby.

"Your welcome." said Spencer as he sent Maeve a text message.

I'M FINISHED WITH THE CONSULT AND THE POLICE HAVE BROUGHT IN THEIR SUSPECT, SO I'LL BE LEAVING THE POLICE STATION SOON. ~ SR

Detective Ashby pulled out a card and passed it to Spencer.

"The next time your in town to visit family and need a favor, please give me a call and I'll be glad to try and return your favor since your practically a celebrity in this city." said Detective Ashby.

Spencer's cellphone vibrated causing Spencer to see a text from Maeve.

JOSIE AND I ARE BACK AT THE HOTEL, SO WE'RE WAITING FOR YOU. ~ MR

"My wife and daughter are back at the hotel, so I'm going to go join them." said Spencer.

"Do you need a ride?" asked Detective Ashby.

Spencer shook his head before shaking hands again with the detective before leaving.

xxxxx

Spencer entered his and Maeve's hotel room only to find Maeve nursing Jocelyn.

"Sorry about missing dinner." said Spencer.

"Its OK since I know that serial killers don't take a break on holidays, and I hope that you ate dinner." said Maeve.

"Before I could start looking through the case file, Detective Ashby forced me to help myself to some turkey and a few other dishes that a caterer brought by for officers who had to work today." said Spencer.

"Good." said Maeve.

"So did dad stay after I left?" asked Spencer.

"He did, and he gave Josie and I a ride back here." said Maeve.

"What did you two talk about?" asked Spencer.

"He just asked me questions about myself, and I didn't tell him about anything you have gone through since he left." said Maeve.

"Was mom upset?" asked Spencer.

"A little bit, but I ended up talking to her about books." said Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"Do you want to burp Jocelyn?" asked Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer was burping his daughter.

xxxxxxx

The next evening Michael who was playing with his father on the floor looked at Spencer who had Jocelyn in his arms.

"May I please hold, Josie?" asked Michael.

Spencer looked at Craig who nodded at him.

"Yes." said Spencer.

A few seconds later Michael was holding Jocelyn in his arms before Spencer looked at Craig.

"Mind if I take a picture?" asked Spencer.

"Go ahead." said Craig.

A few seconds later Spencer was taking a picture of a smiling Michael holding Jocelyn, and a few minutes later Michael was showing Jocelyn his stuffed animals before Spencer looked at Craig.

"Remember how I woke you and your wife up with that nightmare?" asked Spencer.

Craig nodded.

"Apparently I was remembering a crime that happened in my old neighborhood when I was four-years-old that eventually led me to join the FBI." said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

The next evening Spencer was putting up their artificial Christmas tree, and a few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were decorating their tree while singing Christmas carols while Jocelyn was propped up in her baby seat on the couch.

xxxxxxx

Over a week later Spencer watched news footage with his teammates before Jordan turned it off.

"That's three officers in the past four days. After the first shooting, the Phoenix police department assumed gang involvement." said Jordan as she passed out files.

"Pretty reasonable assumption." said Rossi.

"True. Almost 30% of all officer slayings are gang related." said Jordan.

Spencer looked at Jordan.

"Technically it's closer to 40%. If a cop isn't killed during a commission of a crime, gang involvement is highly likely." said Spencer.

"Actually, their precinct commander believes it may be a serial and has asked for our help." said Jordan.

"What makes him doubt the gang theory?" asked Rossi.

"A couple of things. Last night's victims were killed exactly the same way as the first." said Jordan.

Hotch looked at his copy of the file.

"Shot in the neck." said Hotch.

"Something that the press didn't release." said Jordan.

"Well, now, wait. There could still be a gang behind this. Killers working together could establish the same MO." said Emily.

"Commander Marks hasn't ruled it out, but there's another detail-." said Jordan.

"Trophies. Killer took their badges." said Rossi.

"Gang members don't usually take trophies. They don't need to. This is an unsub with something to prove." said Morgan.

"And he's got the entire city on edge." said Hotch.

"Kill those who protect and serve, and no one feels safe." said Emily.

Hotch looked at his team.

"Let's all head back to our respective homes and we'll be flying to Phoenix at 8 AM tomorrow morning." said Hotch.

xxxxxxx

Over an hour later Spencer was joining Maeve in bed causing Maeve to wake up.

"I thought that I would be waking up to a text message telling me where your going." said Maeve.

"Its been decided that we'll leave for Phoenix, Arizona at 8 AM tomorrow morning." said Spencer.

"Then you should get some sleep." said Maeve.

A few minutes later both Spencer and Maeve were fast asleep.

xxxxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was sitting on the couch when Morgan sat down causing Hotch to address Garcia.

"Go ahead, Garcia." said Hotch.

"OK, while you birds have been in the air, I got the 411 on the first shooting. Apparently, every Saturday night, Phoenix PD sets up a DUI checkpoint." said Garcia.

"Is that common knowledge?" asked Emily.

"Mais, oui. Public awareness is part of the deterrent. So our unsub blows past said checkpoint at 90 mph, and is pursued by an officer Jason Kessinger. Kessinger pulls the car over, approaches the driver's side window, where he is shot in the throat. Mon dieu. He was a single parent, two daughters." said Garcia sadly.

Spencer sighed sadly as he gave Morgan a concerned look.

"So, the unsub planned ahead, used the DUI stop to set his trap, and then lured the officer to his death." said Rossi.

"It could have been personal. The unsub might have had a problem with these particular officers." said Emily.

"Or with law enforcement in general. He's sending a message." said Hotch.

"Criminals, gang members, academy washouts, security? Teenagers, and that's just a start. I mean, the list of people who have a problem with police officers is a long one." said Spencer.

"The victims were shot in the neck, so the unsub knew they'd be wearing body armor." said Morgan.

"And he used a DUI checkpoint. I mean, both incidents show an active understanding of police procedure." said Spencer.

"Which narrows it down to anybody who watches television." said Morgan.

"We need to cover victimology. Garcia, find out everything you can about the officers killed see what they had in common besides their   
uniforms." said Hotch.

"Will do, but I should warn you, it will not be cake because I have been on the phone with these guys all morning and pulling files from them has been like pulling molars." said Garcia.

"Is there a problem?" asked Hotch.

"You know, aside from the obvious grief for their fallen compadres, and their fear of being used as target practice, I get the distinct impression from their crabby behavior, they are none too pleased their boss is outsourcing this investigation to the FBI, so...be prepared to hit a blue wall of resistance." said Garcia.

xxxxx

Hotch shook hands with Commander Marks.

"Commander Marks, I'm SSA Hotchner." said Hotch before he gestured to Jordan, "This is Agent Todd." said Hotch.

"Hi." said Jordan as she shook hands with Commander Marks.

"Agents Rossi, Prentiss, Morgan, and Dr. Spencer Reid. Thank you for inviting us." said Hotch.

"And thank you all for coming." said Commander Marks as he looked at Hotch, "Although I'd like to have a word if you don't mind." said   
Commander Marks.

"Of course." said Hotch.

"Excuse me. Uh, Lieutenant Evans. Lieutenant Evans will answer any questions the rest of you may have." said Commander Marks.  
A few seconds later Lieutenant Evans approached Spencer, Emily, Rossi, Jordan, and Morgan while Hotch followed Commander Marks.

"Sorry, that was Officer Kayser's wife. They'd only been married a couple of months. She seems to think that the FBI is here to save the day. Is that what you're going to do, agents?" asked Lieutenant Marks.

Spencer exchanged glances with his teammates as they realized that Lieutenant Evans most likely didn't want them to help.

xxxxxxx

Spencer looked at the footage from the dash cam when Commander Marks looked at Spencer, Hotch, Jordan, and Rossi.

"Techs have gone over this frame by frame. There's no way to identify the shooter." said Commander Marks.

"Approximate height and weight, that's about all we got." said an officer.

"The unsub's face isn't the only way to identify him. We also look at specific behavioral traits." said Jordan.

"These are the reasons you don't believe it's a gang?" asked Commander Marks.

"The shooter established what we call a signature, something he did during the murders that wasn't actually necessary. Not part of his MO, but identical in every attack." said Hotch.

"In this case, the unsub took the officer's badges. He's symbolically stripping them of their power and authority. This act is indicative of someone who is looking to gain self-esteem." said Spencer before he decided to focus on the video footage.

"Gang members and other assailants who work together kill for different reasons, but usually it's not to gain confidence, 'cause they already have it." said Hotch.

Spencer quickly noticed something.

"Hotch, you see that? Can we pause this?" asked Spencer.

The officer paused the footage.

"OK, now zoom in and press play." said Spencer.

The officer followed Spencer's instructions.

"Taking the badge would have taken a few seconds." said Spencer.

Hotch watched the footage.

"He's lingering." said Hotch.

"Doing what?" asked Commander Marks.

"That's a good question." said Hotch.

xxxxxx

Spencer approached Hotch and Commander Marks.

"Commander, what's going on?" asked Hotch.

"What's going on is my officers are being shot in the streets and crucified by the press. That's what's going on." said Commander Marks.

"So you've arrested the wrong person?" asked Hotch.

"I brought in a viable suspect for questioning. I had to do something." said Commander Marks.

"Commander, I understand the pressure you're under, but doing this could undermine the investigation." said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Commander Marks.

"Bringing in another suspect draws attention away from the real unsub. If he starts to feel inadequate, he may strike sooner just to prove himself." said Spencer.

"It's also possible accusing one of their members could antagonize local gangs, which is the last thing your officers need to be worrying about right now." said Rossi.

"All right, look. I told you guys I was out on a limb here, so unless you have a suspect..." said Commander Marks.

"Hotch. Since we've got this guy, why don't we see if we can use him?" asked Morgan before looking at Commander Marks, "You mind if talk to him?" said Morgan.

"Be my guest." said Commander Marks.

As soon as Morgan walked away, Hotch looked at Commander Marks.

"Commander, I appreciate your letting Agent Morgan join the interrogation, but I promise you, this is not our unsub. The real killer's still out there." said Hotch before he, Rossi, and Spencer walked away.

xxxxxx

Spencer stood with his arms crossed as he looked at the bulletin board.

"Ballistics aren't back yet, but the preliminary ME reports suggest the weapon used to kill officer beck was not a .357." said Spencer.

"I spoke to Garcia. Beck arrested Diablo twice on drug charges, last time sent him away for 10 years. Diablo was just released on parole last week." said Hotch.

"So Diablo went after the cop who put him away assuming it would be lumped in with the other murders. The unsub would take the fall." said Rossi.

"Hey, it almost worked." said Emily.

Lieutenant Evans approached them.

"Lieutenant, what did you find?" asked Hotch.

"Well, I pulled up that information on Playboy's lieutenant, Bobby Q." said Lieutenant Evans.

Morgan looked at the file that he was given.

"There's not much there." said Morgan.

"And you're thinking Playboy was right, that we didn't pay enough attention to the case." said Lieutenant Evans.

"Did you?" asked Emily.

"Look, the majority of homicides in this city most times we spend time and resources following trails that all lead to the same place anyway." said Lieutenant Evans.

"We just assumed this was just another one of those trails." said Hotch.

"Being in a gang shortens your life expectancy, so it's no big surprise when a gang banger winds up dead." said Lieutenant Evans.

Spencer thought about how Hankel killed him before Hankel gave him CPR.

"Same thing could be said about being a cop. The job involves a fair amount of risk, so a percentage of untimely deaths is practically inevitable." said Spencer.

"The MO is the same as our unsub's. Did, um, playboy tell you if the killer took a trophy?" asked Rossi.

"He said Bobby Q's necklace was missing." said Morgan.

"Yeah, that's in the report. Big chain, solid gold. Just figured the doer took it to pawn it." said Lieutenant Evans.

"Or as a souvenir." said Rossi.

"Fits the signature." said Morgan.

"He built up to this. We need to go further back." said Hotch as he called Garcia, "Garcia, can you pull everything in the phoenix area that matches the same MO as our unsub, not just police officers." said Hotch.

"OK. so I'm searching homicides in Phoenix in, what, the last two months?" asked Garcia.

"Make it three." said Hotch.

"Got it. Murders, shootings, specifically neck wounds. Oh, I got a guy named Robert Quinones, nickname Bobby Q." said Garcia.

"We already have that one. Anything else?" asked Morgan.

"Ah, just one more. A bouncer at a bar in downtown Phoenix, Mickey Reese. Weapon's a .357 magnum. Interesting. It says here the victim was wearing a ballistic vest. Apparently they don't serve Shirley Temples at this establishment." said Garcia.

"If the bouncer was wearing a vest, that could be how our unsub developed his MO." said Emily.

"Send us everything you've got." said Hotch.

"Sure. Done." said Garcia.

"All right, we got gangbangers, bouncers and cops. All pretty tough targets; victims capable of defending themselves." said Morgan.

"As the unsub's sense of power escalated, so did his confidence, leading to bigger and more difficult prey." said Rossi.

"That makes sense. risky deaths would increase the unsub's feeling of superiority. Same thing with using a .357 magnum. It would make him feel powerful." said Spencer.

"Cops are at the top of that list. High profile, always on alert, and they're gonna make headlines." said Emily.

"Killing a gang banger isn't easy. They're always armed, travel in packs." said Lieutenant Evans.

"The bouncer's the earliest. It was a pretty simple attack, no carefully thought out plan. He could have been his first victim." said Morgan.

"We need to figure out where their paths crossed. Morgan, you, Rossi and the lieutenant go check out the bar. We'll keep digging." said Hotch.

xxxxx

After Hotch gave a statement to the press, everyone was gathered in front of the police force.

"The man we're looking for is a narcissist desperate to prove his masculinity. He does this by going after high risk targets like gang members and police officers." said Hotch.

"Because he's a narcissist, this unsub will be following the investigation closely." said Emily.

"By pretending to take over the investigation, we've put ourselves above the local police, thus suggesting that we're tougher to take out, and issuing the unsub a challenge that he won't be able to ignore." said Spencer.

"And painting a target directly on Agent Hotchner's back." said Rossi.

"All the attacks, with the exception of the last one, have taken place in the Twelve's territory. This is the unsub's hunting ground, and he's unlikely to stray from it." said Spencer.

"Locations have multiple vanish points for the shooter, but limited access and exit routes for his victims. We'll be looking for a similar situation. This should happen very quickly." said Morgan.

"Don't forget- this guy managed to take out five cops by himself. He smart, and he's fearless. He won't be easy to take down." said Rossi.

xxxxx

Jordan approached Spencer.

"Male caller. He says he knows where the unsub lives, and it fits the criteria." said Jordan as she passed Spencer what was written down.

"2717 Gelson avenue. It's the Twelve's territory, just off the main street." said Spencer as he looked at a map, "Looks like there's a series of smaller feeders and allies nearby. This could be it." said Spencer.

"Let's go." said Lieutenant Evans.

"Slow down, lieutenant. he'll be expecting us." said Hotch.

"All of us. this is his last stand. He's going to want to make it count." said Morgan.

"Yeah, well, this time we know about it and we're ready." said Lieutenant Evans.

"His trap could still work." said Rossi.

"15th Avenue and Gelson. What do you know about the neighborhood?" asked Hotch.

"It's rough. lots of dead-end streets, allies. Major cross street, 17th." said Lieutenant Evans.

"Residential? Any businesses at all?" asked Hotch.

"There's a gas station a couple of blocks down, but that's about it." said Lieutenant Evans.

A few seconds later Spencer connected Garcia to them.

"Hey, Garcia?" asked Spencer.

"Yes?" asked Garcia.

"Can you get us a satellite image of 15th Avenue and Gelson?" asked Spencer.

"But of course. OK, real time satellite image shows... Not a whole heck of a lot. I've got a 2-story apartment building, no activity of any kind, no cars out in front." said Garcia while Spencer looked at a map, "Oh, there's a car down the street. No heat registering, engine must be cool. Satellite monitoring the last 12 hours is like library-quiet. A truck and 2 cars left in the AM, nothing came in." said Garcia.

"Thank you, Garcia. All right, there's a major street in front on the east side, an ally, and two smaller streets to the north and south right   
here." said Spencer as he pointed at the map.

"Lieutenant, Commander, I need a sniper here and here. Once they're set, the bulk of the squad cars can approach from the south, and the rest of us from the east very quietly. From this point forward, everybody goes in on foot. Morgan, you and I go in first. Rossi and Prentiss behind us. Jordan, you and Reid stay here and work the tip line." said Hotch.

"Stay safe, my loves." said Garcia.

"Thanks, Garcia." said Emily.

xxxxx

The next afternoon Spencer smiled when he held Jocelyn in his arms.

"Even though I work a dangerous job, I promise you that I'll always come home to you." said Spencer.


	27. Anniversary & Normal

Spencer was quickly packing up when Morgan looked at him.

"What's the hurry, kid?" asked an amused Morgan.

"As soon as I get home, Maeve and I will be going out to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary." said Spencer as he quickly put on his navy blue pea coat before slinging his messenger bag around his shoulders.

"Who's watching Jocelyn?" asked Emily.

"My in laws are keeping Josie for the night." said Spencer.

"So are you and Maeve going to be practicing for baby number two?" asked Morgan.

Spencer blushed while Emily threw a crumpled up piece of paper at Morgan's head.

"Get going, Reid." smiled Emily.

Spencer quickly headed towards the elevators.

xxxxxxxx

Two hours later Maeve looked at her husband as she reached into her purse.

"Happy anniversary, Spence." said Maeve as she passed her husband an envelope.

A few seconds later Spencer opened up the envelope, and a few seconds later his mouth opened up in shock at the sight of a sonogram.

"I'm going to be a father again?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded as tears streamed down her face.

"I'm eight weeks pregnant, and I thought that a sonogram would be a perfect gift that deals with paper." smiled Maeve.

"Perfect anniversary gift." said Spencer as he kissed his wife before looking at Maeve, "How long have you known?" asked Spencer.

"I found out this morning, and despite us dealing with a lively four-month-old daughter, I think we can do this." said Maeve.

"I think so too, but I know that Morgan's going to tease me about us having two kids within less than a year." said Spencer.

"I know." laughed Maeve.

"Have you told your parents yet?" asked Spencer.

Maeve shook her head.

"At first I was going to tell you during Christmas, but I decided that you should know today." said Maeve.

"How about we give your parents a Christmas present that contains a onesie or a rattle?" asked Spencer.

"Perfect." said Maeve just as their waitress came over and Spencer passed his credit card.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were getting into Spencer's SUV, and a minute later they were heading to the mall.

xxxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was sitting on the couch on the jet heading to Orange County when Jordan handed him a file.

"This is Orange County, California. 10 days ago, Judy Hannity, a real estate broker and a mother, Was shotgunned on the 91 Freeway." said Jordan as she sat down.

"She survived this?" asked Emily.

"Barely. She's paralyzed from the waist down. The second and third victims were both DOA. There were different vehicles for each shooting.   
A small black SUV, a black sedan, a white sedan, no makes, no plates." said Jordan.

"No solid witnesses?" asked Morgan.

"The first victim described the shooter as a normal, middle-aged white guy in an SUV." said Jordan.

Hotch looked at Jordan.

"She gave that description but she couldn't remember anything else?" asked Hotch.

"Isn't that consistent with trauma?" asked Jordan.

"Uh, actually, no. Trauma victims either remember everything or nothing." said Emily.

"So wait, the third victim was shot last week, we just got the phone call today?" asked Spencer.

"Until the third shooting, the locals weren't convinced it was a serial shooter. There were different cars, and the first shooting there was a different weapon." said Jordan.

"It's the same weapon." said Rossi.

"The shot pattern on the second and third one are much wider, though." said Spencer.

"He sawed off the shotgun. It's the same shooter. He's evolving, and quickly." said Rossi.

"The media has already dubbed him the Road Warrior." said Jordan.

"That explains why they wanted us there so quickly." said Emily.

"What do you mean?" asked Jordan.

"This type of unsub is the hardest to catch. Totally impersonal victims. A third of the crime scene flees with him and his vehicle. The victim's car's a wreck. And the last third, the road, it's contaminated by all the other cars that drive over it." said Morgan.

"So how do we get him?" asked Jordan.

"We build a solid profile. We release it to the public with an appeal for help. Somebody knows this guy." said Hotch.

"And it's my job to make them realize." sighed Jordan.

zzzzzzzzz

Spencer followed his teammates into the room where the task force was meeting in.

"Thea Salinas, sheriff's county homicide. I'm running the task force." said Sheriff Salinas.

"I'm Special Agent Jordan Todd." said Jordan as she gestured to the rest of the team, "Special Agents Rossi, Hotchner, Prentiss…" said Jordan.

Emily shook hands with Detective Salinas.

"Hey." said Emily.

"Morgan..." said Jordan.

Morgan shook hands with the detective.

"Hey." said Morgan.

Jordan pointed towards Spencer.

"And that's Dr. Spencer Reid." said Jordan.

Spencer smiled as he waved while Hotch noticed the damaged vehicles.

"Are these the vehicles from the shootings?" asked Hotch.

"Yes." said Detective Salinas.

Morgan, Hotch, and Emily headed towards the cars.

"Did you set up the hotline?" asked Jordan.

"Like you asked. We have the local stations putting the number out there. We're getting about a dozen calls an hour." said Detective Salinas.

"I'll alert the media to stand by for our press conference. Excuse me." said Jordan as she walked away.

Detective Salinas looked at Spencer and Rossi.

"The sheriff's department and the CHP are on TAC alert. We've got choppers on round-the-clock freeway patrol. The victims' vehicles, with maps, CSPs, and bullet points. Everything we got on the case is in this room." said Detective Salinas.

Rossi looked at Detective Salinas.

"Anything solid on the tip line?" asked Rossi.

"Usual nut jobs, crime buffs, bored senior citizens." said Detective Salinas.

Spencer nodded.

"You might have got everything squared away." said Rossi.

"It's not me. It's the shooter. The OC has an endless supply of 3 things- Freeways, news coverage, and blond female luxury car owners." said Detective Salinas.

"People are pretty scared?" asked Spencer.

"I could ask for a submarine and get it." said Detective Salinas seriously.

Spencer's eyes went wide.

"I just hope that I never have that type of problem when Josie gets older." said Spencer.

"Josie?" asked Detective Salinas.

Spencer smiled a little bit.

"My four-month-old daughter who's already being spoiled during her very first Christmas next week." said Spencer as he pulled out his phone and showed Detective Salinas a picture of Jocelyn.

Detective Salinas looked at the picture of the four-month-old brown eyes a curly brown haired baby girl before looking at the proud father.

"Josie's very beautiful and she looks just like you, Dr. Reid." said Detective Salinas.

xxxxxxx

Spencer looked at the file that he was reading.

"When the victimology's this specific, we know the victims represent a specific person to him." said Spencer.

"Who?" asked Detective Salinas.

Spencer made eye contact with Detective Salinas.

"Given the fact that he's the same age and race as the victims, likely a current or former wife or girlfriend." said Spencer before looking back at his file.

"So why not just kill the actual person?" asked Detective Salinas.

"She's just a scapegoat for his own personal failings. He knows if he kills her, he loses that scapegoat." said Spencer.

"So he just goes around blowing away any women?" asked Detective Salinas.

Spencer leaned down a bit and looked at the map of the roads.

"No, just women that remind him of his wife. When this type of killer is triggered, they need to release the resentment quickly. Subsequently, they tend to strike close to the focus of that resentment." said Spencer.

"So if the focus is his wife, then that focus is his home." said Detective Salinas.

Spencer squinted as he continued to study the map.

"Yeah. He almost certainly lives in this area. This is his kill zone. Uh, what are these various markers everywhere?" asked Spencer as he pointed that the triangles.

"Uh, roadwork." said Detective Salinas.

Spencer's jaw dropped, and a few seconds later he picked up the map and hurried out of the room with Detective Salinas quickly followed after him, and a minute later Spencer entered the caged area where the rest of his team was causing Rossi to notice a look on his face.

"What's going on?" asked Rossi.

Spencer laid the map onto a table before moving his growing bangs out of his face.

"Out of the 30 roadwork sites in the kill zone, only two were alternate merges. Both less than 3 miles from the crime scenes." said Spencer.

"Alternate merges?" asked Emily.

Spencer closed his eyes.

"Multiple lanes funneled down to one. One car per lane, alternating at the drivers' discretion." said Spencer.

Morgan pointed at the map.

"These sites allow him to set up the confrontation." said Morgan.

"A guy who follows the rules may lash out once, but to do it again, he'd need similar provocation." said Rossi.

"So he seeks out alternate merge sites, then he goes through them over and over again Until he finds a woman that fits his victim type and who cuts him off." said Hotch.

"So, we have to shut down every alternate merge in the county immediately." said Emily.

"And we need to talk to the crews that work these sites." said Morgan as Emily walked away.

"So what does all this tell you?" asked Detective Salinas.

"Impersonal killers are like drug addicts. The first time gives them the ultimate high, and after that, no high is as good. Unfortunately, the addict doesn't know that. He will chase that high to the gates of insanity and death. By now, killing is all our unsub things about. He's set up the exact same situation again and again, hoping to get the same result. He begins to think he's doing it wrong. He becomes obsessed with improving his skills, honing his MO and tailoring his weapon to his deadly purpose. He figures if he gets them all just right, if he can get his technique and his tools perfected, He'll feel that first high again. He's becoming a more lethal addict. And he'll never accept that the high is gone and it won't come back. He'll never stop. Never." said Hotch.

xxxxxxxx

The next day Spencer was helping out with the tip lines

"What is the exact address?" asked Spencer as he wrote down what the person was saying to him on the phone, "And you said that he saw the press conference, right?" asked Spencer.

Spencer listened to the person talk on the phone.

"OK, thank you." said Spencer before hanging up before he stood up, "Guys, I think we might have something." said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

"That's funny, when I heard the description in the first press conference, I thought of Norman. Then I just thought, it couldn't be, you know?   
He's so quiet." said the office clerk as he led Spencer, Emily, and Morgan to a desk.

"What is it that Mr. Hill does for you?" asked Emily.

"He's in charge of the company's travel expenses. This is his desk." said the office clerk.

Spencer looked at Norman's desk.

"Does he have access to the company cars?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, the whole fleet." said the office clerk.

Morgan looked at the picture of Norman with his family causing him to think about the family portrait of Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn on Spencer's desk and how Spencer would have a bunch of kids within the next couple of years.

"What about the first press conference made you think of Norman?" asked Morgan.

"The woman mentioned something about him suffering a tragedy." said the office clerk as he explained what happened before seeing the sadness in Spencer's, Emily's, and Morgan's eyes.

"How long ago did his daughter die?" asked Morgan.

"6 months. I really should have done more to help him." said the office clerk as a woman came over with two files, "Thank you. Norman's personnel file." said the clerk as he passed the files to Spencer.

Spencer quickly went through the file before looking at the office clerk.

"This address current?" asked Spencer.

"It should be." said the office clerk.

Spencer instantly noticed another file.

"Why does he have two files?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, we cross-reference married couples." said the office clerk.

"I don't understand." said Emily.

"Norman's wife Vanessa works here, too." said the office clerk.

Morgan looked at the photo.

"We need to speak to her." said Morgan.

"Uh, she's not here. She just got a promotion, so she took a couple of weeks off." said the office clerk.

xxxxxx

Spencer sat in the back seat of the SUV cursing himself for having to go with Morgan and Emily while Morgan sped on the street while looking at a map.

"Turn right here." said Spencer.

"Where, here?" asked Morgan as he continued to speed.

"Right-right- turn right here!" shouted Spencer as he pointed out where Morgan needed to turn, "Turn right here!" shouted Spencer.  
Morgan sloppily turned around causing Spencer to make a mental note about now allowing Morgan to drive Jocelyn and his unborn child around.

"I'm gonna need a little more notice than that, kid." shouted Morgan before focusing on the road.

"Sorry. Sorry." said Spencer before he focused on the map.

A few minutes later Spencer looked up from his map.

"All right, left." said Spencer.

Morgan looked back at Spencer before focusing on the road.

"Where?" asked Morgan.

"Uh, next light." said Spencer.

A few seconds later Morgan turned around causing Spencer to brace himself as he heard the tires screech.

A few minutes later they heard an officer through the radio.

"Repeat, shots fired! On the chase now." said the officer.

Morgan looked back at Spencer.

"He's losin' it. Reid, does it look like the chase could be headed to his house?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked at the map he had on his lap.

"Uh, yeah, I think so. It almost looks like he's starting to go in a wide circle toward that direction." said Spencer.

A few seconds later Emily had Rossi on the phone, and a few minutes later Spencer, Morgan, and Emily heard a female voice on the radio.

"All units, pursuit now headed over Memorial Bridge." said a female voice.

"We're almost there. Turn right at the next light." said Spencer.

Morgan quickly turned around, and a few minutes later Morgan was weaving around cars and trucks before Spencer looked at Morgan.

"Memorial Bridge is around the next corner." said Spencer.

Morgan quickly recognized the vehicle that Norman was driving causing him to look at Spencer and Emily.

"Hold on! Hold on!" shouted Morgan as he started to turn around causing Spencer to hold on.

As soon as Morgan turned around, he looked at Spencer and Emily.

"You good!" asked Morgan.

"We're good, go, go!" shouted Emily.

A few minutes later Morgan was behind a few police cars that were chasing Norman causing Morgan to look at Spencer who had a walkie talkie by him.

"Reid, get on the radio and tell them we're in the chase." ordered Morgan.

A few seconds later Spencer connected himself with a bunch of officers.

"This is the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. We caught up to the chase and are now monitoring. We ask if you're able to stop the vehicle, You allow us to take the lead in contacting the driver. We believe him to be a severely deranged suspect." ordered Spencer.

"Copy." said an officer.

xxxxxx

Spencer's eyes went wide as he saw one of the officers in on the chase hit the vehicle that Norman was driving causing the SUV to flip on the road before he got out of the SUV and pointed his revolver at a bloody Norman who was crawling out of his vehicle.

As soon as Morgan got off the phone he looked at everyone.

"DO NOT SHOOT!" shouted Morgan as he kept on repeating his orders before looking at Norman, "NORMAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DON'T MOVE!" shouted Morgan.

"My family's inside!" cried Norman.

"Stop and listen to me! Listen to me!" ordered Morgan.

"No, my family's-," cried Norman.

"Nobody is in that car. Nobody... Your family's gone, Norman." shouted Morgan.

"No, they're in there." cried Norman.

"They're gone, Norman!" shouted Morgan, ""Look inside. Look in the car. Look in the car. They were never there. It's over." said Morgan.  
Norman looked in his SUV.

"They were never with you." said Morgan.

"No, but they were. They were…" cried Norman before he had a flash back to what he did to his family.

"Your family's gone, Norman." repeated Morgan.

"Oh, God, what did I do? Oh, what did I do to my family? My family!" cried Norman as Morgan grabbed him, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! My family..." cried Norman as Morgan handcuffed him.

Spencer looked at Emily as he holstered his revolver.

"It's over, Norman. We're gonna get you some help. It's over. Let's go. Get up." ordered Morgan as he held Norman up.

xxxxxx

Spencer looked at Morgan as they everyone settled for their flight back to Quantico.

"Just so you know, Maeve and I talked about not allowing you to drive Josie and any other children that Maeve and I have around since your driving during car chases are scary." said Spencer.

Emily, Hotch, and Rossi laughed before Emily reached out to give Spencer a high five.

"I hear you, Reid." said Emily.

A few seconds later Spencer pulled out his phone and sent Maeve a text message.

I'M ON THE JET NOW, AND I'LL TEXT YOU WHEN I'M AN HOUR AWAY FROM QUANTICO SO YOU AND JOSIE CAN START HEADING TO QUANTICO. ~ SR

A minute later Maeve replied.

I'LL SEE YOU IN ABOUT FIVE HOURS, AND JOSIE'S EXCITED ABOUT SEEING YOU. ~ MR

xxxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer exited the elevator with his teammates as he thought about the excitement about getting to see Maeve and Jocelyn who were currently on their way when Morgan looked at Jordan.

"You all right?" asked Morgan.

"I will be." said Jordan.

Emily decided to lighten things up.

"Hey, you guys ever notice how the trip home always seems to go so much faster?" asked Emily.

""That's because the tailwinds are in our favor." said Spencer.

"No, I meant 'cause- anybody want to get something to eat?" asked Emily.

Spencer instantly looked towards the conference room and saw that the light was on.

"Not really." said Morgan.

Rossi looked at Emily.

"You?" asked Rossi.

Emily felt her stomach roll a the thought about the car chase she, Spencer, and Morgan were in.

"No, not really." said Emily.

Spencer instantly recognized familiar blonde hair.

"There's someone in the BAU room, guys." said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer entered the room to find JJ rocking Henry.

"What are you doing here?" asked Spencer.

Emily grinned when she saw JJ.

"Oh. JJ." exclaimed a smiling Emily.

"Garcia said you guys were on your way back tonight. I thought you could use a surprise." smiled JJ.

Spencer smiled at Henry and thought about how much Jocelyn has grown over the past four months.

"Hi." said Emily.

Hotch entered the room and crossed his arms as he thought about the orders he gave Spencer after Jocelyn's birth.

"I thought I gave you strict orders to get this place out of your head for a while." said Hotch.

Spencer smirked a bit as he thought about the time he surprised his teammates while he was on paternity leave just as Garcia came into the room with a bottle.

"My bad. I couldn't help myself. Here. I heated it up. Room temp. Right?" asked Garcia as she made her way to JJ and Henry.

"I just realized, with all that we do and see in this room, it never smiles. I wanted to continue the tradition that Spence started after Jocelyn's birth." said JJ as she smiled at Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer who was smiling at his godson.

"Excuse me, kid." said Morgan as he squeezed his way between Spencer and JJ, "Um, JJ, uh... Can I?" asked Morgan as he gestured to Henry.

"Of course." chuckled JJ as she gently passed Henry to Morgan.

Emily who had held Jocelyn more than Morgan looked at Morgan.

"OK, you gotta hold his head up." said Emily as she watched Morgan take Henry, "Careful, careful." said Emily.

"I got it, I got it. I got it." said Morgan.

"No, you don't got it. You're smothering him." said Garcia.

Morgan saw a smile on Henry's face.

"Look, what's he doing? What's he doing? He is smiling at Derek Morgan." said Morgan as he showed everyone Henry's face.

Emily and Garcia looked at each other.

"Gas." said Emily and Garcia in unison.

Morgan looked at the bottle in Garcia's hands.

"Give me that." said Morgan.

Garcia handed Morgan the bottle while Henry cooed.

"Hey, little man." said Morgan as he placed the nipple of the bottle into Henry's mouth.

JJ looked at Hotch who had a small smile on his face.

"You're smiling." smiled JJ.

"Gas." said Hotch.

JJ chuckled.

"We miss you." said Hotch.

JJ smiled at Hotch before Spencer heard some familiar babbling causing everyone to see Maeve standing in the doorway with Jocelyn in her car seat.

"I would have been here sooner, but Josie got hungry." said Maeve.

"Its OK." said Spencer.

Jocelyn broke into a huge smile when she heard her daddy's voice causing her to start babbling with excitement.

"I guess my little Josie Posie heard my voice." grinned Spencer as he made his way to his wife and daughter.

Emily looked at Maeve.

"Why didn't you tell us that you two were coming?" asked Emily.

"Spence wanted this visit to be a surprise." said Maeve as she gave her husband a quick kiss. "Welcome home, Spence." said Maeve.

"I missed you." said Spencer as he gently removed his four-month-old daughter from her car seat before adjusting his daughter in his arms, "I missed you, Josie Posie." said Spencer as he kissed his four-month-old daughter's cheek.

Josie grinned at her daddy before thinking about the word that her mommy and daddy have been teaching her.

"Dada." said Jocelyn.

Spencer's eyes went wide before looking at Maeve.

"Did you just hear what I heard?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded as she wiped a lone tear that was streaming down her face.

"Its her first word." said Maeve.

Spencer kissed Jocelyn's forehead.

"You just made my day, Josie." said Spencer as he wiped a happy tear that was streaming down his face before looking at his wife, "Should we tell them now?" asked a whispering Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"What are you two geniuses whispering and nodding about?" asked Morgan.

"First you might want to put Henry into his car seat since JJ might not be happy if you drop Henry due to the news we're about to tell you guys." said Maeve.

Morgan passed Henry to JJ who gently put her son into his car seat.

Garcia looked at Maeve and instantly noticed that the younger mother in the room was glowing while showing a slight baby bump.

"Your glowing." said Garcia.

Spencer and Maeve grinned at each other.

"That's because Jocelyn's going to be a big sister in 32 weeks." said Maeve causing everyone to gasp before they made their way to the younger parents to congratulate them while Spencer had to deal with some teasing from Morgan about knocking up his wife again.

xxxxxx

A week later Mary and Joe were opening up a present before they gasped at a onesie that said GRANDMA AND GRANDPA, GET READY TO GRANDPARENTS AGAIN DURING JULY OF 2009.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /N: I already have the timeline planned for the last three episodes of season four and the first episode of Nameless Faceless since having Spencer and Maeve welcome their second child between Amplification and To Hell will work for this story since I'm going to have the last two episodes of season four happen in early September of 2009.


	28. Soulmates & Bloodline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maeve is 11 weeks pregnant in the beginning of this chapter, and I decided to combine Soul Mates and Bloodline to give you readers a longer chapter.

Spencer smiled at Jocelyn as he changed her diaper.

"I just can't believe that your already five-months-old, Josie." said Spencer.

Jocelyn smiled at her daddy.

"Dada." said Jocelyn.

Maeve entered the nursery.

"When are you going to say mama?" asked Maeve.

Jocelyn smiled at her mother.

"Mama." said Jocelyn just as Spencer's stomach growled.

"We should probably get breakfast started before we head to our respective jobs." said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were making breakfast together while Jocelyn happily bounced in her baby bouncer.

xxxxxx

Two hours later Spencer pulled out his phone and called Maeve.

"You have a case?" asked Maeve.

"Going to Sarasota, Florida." said Spencer.

"At least your getting away from the cold and snow for a few days." joked Maeve.

Spencer chuckled.

"Some of the worst cases I dealt with happens in Florida." said Spencer.

xxxxxx

Five days later Spencer pulled out his phone and called Maeve.

"How is it in Florida?" asked Maeve.

"Even though we have a good suspect in an interrogation room, there's a girl still missing. So I'm hoping that I'll be home in time for your doctor appointment tomorrow." said Spencer.

"Then help your teammates find that missing girl, and its OK if you can't make it." said Maeve.

"OK, and please give Josie a kiss for me and I'll give you one when I get home." said Spencer.

"I will, and I love you." said Maeve.

"Love you too." said Spencer before hanging up.

xxxxxxx

A half hour later Spencer approached a computer as he talked to Garcia on the phone.

"You find anything?" asked Spencer as he sat down in front of a computer.

"Give me a minute. I will find the grime." said Garcia.

"All right. You ready to start searching his computer?" asked Spencer.

"Born ready." said Garcia.

A few seconds later Spencer was looking through the information that Garcia found.

"Seem to be in control." said Spencer.

"I'm always in control, sweet cheeks." said Garcia.

Spencer rolled his eyes as he quickly read the information that was on William's computer.

"So far, William Harris appears to be quite intelligent. He's covering his tracks pretty well." said Spencer.

"Yeah, just because you delete your history, It doesn't mean all your dirty cyberlaundry isn't hanging out there for me to find on your hard   
drive. Rookie mistake." said Garcia.

xxxxxxx

Spencer stood in front of Morgan, Rossi, and Detective Linden with Sharpies in each hand.

"Garcia's been digging through William's computer. She found an encrypted link to a web page." said Spencer.

"Where'd it take you?" asked Morgan.

"Uh, an unsearchable, untraceable blog with tons of journal entries. It's like some sort of diary." said Spencer.

"You find anything incriminating?" asked Rossi.

"I was able to differentiate between two distinct voices, two authors. I found various idiosyncratic words, phrases, punctuation, And orthography within the blog entries consistent with each separate person- Words like "soda" and "pop." One guy uses dashes while the other uses ellipses." said a chuckling Spencer with a smile on his face before he headed to the board where he started going through the messages.

Detective Linden looked at Rossi.

"Where'd you find this kid?" asked a whispering Detective Linden.

Rossi leaned over with a serious expression on his face.

"He was left in a basket on the steps of the FBI." whispered Rossi.

Spencer who didn't even heard the conversation turned to look at Morgan, Rossi, and Detective Linden.

"One side of the discourse made a reference to the devil's strip." said Spencer before focusing on the messages again.

"What the hell's that?" asked Detective Linden.

Spencer turned around.

"Uh, it's a small patch of grass that separates the sidewalk from the street. Now, that term is only used in Central Ohio. William lived in   
Atlanta for 20 years, but he grew up in Columbus. The other guy uses words like "turnpike" and "filling the gas tank," both specific regionalisms for Florida." said Spencer as he noticed William Harris being led towards an interrogation room.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"Kid, you sure about this?" asked Morgan.

Spencer gave Morgan a look that said your really asking me that when everyone else trusts my instincts.

"Right." said Morgan.

xxxxxx

Spencer stared at all the markings he had made on the messages as he read out loud to himself while he occasionally made more marks on the messages before Morgan approached him.

"Tell me you found his partner." said Morgan.

Spencer stayed silent as he looked at the messages.

"Reid." said Morgan.

"It's all so cryptic." said Spencer.

Morgan looked at all the marks that Spencer had made before looking at one of the messages.

""The end of the day came too soon."" read Morgan, "Well, they clearly enjoyed being together." said Morgan.

"They wrote a cluster of others right after the first victim, Kim Groves, was killed." said Spencer.

Morgan sighed.

"We need to figure out how they met. There's gotta be something in all this about their courtship." said Morgan as he sat down.

Spencer looked at one of the lines.

""It all seemed so hopeless, but I finally learned to rise above it."" read Spencer before looking at Morgan, "It sounds like William confessed he was feeling incomplete." said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer and thought about Maeve, Jocelyn, and Baby Reid were helping Spencer's life feel complete.

"He was. He didn't start killing until he met his soul mate." said Morgan.

Spencer looked at a line that he had underlined with a blue Sharpie.

""Faith should never be broken."" read Spencer before looking at Morgan, "The longer they got away with it, the stronger their relationship."   
said Spencer.

Morgan stood up.

"Sounds like these two aren't just obsessed with rape and murder. They're addicted to one another." said Morgan just as Hotch, Emily, and an angry Detective Linden came into the room.

"We could have saved her." said Detective Linden.

"There were no signs of his having a partner until now." said Hotch as he tried to sooth the detective.

"I guess that's why he's so cocky." said Detective Linden as Rossi joined them.

"Well, his arrogance is typical of a dominant personality. He's found a submissive who's willing to kill for him." said Hotch.

Emily looked at Spencer and Morgan.

"The partner is a biter. We found marks on Missy Dewald." said Emily as she noticed the mixed reactions from Spencer and Morgan.

"They never did that before." said Morgan.

"Well, with William out of the picture, he's changed his behavior." said Hotch.

Spencer's mind started to race.

"Maybe the partner went back to something that's comfortable, something he's done before." said Rossi.

"I've got Garcia checking dental records against other cases." said Hotch.

Morgan handed Rossi some papers before both men walked away while Spencer uncapped a Sharpie so he could start going through the messages again.

xxxxxxx

Spencer stood by the white board going through messages as he listened to Garcia.

"It turns out there's a lot of sick pups in central Florida. Today's dental records do not match William Harris, but do match a reported rape in Manatee County earlier this year." said Garcia.

"That's great. You got a match?" asked Emily.

"Yeah, the teeth belong to the same person, but they've never been arrested, so I can't cross-reference." said Garcia.

"What about the victim?" asked Hotch.

"Connie Mayers. She still lives in the area." said Garcia.

xxxxxxx

Emily looked at her teammates.

"Connie Mayers described an anger-excitation rapist just like William." said Emily.

"So we're looking at two dominant personalities." said Morgan.

"Makes sense. They have a similar discourse. They're equally well written." said Spencer.

"That's a big deal?" asked Detective Linden.

"It's rare in criminal partnerships." nodded Spencer.

"If their personalities are the same, their lives probably mirror one another's as well." said Emily.

"Harris goes to church, on the board of the PTA, coaches his daughter's soccer team, rarely drinks." listed Detective Linden.

"Sounds like a saint." said Jordan.

"With a dark side. That's what he connected to in the partner. Prentiss and I will go talk to the family, see if they know who it might be." said   
Hotch before he and Emily walked away.

Morgan sighed as he walked to the bulletin board.

"Two alpha males won't be easy to break." said Morgan.

"The partner is definitely following the investigation." said Jordan.

"Let's do the talking for them." said Rossi.

"You want me to put this out in the public?" asked Jordan.

Rossi held up the messages.

"We've got something better." said Rossi.

"Why would he read it? He knows William won't be writing." said Detective Linden.

"These men are addicted to each other. Right now, he needs a fix, and the words they've shared are all he has to cling to." said Morgan.

"His partner wrote "faith should never be broken." A betrayal could devastate him." said Spencer.

"All we have to say is that William's cooperating... And then hope he takes the bait." said Morgan.

xxxxxx

Morgan looked at Spencer who was typing their bait for the second unsub.

"What have we got so far?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked at what he had typed for their trap.

"Uh, "we were surprised that you injected yourself "into the investigation. You risked a lot in order to help William."" read Spencer.

"And killin' Missy tells us how close you really are." said Morgan while Spencer typed, "It must be devastating to learn that William is here   
with us." said Morgan.

Spencer continued to type what Morgan directed to him.

"He's not gonna like that. Sounds like William's cooperating." said Spencer.

Morgan leaned over Spencer a bit and read what his brother wrote.

"Well, that's exactly what we want him to believe, so he'll doubt their alliance." said Morgan.

xxxxxxx

Morgan looked at the entries that Spencer had pinned to the board.

"Most entries followed the first murder." said Morgan.

Spencer looked at the entries in his hands.

"Yeah, William wrote most of them. Uh, "I wasn't expecting that type of gift. I wish time didn't take away all the pleasures of the day."" read   
Spencer.

Morgan walked away.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer was standing next to Hotch when Rossi and Morgan approached them.

"You got something?" asked Rossi.

"One day, the partner wrote, "I feel like such an outsider. "no one understands me. "I watch them chase their little spawns, the same old   
conversations. Nothing stimulates me."" read Spencer.

"Sounds like a party with kids." said Morgan.

Emily looked at Morgan and Rossi.

"Yeah, and somebody was not happy to be there." said Emily.

Hotch looked at the messages that were in Spencer's hands.

""I looked over, and everything changed. The only spark in my day."" read Hotch.

Spencer looked at his team.

"This is it. It's buried in a later entry, but he's talking about the first time they met." said Spencer.

Morgan and Rossi quickly walked away.

xxxxxxx

Spencer stared at the messages when Morgan looked at him.

"Reid, we need to figure out where that party was." said Morgan.

Spencer turned around.

"Let's review one more time. I'm a serial killer writing my partner. Why do I keep a secret blog?" asked Spencer.

"It's a safe way to relive your crimes." said Hotch.

"Uh, no one ever sees you together, and, uh, no one overhears you talking." said Emily.

Spencer turned to look at the board again.

"I'd buy all that." said Rossi.

"Sounds like they take turns surprising each other. Uh, listen to this. "I love the challenges. "the timing is always perfect. "thanks for tonight. It was tough, but I figured it out. Nothing was gonna keep me away."" read Spencer.

Rossi noticed a look on Spencer's face.

"What are you thinking?" asked Rossi.

Spencer turned around.

"They never write about a time." said Spencer.

"So how did they know when to meet?" asked Morgan before he walked away.

xxxxxxx

A short while later they had Garcia on the phone.

"What have we got?" asked Garcia.

"All four victims were abducted at different times of day. It was never consistent." said Hotch.

Spencer crossed his arms.

"One was even taken on Thanksgiving morning when she went to the market for her mom." said Emily.

"Other than the blog, there is nothing else suspicious on Mr. Sneaky's phone or his computer. All texts, numbers, and files have been   
accounted for." said Garcia.

"What did they do to communicate?" asked Hotch.

"We're missing something. We know based on the language and the knowledge of the area that The partner was most likely born and raised   
in Florida." said Emily.

"All right, let's work with the theory that the partner lives in Sarasota." said Rossi.

"They don't call. They don't write. The signal could be something visual, or it could be something audible." said Spencer.

"OK, if it's visual, that could be hanging a flag on their house." said Emily.

"And if it's audible, they'd obviously have to live close enough to each other to hear it." said Hotch.

Spencer's mind started to race.

"Something audible. Something you can hear." said Spencer as he picked up some papers, "What if... What if they're not writing poetry to each other? What if they're writing lyrics to a song?" asked Spencer as he found some possible lyrics, "Uh, "this feels so good, so free, so   
right."" recited Spencer.

"Give me something else." said an excited Garcia.

Emily looked at the board.

"Uh, "It looks so right. It's all I need tonight."" recited Emily.

"I found it." said Garcia as she started to play the song.

Hotch instantly recognized the song.

"Garcia, that's it. That was playing when we pulled in to the cul-de-sac." said Hotch.

Emily nodded.

"It was coming out of a car." said Emily.

"That's the signal. That's how they knew to go back to Missy Dewald." said Hotch.

"The partner lives nearby. That's where they met. It was a neighborhood party." said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the phone.

"Garcia, we need to know which neighbor it is." said Rossi.

"Give me the parameters again." said Garcia.

"We're looking for a while male." started Spencer.

"Married, with children." said Hotch.

"He's either got a good steady job, or he owns his own business." said Emily.

"He's lived in Florida his entire life." said Rossi.

"Within close proximity to William, there are seven white males. Five are married with children. Two were born and raised in the sunshine state. One is on disability. One owns a real estate business." said Garcia as she realized that she found the second unsub, "Oh, my god. He lives right next door. Steven Baleman." said Garcia.

Rossi quickly walked away.

xxxxxxx

Spencer and Emily entered the room where Hotch and Detective Linden were watching Morgan and Rossi interrogating William.

"So Steven Baleman has a couple of commercial properties, but so far, there's nothing." said Emily.

"Only he knows where Steven took Andrea." said Spencer.

"I can't believe he sold out his daughter to protect his partner." said a disgusted Detective Linden.

"He's protecting himself. The minute he says anything, he's guilty." said Hotch before they focused on the interrogation.

xxxxxxx

Spencer rushed into the waiting room and he smiled when he saw Maeve with Jocelyn who was babbling in her car seat.

"I made it." said Spencer as he gave his wife a kiss.

"Welcome home." said Maeve.

Jocelyn grinned when she saw her daddy.

"Dada." smiled Jocelyn.

A few seconds later Spencer scooped up his daughter and kissed her cheek.

"I missed you while I was in Florida." said Spencer before looking at his wife, "I took a nap during the flight home, and I have all day off since paperwork can wait until tomorrow." said Spencer.

"I take it that you'll take Jocelyn home so she doesn't have to go to daycare?" asked Maeve.

"Yes, and when Josie naps, I'm going to be sleeping too." said Spencer.

A few seconds later a nurse came out.

"Maeve Reid." said a nurse.

xxxxxxx

A half hour later Spencer who had Jocelyn on his lap looked at the monitor and pointed it at his daughter.

"That's your baby brother or sister on there." said Spencer.

The five-month-old baby girl stared at the computer with wonder in her brown eyes.

xxxxxx

Over a week later Spencer exited the locker room with Morgan who smiled at him.

"Your hand to hand combat is getting better." said Morgan.

"Just wait until the others find out that I knocked you down five times." smirked Spencer.

Morgan laughed just before Emily came over to them.

"We just got a call about a missing 10-year-old girl and her parents found dead." said Emily.

15 minutes later Spencer was sending Maeve a text message.

I WON'T BE COMING HOME THIS EVENING SINCE THERE'S A MISSING 10 YEAR OLD GIRL IN ALABAMA. ~ SR

xxxxxx

Jordan brought the laptop over to Emily, Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi.

"We got the up links of the crime scene photos. This is Geoff and Nancy Hale. both their throats were cut." said Jordan.

"Any evidence of abuse?" asked Morgan.

"Nothing." said Jordan.

Spencer who got his watch to Central Timezone got up and made his way to the rest of the team.

"Slitting someone's throat is quick and efficient." said Spencer as he sat down.

"That's because the real target was down the hall." said Emily.

Jordan glared at Emily.

"She has a name." stated Jordan.

"What?" asked Emily.

"She's not "the target." her name's Cate. She's 10 years old." said Jordan.

Emily looked at Rossi before looking at Jordan.

"All right." said Emily.

Rossi looked at Jordan.

"Amber Alert in effect?" asked Rossi.

"Since 7 AM this morning." said Jordan.

"With the unsub's head start he could be anywhere within a 400 mile radius. Make sure that they're casting a wide enough net." ordered   
Hotch.

"Got it." said Jordan.

"Who discovered the bodies?" asked Morgan.

"Jim Scheuren, Cate's biological father. He was supposed to take her for the weekend. The police don't consider him a suspect." said Jordan.

"We'll want to talk to him anyway." said Hotch.

"We're also going to need a list of registered sex offenders in a 20 mile radius." said Emily.

"What's the makeup of the Hales' neighborhood?" asked Spencer.

"Mostly white and middle class." answered Jordan.

"We'll need aerial views of the neighborhood. If Madison County doesn't have them, talk to Garcia." said Morgan.

Jordan nodded while Hotch looked at Rossi.

"Dave, you and Morgan go to the crime scene. The rest of us will get up to speed at the precinct." said Hotch.

xxxxxx

Spencer quickly unpinned photos of the neighborhood from the bulletin board.

"The Hales' neighborhood is a series of rural roads and one block streets." said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer while being pleased that Spencer was staying professional despite having a five-month-old daughter and another child on the way.

"How far to a main thoroughfare?" asked Hotch.

"A little over 3 miles. So he didn't come upon Cate by accident." said Hotch before looking at Sheriff Bates, "Sheriff Bates." said Hotch.

Sheriff Bates quickly joined them.

"Yes." said Sheriff Bates.

"Is Cate's father here yet?" asked Hotch.

"He's on his way." said Sheriff Bates.

"Let me know the second he gets here." said Hotch.

Sheriff Bates looked at Hotch.

"I told you, we already checked out his alibi. He's not good for this." said Sheriff Bates.

"I know, but he might know who is." said Hotch.

"All right." said Sheriff Bates before walking away.

xxxx

The next day Sheriff Bates looked at Spencer and noticed his wedding band.

"You have kids?" asked Sheriff Bates.

"A five-month-old daughter and my wife's almost 14-weeks pregnant with our second child." said Spencer as he ended up showing Sheriff Bates a picture of his daughter.

"She's beautiful." said Sheriff Bates.

"Josie's one of the most beautiful girls in the world, and I can't wait to meet my second child." smiled Spencer.

"What gender are you hoping for?" asked Sheriff Bates.

"Another little girl will be nice so the boy-girl ratio can be evened out since I have two teammates who both have sons." said Spencer with a small smile on his face.

"I have two daughters myself." said Sheriff Bates.

"Do they have you wrapped around their fingers when they were little?" asked Spencer.

"They sure did, and you probably know that you should enjoy the moments with your little girl being sweet before they become teenagers." said Sheriff Bates.

"I know." said Spencer.

xxxxx

Sheriff Bates looked at the broken glass that was in Morgan's gloved hand.

"Is it a match?" asked Sheriff Bates.

"Which means the RV park owner was right. They spread it on purpose." said Morgan.

"So everything they do is part of some ritual." said Rossi.

Sheriff Bates looked at Spencer, Morgan, and Rossi.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" asked Sheriff Bates.

"A family that ritualizes killing together? Definitely not." answered Morgan.

Spencer looked at Morgan, Rossi, and Sheriff Bates.

"You know, if the family speaks Romanian, the spreading of the glass makes sense. It's an Eastern European superstition for good luck."   
said Spencer.

Sheriff Bates looked at Spencer.

"So they're Romanian. We already knew that." said Sheriff Bates.

"Not just Romanian. We're talking about people that are highly superstitious and obsessed with ritual." said Spencer.

"Romany." said Rossi.

"Romany?" asked Sheriff Bates.

"Gypsies." answered Morgan.

"More accurately, someone who has perverted Romany culture." said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Morgan who was pulling out his cellphone.

"Call Garcia. They're tight knit and nomadic like our unsubs, but not usually prone to violence." said Rossi.

A second later Morgan had Garcia on speaker.

"Hiya, baby." said Garcia in a sultry voice.

Spencer smirked at Sheriff Bates reaction.

"Hey, baby girl, we need to talk." said Morgan.

"PG or NC-17?" asked Garcia.

Spencer slightly smirked.

"You're on speakerphone." chided Morgan.

"I charge extra for groups." said Garcia.

Sheriff Bates looked at Spencer and Rossi who were both smirking at the flirting that was going on.

"We need you to run through crimes similar to the Hale murders in the last two years." said Morgan.

"Oh, I already did that. Zip." said Garcia.

"Go back even further, Garcia. Cross-reference against any small towns that have had reports of petty theft associated with waves of Romany populations entering the area." said Spencer.

"Romany?" asked Garcia.

"Gypsies." clarified Rossi.

"As in "gypsies, tramps, and thieves"?" asked a surprised Garcia.

"Exactly." said Morgan.

"Oh, bless you all for turning my life into a Cher song." said Garcia.

"You're the best." said Morgan before hanging up.

"You need to get your men together right now." ordered Rossi.

"Why is that?" asked Sheriff Bates.

"'Cause whatever ritual these people are trying to play out, we know Cate Hale didn't fit their needs." said Spencer.

"Which means they'll have to try again." said Morgan.

xxxxxxx

While Hotch and Rossi were giving the profile, Spencer was helping Morgan and Garcia find past and present missing girls before Morgan went to collect Hotch and Rossi.

"Garcia, you still there?" asked Morgan.

"Present." said Garcia.

"Explain what you got." ordered Morgan.

"OK, I went ahead and went further back looking for similar cases and I made the search national." said Garcia.

Rossi looked at all the photos of 10 year old girls that were reported missing over the years.

"All these are hits?" asked a shocked Rossi.

"Yeah. there's 30 of them. They go as far back as 1909. Rapid city, South Dakota, Taos, New Mexico, Gary, Indiana. My map is lit up like a   
Christmas tree." said Garcia.

Hotch looked through the photos causing him to think about how Jocelyn will turn out in about 10 years.

"All these girls were abducted and had their parents killed?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked through the photos.

"The time between the kills was long enough and the regions of the country so spread out that it never showed up as serial." said Spencer.

"What the hell is this?" asked Rossi.

"I don't know, but it looks like it's been going on for generations." said Morgan.

xxxxxx

The next morning Spencer got out of an SUV in Madison, Alabama when Morgan looked a Rossi and Jordan.

"Reid and I will check inside." said Morgan before looking at Spencer who nodded at him.

A few minutes later Spencer was standing in the missing girl's bedroom when Morgan joined them.

"This is what I don't get. In both this house and the Hales' house the girls' bedrooms were closest to the exit. I mean, the unsubs actually   
had to go out of their way to kill the parents before abducting the girls." said Spencer.

"I think it was a countermeasure." stated Morgan.

"What do you mean?" asked Spencer.

"They've been doing this for years and they've never been caught. Why?" asked Morgan.

"They disappear in the dead of night, they have a head start on the cops, and they don't kill again for years." said Spencer.

"Exactly. When I was a cop, I would get 10 calls a day from parents in child abductions. Now, as sad as that is, if the families didn't stay on   
you, at a certain point, other cases would just start taking priority." said Morgan.

"So what are they doing with these girls?" asked Spencer.

Before Morgan could answer, his cellphone rang causing Morgan to leave Spencer in the room.

xxxxx

"A working theory from 1971 was that a transient killed the family and abducted Kathy Gray. Then all the leads went cold." said Garcia.

"How do you watch your family get murdered and then make a life with the people who did it?" asked Jordan.

"It's Stockholm syndrome. You adapt or die." said Rossi.

"And now she's training her son to be a murderer." said Emily.

"At a certain point, once traditions are handed down generation after generation, there is no right or wrong. You simply accept the way the   
world works." said Hotch.

Spencer stroked his chin.

"The Romany are a closed society. The unsub simply twisted and distorted traditions to become entirely insular." said Spencer.

"Abduction the children keeps the bloodline pure, getting the parents ensures that people eventually stop looking for them." said Morgan   
just as Sheriff Bates came into the room.

"We got a report of an RV on fire about 20 miles from here." said Sheriff Bates.

"Dave, you, Reid, and Morgan go check it out." said Hotch.

Spencer quickly got up and followed Morgan and Rossi.

xxxxxxx

Spencer, Morgan, and Rossi followed Sheriff Bates to the burnt up RV.

"It was started less than an hour ago, so they can't be far." said Sheriff Bates.

Spencer looked at the ground with the help of a flashlight as he walked along the crime scene.

"It looks like they left almost everything." said Morgan.

"The got the girl they wanted. They're starting over." said Rossi.

Morgan crouched down and shined a flashlight on the clothes.

"Look at the clothes. Most of them still have the store sensors on them." said Morgan as he held up some clothes.

"So how did they get them past security scanners?" asked Sheriff Bates.

Spencer held up some tinfoil.

"Tinfoil." answered Spencer.

"Excuse me?" asked Sheriff Bates.

Spencer stood up to his full height with some tinfoil as he thought about Emily telling him about the cognitive interview.

"Cate Hale remembers being locked in a closet surrounded by clothing and tinfoil." said Spencer.

"Shoplifters use tinfoil to line their bags and negate security alarms." informed Morgan.

"Makes sense. A lot of Romany make their living as petty thieves." said Rossi.

Spencer picked up some bells that jingled.

"It also explains the bells she heard. Cate says she remembers hearing the sound of bells, followed directly by the father talking to the son." said Spencer as he picked up an arm from a mannequin, "I think that's probably what the mannequin's for. School of the seven bells." said   
Spencer.

"You dress a mannequin, you line a suit with seven bells. If you can pick his pocket without a bell ringing, you're ready to work a crowd."   
said Morgan.

Sheriff Bates nodded.

"So we know how they make their money." said Sheriff Bates.

"That's not all we know." said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the broken glass.

"These unsubs are guided entirely by ritual. They abducted Lynn Robillard and killed her family in an area that they knew was surrounded   
by police and the FBI. They had to. They can't deviate." said Spencer.

"We also know that they're starting over. Which means they're gonna need some money." said Morgan.

Rossi looked at Sheriff Bates.

"Where's the closest shopping mall?" asked Rossi.

"About 15 miles from here." said Sheriff Bates.

Morgan quickly called Hotch.

"Hey, Hotch, we know where they're going." said Morgan before he explained where the family would be going.

xxxxx

The next morning Spencer entered the room where Jordan was watching Emily and Hotch interrogate Kathy.

"How's it going so far?" asked Spencer.

"They're trying to crack her by reminding her of the girl she used to be." said Jordan.

Spencer looked through the glass to see Hotch and Emily with Kathy.

"I hope this good cop/ bad cop routine works." said Spencer.

"If her family gets away, we've lost that little girl forever." said Rossi before they focused on watching the interrogation.

A minute later Spencer looked at Jordan.

"Once I did a solo interrogation and when Eric Miller was starting to make threats to me, Hotch stormed into the room causing Eric to ask   
me if Hotch was my daddy." said Spencer causing Morgan and Rossi to chuckle.

"Really?" asked Jordan.

Spencer nodded.

"When I left the interrogation room, Eric Miller was crying." said Spencer before he decided to focus on the interrogation.

A few minutes later Hotch looked at them causing Rossi to speak what they were speaking.

"She's ready." said Rossi before he went to join Hotch and Emily.

A few minutes later Spencer was donning his Kevlar vest and hurried to an SUV with Morgan.

xxxxxxx

Spencer quickly got out of the SUV and pointed his revolver at Kathy's husband.

"FBI! Hands in the air! Hands in the air! Get on your knees! Down on the ground! Now!" shouted Morgan.

The unnamed man got onto his knees, and a few seconds later Morgan was handcuffing him.

"You know, we got a long list of girls to go through with you." said Morgan.

"In history, warriors invaded towns, killed the men, women, and boys, but kept the girls for themselves. You exist because your ancestors   
did what was needed for you to survive." said the man.

Morgan shoved the man to Sheriff Bates.

"Get him out of here." said Morgan.

"You'll never find my boy!" shouted the man.

"We already have." called back Spencer.

The man turned around and looked at Spencer.

"Come on, come on." said Sheriff Bates as he led the man away.

xxxxxxx

Spencer entered the bullpen with his teammates, and he smiled when he saw Maeve with Jocelyn on her hip while JJ stood next to them.

"Well this is a nice surprise." smiled Spencer.

The five-month-old girl grinned when she saw her daddy.

"Dada." said Jocelyn as she started to squirm in her mommy's arms.

"After the case you just worked, I knew that you needed to see our little girl as soon as possible." said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer had Jocelyn on his hip.

"Daddy missed you, Josie." said Spencer.

Jocelyn happily babbled at her daddy.

"She really missed you while you were away." said Maeve as she pecked her husband on the lips.

"I missed both of my girls." said Spencer.

JJ looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"I just can't believe that Jocelyn's already five-months-old." said JJ.

"Time has gone too fast for my liking." said Spencer as he rested a hand on Maeve's 14 week baby bump, "But at least we'll get to enjoy having another baby around in about 26 weeks." said Spencer.

"So are you two going to continue repopulating the Earth with baby geniuses a few months after baby Reid's birth?" asked Morgan.

"We do want another child, but we're going to wait a few years." said Maeve.

Morgan tried to reach for his goddaughter only for Jocelyn to curl into her daddy more.

"I guess your wanting to be held by your daddy, squirt." said Morgan.

"When I'm home, she always insists being near me." said Spencer.

"The first man that a little girl falls in love with is always her father." said Hotch.

Jocelyn grinned at Hotch causing Hotch to smile back.


	29. Cold Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since its mentioned that its JJ's first day back in Cold Comfort, I'm going to have this chapter take place the morning after the last chapter. So Maeve's still 14 weeks pregnant.

Spencer smiled when Maeve entered the kitchen with Jocelyn on her hip.

"Good morning, Josie Posie," said Spencer as he continued to cut up fresh fruit.

Jocelyn grinned when she saw her daddy.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

Maeve sniffed the air and smelled something in the oven before seeing a bowl that already contained blueberries and raspberries before noticing that her husband was cutting up leftover bananas.

"Other than deciding that we'll eat fruit for breakfast, what do you have in the oven?" asked Maeve.

"When you were feeding Josie, I started making batter for banana nut muffins for breakfast this morning," said Spencer.

"Good choice since I'm craving bananas," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were sitting down and eating their fresh from the oven banana nut muffins and fresh fruit.

xxxxxxx

Over an hour later Spencer headed to the break area with a to-go cup filled with coffee when Garcia looked at him.

"Reid, we need a DOB on Prentiss," said Garcia.

Spencer smirked at the agent who celebrates her birthday three days after him.

"Ah, 7:12 AM., October 12, 197-," said Spencer before Emily glared at him.

"Hey!" exclaimed Emily.

"Libra. I should have known," muttered Garcia as she started to read, "A romantic opportunity may experience a slight hitch thanks to the pesky lunar influence which could have you dipping into a rather chilly mood. If being demonstrative and warm is difficult, then neutralize this temporary cold front with a simple but affectionate gesture." read Garcia.

"I have a simple gesture," said Emily as she flipped the bird just as JJ joined them.

"Hey. You guys ready to gather?" asked JJ.

Morgan looked at JJ.

"Well, look at you, miss thing. First day back and you're all business," said Morgan as he gave JJ a salute.

"Well, it's either dive right in or confront my separation anxiety," smiled JJ.

"It's tough being away from him, huh?" asked Garcia.

"Yeah," said JJ.

Garcia quickly grabbed JJ's right hand and saw a ring.

"Oh, hey, that's new, isn't it?" asked Garcia.

"Yeah, Citrine. It's Henry's birthstone. Will and I both got one," said JJ.

"Oh, that's sweet," said Garcia before looking at Spencer, "Didn't you get Maeve a necklace that contains yours, Maeve's, and Jocelyn's birthstones?" asked Garcia.

"I did, and as soon as the baby's born I'll be getting another stone added on," said Spencer.

JJ looked at the newspaper that was in front of Garcia.

"You done with this?" asked JJ.

"All yours," said Garcia as she passed JJ the newspaper.

"Thank you," said JJ before motioning Spencer to follow her.

As soon as they reached the conference room, JJ looked at Spencer.

"Has leaving Jocelyn gotten easier for you?" asked JJ.

"A little bit, but when my second child is born I know that it's going to be harder to leave my kids," said Spencer.

"Hopefully you and Maeve will have another little girl so both Jack and Henry don't have to fight about who gets to fall in love with Jocelyn," teased JJ.

xxxxxx

JJ pulled up pictures of women onto the monitor.

"There's been a string of abductions in Olympia, Washington, going back nine months. Four women in all, blond, blue-eyed, early-20s. This morning they found one," said JJ.

"When were they taken?" asked Hotch.

"Nine months ago," said JJ.

"So she was the first?" asked Emily.

"Yeah," said JJ as she showed another picture of the body.

"Looks almost mummified," said Rossi.

"Uh, not exactly," said JJ.

"Frozen?" asked Morgan.

"Embalmed," said JJ.

"That's different," said Emily.

"Yeah. So the time of death is a bit of a question mark right now," said JJ.

"Where did they find her?" asked Rossi.

"In a state park just east of Olympia. Seasonal hiking area. The body was jarred loose during a mudslide. That, plus the abnormal decomposition makes it difficult to know how long she was there," said JJ.

Spencer looked at the file that he was reading.

"It says the victims were abducted about three months apart. He's rotating his victims out," said Spencer.

"There are gonna be more bodies out there," said Hotch.

After Hotch gave a departure time, Spencer pulled out his phone to send Maeve a text.

I'M HEADING TO OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU, JOSIE, AND BABY REID. ~ SR

A few seconds later Spencer got up with his coffee and his paper bag when Rossi looked at him as they left the conference room.

"What's in the paper bag?" asked Rossi.

"A banana nut muffin from this morning," said Spencer.

"Homemade or store bought?" asked Rossi.

"I made the batter last night before making them this morning since I'm in charge of making breakfast when I'm home," said Spencer.

"With how much take out this job causes us to consume, I know that its good to appreciate home cooked meals," said Rossi.

xxxxxxx

After grabbing a bottle of water, Emily joined the rest of her team.

"So if I wanted to embalm a body, well, what's the process?" asked Emily.

"Start with some nose plugs," said Morgan.

"The blood is drained through the jugular vein and replaced with embalming fluid through one of the two major arteries. It usually takes a few hours," said Spencer.

"Then you'd need special equipment, training," said Rossi.

"Knowledge of the human vascular system would also be a plus," said Spencer.

"A doctor, maybe," said JJ.

"A nurse, a technician, somebody with a background in mortuary sciences," said Hotch.

"Now, there's a major they didn't offer at my school," said Morgan.

"Personally, the whole thing just seems weird to me. Embalming, I mean," said Emily.

"Some people like to look good for their funeral," said Morgan.

"But it's not them. It's just a shell, polished and painted. I just want to be cremated," said Emily.

"The question is why somebody would embalm the body of someone they just murdered?" asked Hotch.

"He wants to hold on to them. It's a possession issue," said Rossi.

"This way they can never leave. Maybe fear of abandonment speaks to his history," said Morgan.

"But eventually even an embalmed body will decay and he finds himself in need of new victims," said Spencer.

"That explains the abduction cycle a new victim every three months," said Hotch.

"Which means at least two of the remaining women are already dead," said Rossi.

"And the third?" asked JJ.

"Brooke Lombardini. It's been four days since she, uh, disappeared following her shift at a local restaurant. We know the odds," said Hotch.

"90% of all abduction victims are killed within the first 36 hours," said Spencer.

Morgan picked up the picture of Brooke that Hotch placed onto the table.

xxxxxx

Spencer and Morgan who were both wearing rubber boots that were available for them hiked through the muddy forest with Detective Duran.

"Hiker found a foot protruding from the soil right up here. The whole side of the hill slid down from up there," said Detective Duran as he   
pointed out the damage from the rain.

Morgan pointed up one of the slopes.

"So you're focusing the search in this area here," said Morgan.

"Yeah, but if he dumped other bodies here, he's got over 800 acres to work with," said Detective Duran.

"Keep your men near the fire road, detective. One man dragging a body through the woods..." said Spencer.

"110 pounds of dead weight, he's not gonna get far from the path," said Morgan.

"That's why a lot of killers dismember their victims. They're easier to dispose of that way," said Spencer.

Morgan crouched down a bit.

"You think it says something about the profile, he didn't chop her up?" asked Detective Duran.

"Possibly, yeah," said Spencer before he leaned forward to watch Morgan dig a necklace out of the mud.

"What is it?" asked Detective Duran.

Morgan held up a cross.

"Uh, detective. We got we got something up here," called out a police officer.

Spencer made his way up the muddy hill as quick as he could without falling down, and a few seconds later he found one of the victims before finding the same necklace that Morgan found.

"The answer to your question, detective, is yes, this killer can't dismember these women. He cares for them," said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Spencer stood in the morgue with an open file in his hands as he read out loud to Morgan.

"Annette Hagen, Erin Bonham, and Melissa St. Claire, all embalmed," said Spencer.

"That's the first three. That leaves the Lombardini girl still out there. Did you figure out a cause of death?

"Blood loss," said the coroner.

"Blood loss? They were alive when they were embalmed?" asked Spencer.

"Looks that way. Tox screens show significant levels of barbiturate. They were sedated, maybe unconscious," said the coroner.

Morgan noticed something.

"Reid, look at this. They all have the same haircut," said Morgan.

Spencer quickly pulled some photos out of his file and showed them.

"These are recent photos. These two had much longer hair at the time of their auction," said Spencer.

"So the unsub cut it," said Morgan.

The coroner looked at Spencer and Morgan.

"Something else he may have done. Their ears have all been double-pierced," said the coroner.

Spencer and Morgan each looked at a body to see that the coroner was right before Morgan made eye contact with the coroner.

"Were they sexually assaulted?" asked Morgan.

"Not exactly. There was no tearing or bruising that would normally suggest it. But I did find trace amounts of semen," said the coroner.

Spencer stood up to his full height.

"You're saying it may have been consensual?" asked Spencer.

"No," said the coroner.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"She's saying they were dead," said Morgan.

Spencer opened his mouth in shock.

xxxxxx

An hour later Spencer smiled when he saw that it was Maeve calling him.

"I was just about to call you so I could say goodnight to Josie," said Spencer.

"Well here she is," said Maeve as she put her phone on speaker for Jocelyn, "Daddy's on the phone," said Maeve.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

Spencer's face broke into a huge grin.

"Hello Jocelyn," said Spencer.

Jocelyn instantly started babbling causing Spencer to smile as he heard his little girl.

"Is that so?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn babbled her answer, and after a minute of hearing Jocelyn babble, Spencer spoke up.

"Well daddy has to go back to work, so goodnight, Josie," said Spencer.

Maeve turned her phone off speaker and pressed her phone against her ear.

"Call me tonight when you get to the hotel?" asked Maeve.

"Always," said Spencer.

"Love you," said Maeve.

"Love you too," said Spencer before hanging up.

xxxxxx

Later on that night Spencer smiled when he saw Maeve's face on his laptop.

"Hey," said Spencer.

"How's Olympia?" asked Maeve.

"Cold, wet, and muddy," said Spencer.

"Muddy?" asked Maeve.

"I had to do some hiking today in the woods, and luckily there were rubber boots provided for Morgan and me," said Spencer before looking at his wife, "I know that we were suppose to talk about names for our possible daughter since we already decided on Thomas for our   
possible son tonight, and I have a name in mind since you told me that I would get to pick the name for our second daughter," said Spencer.

"What choices do you have in mind?" asked Maeve.

"So far I have one in mind," said Spencer.

"What?" asked Maeve.

"Gabriella, and the meaning of the name is 'Woman of God'," said Spencer.

"Gabriella is perfect, and we can call her Gabby," said Maeve.

"What do you think of the name Kaitlyn for a middle name?" asked Spencer.

"Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid rings a good bell for when we would have to say her full name when we scold her in the future, and I know that   
Kaitlyn means "pure", so I love it," said Maeve.

"Its late in DC right now so you should get some sleep since you and the baby both need rest, and I'll call you during breakfast in the morning," said Spencer.

"Good night," said Maeve.

"Good night," said Spencer.

"Love you," said Maeve.

"Love you too," said Spencer before signing off.

xxxxx

The next day Hotch looked at everyone who had gathered to hear their profile.

"By now we know the DNA found on the victims did not match anyone in the system, So we're gonna have to look beyond physical evidence to identify the killer," said Hotch.

"Our unsub is a white male in his mid to late 20s, and he has money. He lives alone, in a large residence. There's enough space and   
ventilation to accommodate an embalming suite," said Emily.

"He's awkward with people, especially women. An inability to relate socially is common in homicidal necrophiles," said Hotch.

"Because of the alterations to the bodies, we believe the unsub is attempting to recreate a woman he once loved," said Morgan.

"Like a girlfriend?" asked Detective Duran.

"Or a wife, a mother. Someone who left or died suddenly," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at everyone in the room.

"This projection of the loved one coupled with his need to preserve the victims through embalming is similar to the psychopathology of serial murderer Ed Gein. Gein had an Oedipal complex which developed in the years he nursed his paralyzed mother back from a stroke. After she died, his obsession compelled him to dig up corpses of women who resembled his mother. So persistent was his desire to resurrect his dead mother that he actually dressed in female suits fashioned from human skin. Eventually, Gein grew unhappy with the flesh of dead bodies, which had a tendency to dry and crack, So he shifted his focus to live victims whose bodies he could better preserve," said Spencer.

"The evolution from the dead to living victims will also be mirrored in our unsub's maturation," said Hotch.

"We've put together a list of incident reports prior to 2006," said Emily as she grabbed some files, "You're gonna want to follow up on these. Now, they are inappropriate postmortem conduct, cadaver theft, and graveyard disturbances," said Emily as she finished passing files.

"60% of necrophiles work in the death business, So be sure to canvass local cemeteries, mortuaries, and morgues," said Spencer.

"And since we have the killer's DNA, we're gonna be sending you out with kits to swab potential suspects," said Morgan as he held up some wrapped up cotton swabs.

"The odds of finding Brooke Lombardini alive are slim, but the quicker we identify the killer, the better her chances are. For her sake, let's work fast," said Hotch.

xxxxx

Spencer walked with a cemetery groundskeeper who was cleaning up branches that came off trees.

"We're looking for instances where graves have been disturbed- desecrations, exhumations. Female bodies. Attractive ones," said Spencer as he helped the groundskeeper clean up the branches.

"Nobody's attractive once they've been in the ground," said the groundskeeper.

"They would have been recent burials," said Spencer.

The groundskeeper removed old flowers and tossed them.

"No, haven't had anything like that. An older grave got ransacked a couple years ago," said the groundskeeper.

Spencer looked at the groundskeeper with wide eyes.

"Was the body taken?" asked Spencer.

"No. The body was just a pile of bones. They stripped it clean, though. Made off with the jewelry, dress," said the groundskeeper.

"That's very helpful, so thank you," said Spencer.

"And thank you for helping me pick up branches along the way," said the groundskeeper.

"Your welcome," said Spencer.

xxxxxx

The next morning Spencer turned around to see Emily, Morgan, and Rossi approaching him and Morgan.

"Garcia tried to ping the phone, but it was already dead. The unsub probably turned it off when he found her with it," said Emily.

"You mean if he found her," corrected Rossi.

Hotch looked at Rossi.

"Dave, I agree with you about psychics, but the fact is Sandra Lombardini positively identified her daughter's voice. We have to assume that that call was genuine," said Hotch before Rossi nodded at him before he looked at Morgan, "So what do we think? Why is the unsub keeping Brooke alive? And how long do we think she has until he kills her?" asked Hotch.

"Maybe he needs them alive to effect their transformation," said Spencer.

"The change in the hair, the makeup, piercing the ears that would only take a few hours," said Morgan.

"He's had her for almost five days," said Rossi.

"OK, so maybe it's about something more than just appearance. Maybe it's something deeper," said Emily.

"On the phone she made it sound like she was being locked up, and she sounded drugged. These are control mechanisms used in cases of sexual slavery, mind control," said Spencer.

"It's brainwashing," said Morgan.

"So he's trying to break her down, make her surrender her identity," said Hotch.

"That's what he's waiting for. That's the version of them he wants to hold onto," said Rossi.

"The longer she holds out, the longer she stays alive," said Morgan.

"And as soon as she accepts her new role, her fate is sealed," said Hotch.

xxxxxx

Spencer stood outside of the interrogation room with Hotch as they watched Emily and Detective Fullwood interrogate Ivan Bakunas, and as they watched the interrogation Spencer and Hotch occasionally exchanged glances before Spencer heard a certain term.

"Genuine article," said Spencer before he hurried away.

A minute later Spencer was pulling out his little black book from his messenger bag when Hotch joined him.

"Reid," said Hotch.

"I took a report of a grave robbery," said Spencer as he quickly paged through his notebook.

"I thought you said it was just a simple theft?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah, but listen to what was taken. A dress, a pair of diamond earrings, and a pair of pearl earrings," said Spencer.

"Two pair," said Morgan.

"If our unsub is like Bakunas, Then he needs the genuine articles from the true object of his affection to complete the fantasy," said Hotch.

"Exactly. This grave could belong to that woman," said Spencer as he continued to find the page, "Let's see. Abigail Hansen," said Spencer.

A few minutes later they got Garcia on the phone.

"OK, so I got her obit from the Olympian. Abigail Reina Hansen died suddenly at 26 from myocarditis, a heart defect. Sending her passport photo now," said Garcia.

"Well, she certainly looks the part," said Morgan as he turned the computer around.

Spencer looked at the picture of Abigail.

"Garcia, what else can you tell us about her?" asked Hotch.

"I can tell you that she was born in Amsterdam, she never married, And her employment records show her working for Patrick and Leona   
Gless from 1985 to her death in 1992," said Garcia.

"Can you get us an address for the Gless family? They might be the only ones who can tell us who Abigail was," said Hotch.

"Yeah," said Garcia.

xxxxxxx

The next day Spencer was sitting on a desk reading the letter that Hotch and Rossi were given when Rossi approached him with JJ and   
Morgan following him.

"Anything between the lines, Reid?" asked Rossi.

"Nothing that points to a specific location. He's basically saying he's happy. That should be enough for her. It's essentially a goodbye letter," said Spencer.

"Enough for her?" asked Morgan.

Spencer quickly grabbed the envelope.

"It's only addressed to Leona," said Spencer.

"Why not his dad?" asked Morgan.

"Maybe they didn't get along," said JJ.

"No, that's not right," said Rossi as he pulled out his phone and called Garcia, "Garcia, I need you to check something else," said Rossi as he walked away.

"So basically we got nothing," said Morgan.

Spencer nodded as JJ took the letter from him and looked at it before walking away.

"I'm missing Josie, and it's going to be a few hours before I can hear my daughter babble to me over the phone," said Spencer as he pulled out his phone and looked at a picture that Maeve sent him earlier.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer sat pretzel legged on a table as he listened to JJ tell them about her visit to the psychic that Sandra called, and when she was finished, Hotch looked at JJ.

"Water," said Hotch.

"That's what he said. Roderick is near water," said JJ.

"It's not very specific. The earth is two-thirds water," said Spencer.

"He specified a rocky shoreline you could see," said JJ.

"JJ, this man is not exactly a reliable source of information," said Hotch.

JJ held up a finger as she quickly grabbed a photo from a file.

"OK. This photo from the Gless house- it was taken at their house on Mercer Island," said JJ.

"Waterfront property," said Detective Fullman.

"No one's lived there for 10 years. It's abandoned. I checked. This could be where he's holding Brooke," said JJ when Rossi approached them.

"He's sending him money," said Rossi.

"What's that?" asked Hotch.

"Roderick's dad. It's the reason Roderick never said goodbye to him in the letter. They never lost contact. That supplemental income you were asking about? This is it. Every six months, a $50,000 wire," said Rossi.

JJ looked at the bank slips.

"This is Western Union, though. There's no way to tell he's on the receiving end," said JJ.

"I'm telling you, he's sending it to Roderick. If you'd seen his father, you'd know," said Rossi.

"It's true. Deep down, he was very guilty about neglecting him," said Hotch.

"He's submissive in the marriage. He's probably paying it behind her back," said Rossi.

"You don't think his dad knew?" asked Morgan.

"No, I think he's a sad man trying to buy his kid's love," said Rossi.

Detective Fullman stood up.

"This is where Brooke's 911 call originated. This Western Union is within the circle. Mercer Island isn't," said Detective Fullwood.

xxxxxx

As everyone settled for the flight home, JJ looked at Spencer who was reading a book.

"Since you and Maeve already have a boy's name picked out, have you two narrowed down names for girls?" asked JJ.

"Maeve said that since she picked Jocelyn's name, that I get to pick the name for our second daughter," said Spencer.

"Then what names do you have in mind?" asked Emily.

"I told Maeve that I like the name Gabriella, and she said that its perfect," said Spencer.

"I like it," said JJ.

"I like Gabriella since its an Italian name," said Rossi.

"So I take it that you two would be calling your possible daughter Gabby then?" asked Emily.

Spencer nodded.

"What about middle names?" asked Hotch.

"Kaitlyn," said Spencer.

"What's the meaning of both Gabriella and Kaitlyn?" asked Morgan.

Spencer's eyes quickly moved back and forth as he used his eidetic memory to recall the meanings.

"Gabriella means 'Woman of God' while Kaitlyn means 'pure'," said Spencer.

"Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid definitely rings a good bell," said Rossi.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"When you moved your eyes like that, I always get creeped out," said Morgan.

Spencer chuckled.

xxxxxx

Later on that night Spencer quietly walked into Jocelyn's nursery and he smiled at the sight of his nearly six-month old daughter who was sleeping peacefully, and a few seconds later Jocelyn opened her eyes and smiled when she saw her daddy.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

Spencer softly chuckled as he gently removed Jocelyn from her crib and felt a wet diaper.

"Let's get you into a clean diaper, Josie," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer had a very excited Jocelyn on the changing table.

"I take it that you won't lie still for me is because your excited to see me?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn smiled at her daddy.

"Please stay still for daddy so I can get you back into your warm pajamas," said Spencer.

Jocelyn stopped moving for her father, and a minute later Spencer was in a rocking chair with Jocelyn as he heard footsteps in the master bedroom.

"I haven't told mommy that I got home, but I have a feeling that she's most likely listening in from the baby monitor," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Maeve was standing in the doorway.

"I was," said Maeve as she made her way to Spencer and Jocelyn, "Welcome home," said Maeve.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

"Still have to go in tomorrow?" asked Maeve.

"Yes," said Spencer as he continued to rock Jocelyn to sleep, "When was the last time she was fed?" asked Spencer.

"I just fed her an hour ago," said Maeve.

"Seems like she's staying awake since she missed me," said Spencer.

Jocelyn smiled at her daddy.

"She most likely is," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his smiling daughter.

"What do you say about sleeping with mommy and me?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn grinned.

"I take that as a yes," chuckled Spencer before looking down at his daughter, "I'm going to be taking a shower first so I can have some extra time to sleep in tomorrow morning," said Spencer.

Jocelyn started to whimper.

"I take it that you don't want me to stop holding you," said Spencer.

Jocelyn smiled.

"Why don't you take her with you since Josie always bathes with me when your on cases to save time while not having to ask my parents to come over and watch her so I can bathe," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his wife in shock.

"Wouldn't having Josie bathe with me be inappropriate?" asked Spencer.

"When my parents suggested that I bring Josie into the tub or shower with me when your on cases, dad told me that there were times that he took me in the shower with him until I was nearly three-years-old when mom was working. It won't be inappropriate for the two of you until either of you starts getting uncomfortable, and there will be times that you'll have to take our children into the shower or tub with you since you always can't call my parents or any of your team and ask them to come over so you can shower or wait until Josie's asleep," said Maeve before seeing that Jocelyn was still awake causing her to come up with an idea, "Since Josie's still awake, how about I join you guys in the bathtub?" asked Maeve.

Spencer quickly thought about it.

"I can tolerate having Josie with me since your wanting to join us, but the next time I'm alone with Josie for an evening I'll take her into either the tub or shower with me," said Spencer.

"Then let's go, but no bubble bath since I already had my allotted amount of bubble baths this month," said Maeve.

10 minutes later Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn were in the bathtub together.


	30. Zoe's Reprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maeve goes through weeks 15 and 16 of her pregnancy in this chapter so the gender will be revealed in this chapter!

Spencer smiled when he saw Jocelyn wearing a onesie saying MY DADDY IS MY VALENTINE, a tutu skirt, and leggings that contained pink hearts.

"You do know that we're going to have to send my teammates pictures of Josie in her new outfit since I have the day off," said Spencer.

"I know, and Penelope was the one to get Josie this outfit," smiled Maeve.

"When you have your ultrasound on Wednesday, do you think we'll find out the gender?" asked Spencer.

"Hopefully we will," said Maeve as she rubbed her nearly 16-week pregnant belly.

xxxxx

Later on that night Spencer and Maeve were dressed up and eating the dinner together with Maeve sitting on his lap when Spencer thought about his daughter who was with her grandparents.

"Do you think that Josie's having fun with her grandparents?" asked Spencer.

"I think she is, and tomorrow we'll see her when we meet up with my parents for brunch," said Maeve as she shifted herself causing Spencer to groan as he continued to feel his body react causing Maeve to smirk at her husband, "Since its Saturday night, should we hold back eating dessert?" asked a teasing Maeve.

"Yes," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were hurrying up to their bedroom.

xxxxx

Five days later Spencer and Maeve sat in Dr. Marks office with six-month-old Jocelyn on Spencer's lap when Dr. Marks smiled at Spencer and Maeve.

"Baby Reid decided to reveal the gender," smiled Dr. Marks.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" asked Maeve.

"You two will get to see your daughter wear all the clothing that Jocelyn grew out of again," smiled Dr. Marks.

Spencer and Maeve smiled at each other as happy tears fell down their faces at the thought of having two little girls while Spencer looked at his confused six-month-old daughter.

"You're getting a little sister who will be your best friend," smiled Spencer.

Jocelyn smiled at her mommy and daddy before she started to happily babble.

"So have you two been discussing baby girl names?" asked Dr. Marks.

"Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid," said Spencer.

"Definitely rings a good bell," smiled Dr. Marks as she tickled Jocelyn's belly causing the six-month-old baby girl to smile and giggle, "Jocelyn's sure one happy baby," said Dr. Marks.

"We know, and whenever I come home from a rough case, her smiles and laughter cheers me up right away," smiled Spencer.

xxxxxx

An hour and a half later Spencer entered the bullpen and a few minutes later he was fixing himself coffee when JJ, Emily, Morgan, and Garcia approached him.

"So how did Maeve's 16-week ultrasound go?" asked Garcia.

"Very well," smiled Spencer.

"Did you two find out the gender?" asked Garcia.

Spencer shook his head.

"We did, but we're waiting to reveal the gender until Rossi gets back from his book tour since we want to tell everyone only once," said   
Spencer before laying his eyes on Garcia, "So no hacking into my wife's medical records, asking Kevin to hack into Maeve's records, or calling Maeve to find out the gender," said Spencer.

"Your no fun," pouted Garcia.

xxxxx

Later on that afternoon, Spencer was in the conference room table with Hotch, Morgan, JJ, and Garcia going over the information that Rossi requested for.

"The crimes are within a seven-mile radius," said JJ.

"Well, that's something," said Morgan.

"Yeah, but the neighborhoods are all completely different. They range from poor to rich, industrial to residential," said Emily.

"The physical locations are dissimilar, but the operating zone's well-defined," said Hotch.

Garcia hacked into Zoe's laptop causing her to address Rossi who was conferencing in on the phone.

"OK. I'm in," said Garcia.

"I see you," said Rossi.

"In your web browser for search history. Check out her home page," said Garcia.

"All right, so the first thing she looks at when she opens her computer is a crime column," said Emily,

"Probably to stay current on her studies," said Morgan.

"Can you see what she worked on last?" asked Morgan.

"Voila. These are the most recently opened documents she created," said Garcia.

Spencer leaned towards Garcia to see what she was looking at.

"Looks like she was compiling empirical data about homicide trends in Cleveland," said Spencer before he leaned back.

"Do you think she knew the killer?" asked Emily.

"I don't see any notes indicating suspects," said Rossi.

"Well, Dave, she's a criminology student. She's been taught to analyze statistics and apply theory, not investigate killers. Let's talk about   
what we know," said Hotch.

"All right. Victim one- Travis Bartlett was last seen at a gay bar. He was shot at night in a park. Victim two, Lily Nicks, a 34-year-old   
prostitute, her throat was slashed. Victims three and four, June Appleby and Troy Wertsler, Were shot in their car at a parking lot outside of a movie theater. And victim five was a 28-year-old single woman, Kayla James, killed in her home. She was bound, suffocated with a bag over her head, evidence of rape," said JJ as she showed pictures of the victims and crime scenes along the way.

"And then the sixth victim was Zoe," said Emily.

JJ pulled up a picture of the 22-year-old young woman while Spencer looked at his copy of the case file.

"Victimology, weapons used, and COD are all different. It's hard to imagine it's even the same unsub," said Spencer.

"It can't be a coincidence that Zoe goes to Kayla James house and gets murdered," said Rossi.

"All right, let's say it is the same killer. Does anybody see a pattern?" asked Hotch.

"Well, maybe. OK, the first crime, he shoots the victim. The second crime, he rapes a woman and slashes her throat. That's more personal.   
And the third crime, he escalates to killing two people, And the fourth, he escalates even more by raping a woman, binding her, and suffocating her," said Emily.

"So if it is the same unsub, you could argue that there's a progression of violence with every kill," said Hotch.

Spencer rubbed his chin.

"It could be an anger excitation offender getting more daring with each crime," said Spencer.

Morgan who was looking at a crime scene photo looked at his team.

"I think I got something here," said Morgan as he showed a picture, "Look at the slashes in the prostitute's throat they're all shallow, unsure cuts. The Kayla James crime scene telephone cord, rope, and duct tape were used. It like he couldn't decide how to bind her," said Morgan as he showed another picture.

"So without a gun, he's sloppy, inexperienced," said Hotch.

"The young couple shot in the car... That crime scene remind you of anything?" asked Morgan as he held up a picture.

Spencer instantly knew who Morgan was talking about.

"Yeah, they were shot with a .44 Bulldog, just like the Son of Sam used on his victims, which were also young couples in parked cars. It might be nothing, but you're right, there is a parallel there," said Spencer.

Emily instantly thought about another killer their unsub was mimicking.

"With the second victim, it's hard not to think of Jack the Ripper. The obvious similarity being it's a prostitute whose throat was slashed," said Emily.

Hotch instantly recognized another killer.

"Kayla James was bound, tortured, raped, with a plastic bag over her head like BTK," said Hotch as he showed a picture of Kayla.

"What about victim number one?" asked Morgan.

"Garcia, what neighborhood was he found in?" asked Rossi.

Garcia did some typing.

"At a park in the Kingsbury run area," said Garcia.

"Zoe reminded me last night that Cleveland's most famous serial killer was the butcher of Kingsbury Run. He found his victims in gay bars,   
shot them, and dumped their body there. Travis Bartlett was last seen at a gay bar, and his body was found in Kingsbury Park," said Rossi.

"So these are copycats of famous serial killers?" asked JJ.

"He's a serial killer studying serial killers," said Rossi.

Everyone's eyes went wide as they exchanged looks before Hotch made his decision.

"See you in Cleveland, Dave," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer had Maeve on the phone.

"You have a case?" asked Maeve.

"Going to Cleveland, Ohio," said Spencer.

"I'll let you catch your flight, but please stay safe," said Maeve.

"I promise, and I love you," said Spencer.

"Love you too," said Maeve before hanging up.

xxxxxx

Rossi approached Spencer, JJ, Hotch, Morgan, and Emily.

"Guys," said Rossi.

"Hey, Dave," said Hotch.

Rossi pointed to a room that they've been given.

"We're in that room. Coffee's brewing," said Rossi.

Spencer who was wearing his navy blue military style pea coat and carrying a box looked at his team.

"We'll get started on the evidence boards," said Spencer.

"Detective Brady's our point. I'll let you all introduce yourselves," said Rossi.

A minute later Spencer was starting up the evidence board while Hotch looked at his team and Detective Brady.

"I know it may seem farfetched, but copycat killers are not entirely uncommon. This one happens to be copying several different killers,"   
said Hotch.

"But if he's trying to be the Butcher of Kingsbury run, why didn't he cut up and mutilate the victims like the real guy?" asked Detective Brady.

"That was seven weeks ago. He was just getting started. Beginning killers are often frightened of the crime itself. They're more interested in   
getting it over with as quickly as possible and fleeing the scene," said Emily before she continued to help Spencer set up the evidence board.

"He was just using the butcher's ruse as a way to lure the victim to be alone with her," said Morgan.

"And by the time he killed Kayla James three days ago, he'd progressed. He came very close to copying all of the BTK's MO," said Emily.

Spencer nodded.

"He's reading, learning, borrowing from others because he doesn't know who he is yet," said Spencer.

"And because of this, we think he's young and impressionable, maybe even a student," said Morgan.

"Someone probably enrolled in criminology classes. Our technical analyst is going through names of local students right now," said Spencer.

"Up to this point, changing his MO has prevented investigators from linking the crimes. That's why we need to work quickly," said Hotch.

Detective Brady looked at Hotch.

"You're sure about this?" asked Detective Brady.

"It's not a coincidence that all of these random, Violent murders in a localized area are copycats of serial killers," said Emily.

"It's as if all the worst serial killers have converged on Cleveland. Every time he plans to kill the murder weapon, the MO, and the victimology will all change," said Hotch.

xxxxxx

Spencer, Emily, and Morgan stood in front of the officers in the precinct they were in.

"We have six homicides in a 7-mile radius in East Cleveland. Now, this small zone indicates that's he's a geographically stable offender," started Morgan.

"This type of offender is characterized as young, socially immature, Of average intelligence, with psychopathic personality traits," said Emily.

"They also usually live alone and have an antisocial nature," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at everyone in the room.

"A serial killer's first murder is very telling. This unsub's first murder, he chose the MO of Cleveland's own Butcher of Kingsbury run," said   
Spencer.

"The butcher isn't as well known as other famous serial killers, but he is a local legend," said Emily.

"And because he picked the butcher to be first, We believe he's a native of Cleveland and probably grew up hearing stories of the butcher,"   
said Morgan.

"This is someone who is obsessed with serial killers. His computer will be filled with research on them," said Emily.

"He'll have abundant images of murderers on his computer and possibly even snuff films. He uses these like pornography. They provide   
some sort of sexual release," said Spencer.

xxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer and Morgan followed Detective Brady to the location where a man's body was being pulled up a ravine.

"They're bringing him up right now. Teenagers found him a little over an hour ago," said Detective Brady as they approached the body.

Spencer quickly turned on his flashlight and looked at the eyes.

"It's petechiae in the whites of his eyes," said Spencer before looking at the neck, "Judging from the bruising, he was probably strangled   
with a wire," said Spencer before he turned off his flashlight.

Detective Brady looked at Spencer and Morgan.

"Is this our guy?" asked Detective Brady.

"It's gotta be. A jogger doesn't get garroted every day," said Morgan.

Spencer looked down at the ravine and noticed water.

"Whatever signature he left was probably washed away in the water," said Spencer.

Morgan crouched down to look at the body.

"Well, who's he mimicking now?" asked Detective Brady.

Spencer quickly used his eidetic memory to think of a killer their unsub was mimicking.

"Bike path rapist Altemio Sanchez comes to mind. He trolled bike paths near Buffalo garroting his victims. It looks like he copied everything   
except for the rape," said Spencer.

"Strangulation's a repetition of his last murder of Zoe. First time he's repeated himself," said Morgan.

"Zoe's murder was spontaneous, though. He didn't plan it. He acted on instinct and did what came naturally to him," said Spencer.

"Maybe what came naturally felt good him and he wanted to feel it again," said Morgan.

"If he's starting to repeat a pattern, he may have found himself," said Spencer.

xxxxx

The next morning Spencer was in a conference room with Hotch and Rossi going over everything that Zoe had when Rossi looked at him.

"See anything else in there?" asked Rossi.

"Just the notations of an observant student. I've been thinking, though. Zoe got all of her information from the newspapers and from Paula   
McConnell's column. There's no way she could have known about every homicide in the city," said Spencer.

"Well, not every homicide's reported in the papers," said Hotch.

"So how do we know the unsub didn't commit more murders than the ones noted in her journals?" asked Spencer.

"We don't," said Rossi.

"We can check missing persons and see if anyone was last seen in the unsub's operating zone," said Hotch.

Rossi watched Spencer grab another file and start pouring over it.

"Hmm," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"What?" asked Spencer softly.

Rossi looked at the 27-year-old genius causing him to think back to the day that Gideon called him and told him about finding Spencer at Cal-tech and how Hotch had told him about working with Spencer when he had dinner with Hotch in 2004.

"Well, a young person's mind is so active; yours, Zoe's, and I imagine this unsub's, too," said Rossi.

Hotch instantly thought about how active Spencer's mind can get.

"I think when he get him, he'll be curious. He'll ask questions," said Hotch.

JJ quickly entered the room.

"Rossi heads up. She knows," said JJ.

Shelia Hawkes stood in the doorway with a receipt.

"Did you do this? I don't need or want your money. I have taken care of my daughter for 22 years, and she is still my responsibility. I don't   
need any help from you. You didn't even know her," said Shelia as she tried to control her tears.

"I'm sorry if I've offended you," said Rossi.

"Just leave us alone," demanded Shelia before leaving the room.

A few seconds later Detective Brady entered the room as he concluded a phone call.

"All right," said Detective Brady before hanging up, "We found another body. East Cleveland. Strangulation marks," said Detective Brady.

"You're with me, Reid," said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was leaving the station with Hotch and Detective Brady, and when they got into the SUV, Hotch looked at   
Spencer who was typing a text message.

"Since we're away from the rest of the team, would you like to tell me the gender of the baby that Maeve's pregnant with?" asked Hotch.

Spencer shook his head as his growing curls bounced.

"Maeve sworn me to secrecy or I will be sleeping on the couch when I get home," said Spencer.

"How many kids do you have?" asked Detective Brady.

"Other than having a six-month-old daughter, Maeve's currently 16 weeks pregnant with my second child," said Spencer.

xxxxxx

Spencer looked at the body.

"This was recent. The bruises on her neck are still reddish," said Spencer.

"No other obvious signs of trauma," said Hotch.

"Well, this isn't a bike path like the last one. Which serial killer is he mimicking now?" asked Detective Brady.

"I don't think he is mimicking anymore. He's starting to show consistency. I think he's developing his own style," said Spencer.

Hotch noticed something before he looked up at Detective Brady.

"Has anybody touched her?" asked Hotch.

"No. They have instructions to wait for us and the ME," said Detective Brady.

"Where's he?" asked Hotch.

Detective Brady quickly noticed the ME coming towards them.

"Dr. Edwards! Here he comes," said Detective Brady.

Hotch made eye contact with the medical examiner.

"Agent Hotchner. Um, could you take a look at this spot on her forehead?" asked Hotch.

Dr. Edwards quickly looked at where Hotch was pointing at.

"That's strange. Let me swab it and get it back to the lab," said Dr, Edwards as he reached into his kit.

"Thanks," said Hotch as he stood up to his full height.

xxxxxx

As soon as Eric's apartment got cleared, Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid, check the computer. Detective, we should talk to the neighbors, find out where he goes, where he might be on a weeknight," ordered Hotch.

Rossi came into the room.

"Aaron. He's reading my books," said Rossi.

xxxxxx  
Spencer was going through Eric's computer when Hotch approached him and Detective Brady.

"Reid, anything?" asked Hotch.

Spencer quickly pulled up a calendar before pulling up an address causing Detective Brady to look at Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi.

"Al's Alehouse. That's like five miles away," said Hotch.

"It's on the schedule for tonight," said Spencer.

"You stay here, Reid," said Hotch.

"OK," said Spencer.

xxxxx

Spencer just got done showing an officer who had a daughter Jocelyn's age some photos of Jocelyn when Hotch called him causing him to quickly answer his phone.

"Reid," said Hotch.

"Hotch," said Spencer.

"I need something, anything that might show where he was trolling for more victims," said a practically begging Hotch.

Spencer sighed.

"We've been through everything," said Spencer as he walked into the hallway of Eric's apartment

"He marked up Rossi's books. Check the bookcase. Maybe he was scouting for locations to commit more murders," suggested Hotch.

Spencer stopped walking and looked at the pictures on the wall.

"Pictures," said Spencer to himself.

"What?" asked Hotch.

"Framed photographs in his hallway. Nothing else... Nothing else is framed. They look like originals. Let me call you right back, Hotch," said   
Spencer.

"OK," said Hotch before hanging up.

Spencer quickly removed a photo and started to examine the picture.

xxxxxxx

After going through the photos, Spencer quickly called Hotch back.

"Yeah, Reid," answered Hotch.

"I found pictures on his computer in a special folder he created. They're scenic places in the city. Three of them I recognize from his crime scenes. There are more pictures of places I don't recognize," said Spencer.

"Email them as soon as you can," said Hotch.

Spencer inwardly shook his head as he thought about how he only used email for work before he started using email more when he met   
Maeve.

"All right," said Spencer before hanging up.

xxxxxx

The next afternoon Spencer looked at his teammates as they settled for their flight home.

"Maeve and I want you guys to come over to my house for dinner tonight," said Spencer.

"Going to reveal the gender of your second child?" asked Emily.

"Yes," said Spencer before looking at Rossi, "I always don't have normal fans, but I haven't quit publishing articles or stopped guest lecturing," said Spencer.

Rossi thought about the conversation he had with JJ earlier.

"So your telling me that I shouldn't quit writing books?" asked Rossi.

"I am," said Spencer before he took a deep breath, "There are times that I give lectures to the cadets, and there are cadets who tell me that   
they ended up applying to the academy after they either attended one of my guest lectures or read one of my articles," said Spencer before he opened his book.

xxxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer looked at his teammates and his in-laws.

"Everything is set up outside for the gender reveal, so we should all bundle up since what I'm about to do needs to be done outside," said Spencer.

Two minutes later Garcia squealed when she saw a canvas with a black balloon.

"Is it filled with either pink or blue paint?" asked Garcia.

"Yes," said Maeve.

"How are you guys going to pop it?" asked Morgan.

Spencer and Maeve exchanged secret smiles before Spencer headed to the garden shed where he pulled out a bow and some arrows causing some gasps.

"You know how to do archery?" asked Morgan.

"Uncle Gordon loved doing archery so he ended up teaching my cousins and me how to do archery, and my mom approved archery since archery reminded her of Robin Hood," said Spencer.

Hotch smirked at Morgan.

"I already knew about Reid knowing how to do archery since I helped him move into his old apartment," said Hotch.

The hunter in Rossi looked at Spencer.

"How good of a shot are you with a bow and arrow?" asked Rossi.

Spencer blushed a bit while Hotch looked at Rossi.

"Just wait and see," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Maeve, his teammates, in-laws, and Will.

"You guys ready?" asked Spencer.

Everyone nodded, and a few seconds later Spencer was getting himself into position. After checking to make sure that no one was in his line of fire, he made sure that his shot was lined up before released the string. A few seconds later the arrow penetrated the balloon causing pink paint to splatter onto the canvas causing cheers and a groan from Morgan who passed money to Emily, Rossi, and JJ who all   
had smirks on their faces.

"Another baby girl to go shopping for!" squealed Garcia.

Hotch who had gone to check if Spencer got a bulls-eye gave a rare smile at Spencer who was being hugged by his in-laws.

"You got a bulls-eye, and congratulations on your second daughter," smiled Hotch.

"Thanks," smiled Spencer.

JJ who had a bundled up Henry in his arms smiled at Spencer.

"Maybe Gabriella can be Henry's future wife while Jack marries Jocelyn," said JJ.

Spencer shook his head.

"Jocelyn and Gabriella aren't allowed to date until they're 30," said Spencer firmly.

Morgan looked at Spencer with a smirk on his face.

"You're going to be dealing with three girls under one roof," teased Morgan.

Spencer wrapped an arm around his wife before accepting Jocelyn from his mother-in-law.

"I don't care since I'm happy about getting another daughter," smiled Spencer as he kissed his daughter's cheek, "We should probably get inside so Jocelyn and Henry can warm up," said Spencer.

A few minutes later everyone was in the house enjoying wine or sparkling wine while they watched Henry try to scoot on his stomach after a crawling Jocelyn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: When I was in ninth grade, there was an archery unit in gym class. So I thought that Spencer would enjoy revealing the gender by doing archery due to thinking about the Disney movie "Robin Hood" while looking up cute ways to reveal the gender.


	31. Pleasure is My Business

Spencer sighed as he read a letter from his father when Morgan looked at him.

"What's with the sigh, kid?" asked Morgan.

"You know that I've been slowly reconnecting with my father by writing monthly letters since that case in Phoenix?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Morgan.

"Well my dad wrote to me that he recently read in the newspaper that my 15-year high school reunion is next week Saturday and was wondering if Maeve and I were going to Vegas for that reunion," said Spencer.

"Are you thinking about going?" asked Morgan.

"You guys learned last April about how bad high school was for me, and I don't want to face any of my tormentors," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"You should really go to prove to everyone that you've been successful with your life since high school, and I can imagine that a few of your former bullies didn't end up as successful as you," said Morgan as he thought about the time he and Garcia ended up looking up the football team that tormented Spencer.

Hotch who was walking by stopped by Spencer's and Morgan's desk.

"What about former bullies?" asked Hotch.

"I just got a letter from my father telling me about my 15-year high school reunion which is happening next week Saturday, and Morgan's trying to convince me that I should go to show off how successful I've become with my life," said Spencer.

"Even though high school was painful for you, you should go to show your former tormentors that you've been very successful with your life while you, Maeve, and Jocelyn take the opportunity to visit family before Maeve can't travel on commercial flights," said Hotch.

"I guess I'll go because of us being on stand down for the next two weeks," said Spencer as he didn't even know that the upcoming trip to Vegas would be the last time that he would be able to go to Las Vegas until Christmas due to the rough times that were coming up for him.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was on the jet heading to Dallas with JJ, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi while Hotch was conferencing in from Dallas.

"Female serial killers are a fascinating field. We don't have much information on them, but what we do know involves throwing the rules completely out the window. Signature, for instance. They don't torture or take trophies," said Spencer.

"Because there's no sexual gratification when a woman kills," said Morgan.

"Exactly. Murder is the goal. They don't have to do anything extra," said Spencer.

"So, basically, women are more efficient at killing," said JJ.

"Historically, they have had body counts in the hundreds," said Spencer.

"So assuming that the job is the stressor, what are some of the reasons prostitutes kill their customers?

"Money, drugs, post-traumatic stress disorder," said Morgan.

"At some point, every call girl, no matter how well paid, gets coerced into an activity she didn't consent to," said Rossi.

Spencer took a sip of his coffee.

"Aileen Wuornos used to purposefully stage paid sexual encounters as an excuse to murder men she thought would rape her," said Emily.

"But Wuornos was psychotic and disorganized. I think this girl's poisoning them before she has sex with them," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his copy of the file he was given.

"She's using Tetramethylenedisulfotetramine. It's a popular rat poison in China, easily soluble in alcohol," said Spencer.

"Poison is the perfect MO quiet, quick, and the victims never see it coming because they think they're getting lucky. Does that mean something to you?" asked Rossi.

"Well, at $10,000 a night, these men are paying for discretion as well as sex," said Hotch.

"She has a history with them. They see her repeatedly," said Hotch.

"She didn't decide to kill them in the moment. She walks in with the intent to kill them and she's doing it before she sleeps with them," said Hotch.

"So she's not just organized, she's also methodical," said Spencer.

"She decides early which one of her clients are worth killing and plans accordingly," said Morgan.

"Maybe the victims all share the same fetish," said Emily.

"Both victims were in their 50s, highly visible. Careful out their image. I mean, if they were kinky in the same way, They'd go to great lengths to hide it," said Morgan.

"And we're facing a corporate culture that'll do everything it can to keep us out," said Hotch.

"Actually, I had some luck there. Hoyt Ashford's wife isn't too happy with how he died," said JJ.

"She's agreed to talk to us?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked through the crime scene photos.

"Yeah, but because every silver lining has a dark cloud, uh, the Hedge fund released a statement," said JJ as she looked at a paper, "Uh, "Ashford died peacefully in his home, according to lawyer David Madison." They're already trying to close ranks," said JJ.

Spencer thought about the file he already read.

"Does that language sound familiar to anyone else?" asked Spencer.

"What do you mean?" asked Hotch.

Spencer quickly grabbed a file.

"The press release from the first victim," said Spencer as he read what he was looking for, "Uh, "according to the company lawyer, Stanton died peacefully in his home." read Spencer.

"Prentiss and Morgan, start with the wife. See if you can get her to open up. JJ, call the lawyers and tell them I want to meet with both of them," said Hotch.

"You want to play them off each other?" asked Rossi.

"I think one of them wrote both press releases. Let's see which one calls us back," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at his left ring finger that was lacking his wedding band as he thought about Hotch asking him and Emily to act like a couple who were looking to buy a house when Emily approached him.

"Um... I don't get it. I thought Hotch said we were going to meet a madam here," said Emily.

"Actually, there's a lot of overlap between real estate and sex work. Property is a safe and inspection-free investment for large sums of cash. Your brownstone used to be owned by a gigolo," said Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer in shock as a woman approached them.

"Well, hello, you two!" exclaimed a smiling Madam.

"Ah. Are you the…," said Spencer nervously.

"Isn't this neighborhood just fabulous? And you're gonna love this house," said the Madam as she motioned Spencer and Emily to enter the house, "You two need lessons in faking it. I teach a class," said the Madam.

"Uh, I'm... I'm sorry. I just... I want to be clear. You are a madam, right? You arrange dates for escorts?" asked Emily.

"All I arrange are meetings. What happens between two consenting adults when that meeting is over Is something I'm not liable for," said the Madam as she clapped her hands together, "Now... who wants a scone?" asked the Madam.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"You can put your wedding band back on since she realized that we're not a couple," said Emily.

Spencer shook his head as he slipped his wedding band back on, and a few minutes later the Madam looked at Spencer and Emily.

"Oh, yes. We all know about this woman. She's terrible for business," said the Madam.

Spencer who was holding a cup of coffee that he was offered looked at the Madam.

"I guess there's only so many men that can, uh, afford the service you provide," said Spencer.

"Well, that's certainly true. But the way she's behaving, she's only hurting herself," said the Madam as she crossed her arms.

"And why is that?" asked Emily.

"An escort's client list is the most important investment she has. It's her daily income and her retirement package when she sells the list," said the Madam.

"So she isn't working with a service, is she? No madam would allow an escort to kill off the clientele," said Emily.

"What about the, um, type of work your employees do? We're sort of operating under the assumption that this escort is, um, killing men who... make her perform a... specific sexual act," stuttered Spencer.

"What did you have in mind, sweetie?" asked the Madam.

Spencer blushed a bit as he thought about the occasional role-playing he and Maeve do.

"I... I don't even... I don't know," stuttered Spencer.

"If I may. I think you're looking at this all wrong. Start with this question... Why would a man pay a woman five figures?" asked the Madam.

"It's not for sex, is it?" asked Emily.

"Of course you've got to be good in bed to be successful. But that's the easy part," said the Madam.

"What's the difficult part?" asked Emily.

"What men want more than the no-strings-attached-sex is a therapist. Someone who will absorb the worst parts of their personalities," said the Madam.

"Their fears and their insecurities," said Spencer.

"Everything they can't take home to their wife," said Emily.

"That's what I groom my girls to do... How to talk to these men. How to listen. Don't get me wrong. Deviancy comes with the territory. I can't tell you how many men need to be submissive As an outlet from their extremely stressful jobs. I can tell you that if the sex was the reason she was killing these men, she would have broken long before she charged $10,000," said the Madam.

"So it isn't how these men act in bed, it's how they act out of it," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was looking at a file on one of their victims.

"18 cars, six houses, and three boats. Can you even boat in Dallas?" asked Spencer.

"You know, when you're talking about that much money, 10 grand for a call girl is like deciding where to go for dinner," said Emily as she pinned photos on the board.

"Are you there, Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"Affirmative," said Garcia.

JJ looked at one of the files that she was given.

"I have half a million over here for something called the bat cave. And here's a picture of him as fetish batman. That is wrong," said JJ.

"Is there anything this guy didn't like to spend money on?" asked Spencer.

Hotch looked at the teammate who was the only one sporting a wedding band.

"Yeah, his ex-wives. Fielding was married four times he didn't have prenups the first two, but he did everything he could to cut off his ex-wives," said Hotch.

Spencer took a sip of his coffee while Emily moved some hair behind her ear.

"Are there children involved?" asked Emily.

"Yes, with three of the wives. Hoyt Ashford was married a few times, too, wasn't he?" asked Hotch.

Emily nodded.

"You know, considering that when Kevin takes me to dinner and a movie, he defaults on his student loans, this amount of money is sick," said Garcia.

Spencer sat down.

"What did you find?" asked Emily.

"Well, all three of our dearly departed rich guys were embroiled in bitter court battles over how much to pay in alimony and child support, and even when the court ruled in the wife's favor, which was almost always, these three charmers just, you know, decided not to pay," said Garcia.

Spencer took another sip of his coffee.

"Garcia, can you generate a list of high-profile Dallas CEOs who are holding out on their ex-wives?" asked Hotch.

"One loaded losers list, Dallas edition, coming at ya. Penelope out," said Garcia before hanging up.

"So why would a prominent businessman who could easily pay child support refuse to?" asked Hotch.

Spencer thought back to how his father didn't pay any child support.

"For this type of overachieving personality, paying money after the marriage ends probably offends him," said Spencer.

"They're spending tens of thousands on an escort, but they won't drop a dime on their wife and kids? That's cold," said JJ.

Hotch glanced at Spencer as he thought about William Reid.

"Narcissistic, self-absorbed, a pathological avoidance of paternal responsibilities," said Hotch.

"Meanwhile, most prostitutes come from broken homes, she's listening to pillow talk. Could serve as some sort of trigger," said Spencer.

"How their ex-wives are cheating them out of money, how their kids are nagging them," said Emily.

"Everything that these men take for granted and that she never had," said Hotch.

"Well, should I assemble the police for a profile?" asked JJ.

"I just don't think it's gonna help. She lives in a completely different world than they do," said Hotch.

Spencer rubbed his eyes a bit.

"Same with the news-watching public," said Spencer.

"And the CEOs who sleep with her won't admit to it," said Emily.

"Like I couldn't even get past the team of lawyers protecting them," said JJ.

"What if we give the profile to the corporate lawyers? They've cleaned up after her, Even if they don't realize that they've seen this woman," said Hotch.

"Because every time we've approached them, they've circled the wagons. What makes you think this is going to be any different?" asked Emily.

"Because she's putting them at risk, too," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by Hotch as he looked at the corporate lawyers in the room.

"We're looking for a white woman between the ages of 25 and 30. She's paid between 10- and $15,000 per session, and she's very well versed in the world of money and privilege," started Hotch.

"Even though she's a call girl, she doesn't look like one. She could pass as a businesswoman or a co-worker. You've probably written up her personal expenses as losses. Shoes, jewelry, clothing," said JJ.

"Your bosses pay her in cash, but they may also be paying her in other ways... Taking care of her, a new car, paying for her medical bills, even," said Spencer.

"She probably did not grow up with a father figure, and she is now turning that rage toward clients who walk out on their families," said Emily.

"What's going to happen once this woman is caught?" asked one of female the lawyers.

"She'll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," answered Hotch.

"What about the other men she's sleeping with, the ones she doesn't kill?" asked the same woman.

"What about them?" asked Emily.

"Will they be prosecuted?" asked the same woman.

"Right now we're concentrating on stopping her from killing again," said Hotch.

"That's all well and good, but our employers are going to ask us about the risks involved in cooperating with an FBI investigation," said another lawyer.

"Tell your employers that the risk is not only a physical one. She's compromising privileged information as well," said Hotch.

"After she sleeps with these men, they talk to her. It's part of the release they get in seeing her," said Spencer.

"All that dirty laundry you've worked so hard to cover up... She knows it," said Emily.

"As long as she's out there, It's not just your clients that are vulnerable. Your firms are, too," said JJ.

One of the female lawyers looked at Spencer, Hotch, JJ, and Emily.

"Excuse me. I'm Allison Barnes. I'm a lawyer at Webster Industries where Joseph Fielding worked," said Allison.

Larry Barlett turned to look around at Allison.

"This is really not the time," said Larry.

Spencer crossed his arms.

"We'd like to hear what she has to say. Go ahead, Ms. Barnes," said Hotch.

"A while back, I, um, looked at some paperwork that Mr. Fielding filed about a penthouse downtown. I asked him what he'd be using it for, and he just kind of chuckled and said it was for a friend. Is that the kind of information you're looking for?" asked Allison.

"Do you have an address?" asked JJ.

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch opened up a cabinet causing him to think about all the old books that Spencer and Maeve both own.

"Antique first editions on the bookshelves," said Hotch.

"And porn in the DVD player," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the walls.

"Nothing identifiable. No pictures, no sense of personality. Her lifestyle is completely disposable," said Spencer.

Hotch pulled a book out of the cabinet.

"Well, these aren't just for show. The spines are cracked. Somebody's read these," said Hotch as he opened up the book he was holding, "Who reads Voltaire in French?" asked Hotch.

"Someone with good taste. Probably well-educated," said Rossi.

"You know, we profiled that she learned to fake privilege. What if she's not faking it?" asked Hotch.

"You're saying maybe she came from money the whole time?" asked Spencer.

"Maybe," said Hotch.

The land-line rang causing Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi to walk to the land-line while Spencer looked at Hotch and Rossi.

"Prentiss should answer. If it's a customer, she'll get more information out of them," said Spencer.

"Unless she's calling in for her messages," said Rossi.

Morgan quickly called Garcia.

"Yeah, Garcia, we're getting a call to this line. Can you work some magic?" asked Morgan.

A minute later Hotch looked at Emily.

"Prentiss, get ready to vamp. She's gonna work it.

"Hi, it's me. You know what to do," said a female voice before a voice mail came up, "Aaron. I know you're up there. Pick up, Aaron Hotchner," said the same female voice.

Spencer exchanged glances with his teammates before Hotch answered the phone.

"Hello? I'm at a disadvantage. You seem to know my name, but I don't know yours. Can we start there?" asked Hotch.

For the next couple of minutes Spencer, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi listened to Hotch talk to their unsub before they heard a gunshot through the phone.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was using a Bureau issued laptop as he replayed the phone call to his teammates.

"Don't compare yourself to the men I see. You are nothing like them. You're just another whore," said the female unsub.

Spencer stopped the recording.

"Her use of the word whore is interesting. It suggests she's trying to disassociate herself from her actions," said Spencer.

"But she's become more personal with the murders. She's changed her MO from poison to a gun," said Emily.

"And she changed her victimology. Trent Rabner was faithful to his wife until she died. They didn't have kids," said JJ.

"Her whole justification for who's worth killing and who isn't is gone," said Rossi.

"She's obviously devolving. This is gonna be ugly. She's the type who could go on a spree and take out anyone she sees as a target," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid, could we go to the end just before she pulls the trigger?" asked Hotch.

Spencer quickly played the part that Hotch requested.

"Well, you want to show the world all these bad men and my investigation's just getting in your way," said Hotch.

"No, Aaron. You're not doing your job! You don't want to arrest me, you don't want me in custody because you're in their pocket. You just want me to disappear, just like they do," cried the unsub.

Hotch stopped the recording.

"Who's "they"?" asked Hotch.

"The men she sleeps with, I'm assuming?" asked Spencer.

"No, it's bigger than that now. She's lumping Hotch in with the lawyers," said Morgan.

"So maybe it's anyone in a position of power who could cover this up. Cover her up," said Emily.

"The purity ring you found... You said it was tiny?" asked Rossi.

"Only a little girl could wear it," said Morgan.

"She wouldn't buy that for herself. It was a gift. Maybe she's talking about her father," said Rossi.

"Well, if her father was anything like these CEOs, He probably walked out on her, too," said JJ.

"OK, so, you're rich, You decide to start sleeping with men who are like your father to get back at him. How do you go about finding clients?" asked Emily.

"Could she have started with the service?" asked JJ.

"She wouldn't need to. The madam says that she trains these girls how to act around these men. This unsub already knows how to do that," said Spencer.

"She said something else, too. She said that your client list was like your 401k. You sell it when you retire. So maybe our unsub bought her client list from another call girl," said Emily.

"It makes sense. They're expensive names. Only someone who came from money could afford it," said Morgan.

"So who's recently retired?" asked Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through the information on Megan Kane with JJ when Hotch approached them.

"So here's what we know about Megan Kane. Her parents divorced eight years ago," said JJ as she handed Hotch a photo.

"After the divorce, she traveled internationally," said Spencer while Hotch instantly recognized Megan from the conversation he had in the elevator, "We're not sure when she came back, but she kind of fell off the grid, which is easier to do when you're making tens of thousands of dollars a night," said Spencer.

"Garcia put a trace on her father, communication, accounts, the whole nine. I also forwarded the picture To Dallas PD and upscale hotels," said JJ.

Hotch looked at JJ and Spencer.

"I saw her two nights ago in the elevator of my hotel. Call Ebbett Oil. Tell Andrew Kane I need to meet with him as soon as possible," said Hotch before he walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was reading a book when Hotch sat down across from him.

"Are you ready for next week Saturday?" asked Hotch.

"As much as I want to back out on attending my 15-year high school reunion, I know that it's important that I attend at least one reunion to show my past tormentors that I've been successful with my life," said Spencer.

"It's probably a given that your former tormentors will look at you in a new light when they find out that you're an FBI agent," said Hotch.

"Parker Dunley was surprised when he found out that I became an FBI agent, and you know that Ethan was supposed to graduate from the academy at the same time as me before dropping out after one day of training," said Spencer.

Hotch thought back to the time he met Parker.

"Do you know if Parker and Ethan are attending the reunion?" asked Hotch.

"Both Parker and Ethan will be there, and they were hoping that Maeve and I would attend," said Spencer.

"At least you have two former classmates who will be glad to sit with you and Maeve at the reunion," said Hotch.

"I know," said Spencer before he decided to focus on his book.

Xxxxxxxx 

A week later Spencer and Maeve entered Diana's hospital room with Jocelyn on her father's hip, and a few seconds later Diana smiled when she saw Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn.

"Well this is a nice surprise," said Diana.

"We're only in town for my 15-year high school reunion before heading back to DC tomorrow afternoon," said Spencer.

"Please give me Jocelyn," said Diana.

A few seconds later Diana was holding her seven-month-old granddaughter.

"I just can't believe how big your getting, Jocelyn," said Diana before gasping when she saw Maeve's growing belly before looking at her son, "Why didn't you tell me that I'm getting another grandchild?" asked Diana.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other before Spencer looked at his mom.

"We wanted to tell you the news in person," said Spencer.

"I forgive you," said Diana before looking at Maeve, "How far along are you?" asked Diana.

Maeve rested her hands on her growing baby bump.

"Tomorrow I'll be 18-weeks and we're having another little girl," said Maeve.

Diana smiled.

"Have you two talked about names?" asked Diana.

"Since Maeve picked Jocelyn's name, I got to pick my second daughter's name. So I decided on the name Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid," said Spencer.

"Beautiful name," said Diana before looking at Jocelyn who had her hand in her mouth, "Are you excited about getting a little sister?" asked Diana.

Jocelyn removed her hand from her mouth before she happily babbled at her grandmother.

"I take that as a yes," said Diana before looking at Spencer and Maeve, "Who's going to watch Jocelyn tonight?" asked Diana.

"Dad is since he refused to let us stay in a hotel," said Spencer.

"So are you slowly opening up your heart to allow him back into your life?" asked Diana.

"A week after Thanksgiving, I ended up working a case that dealt with police officers getting killed. And there was a young boy who lost his father during the case, so I know that I shouldn't have any regrets of trying to form a relationship with my father again since I work a dangerous job," said Spencer.

Diana nodded before she felt a dead weight in her arms, causing her to realize that Jocelyn was asleep.

"Jocelyn's asleep, so how about she goes into her car seat so you two can tell me about your plans for Gabriella's nursery," said Diana.

A few minutes later Spencer, Maeve, and Diana were talking about Gabriella's nursery before talking about books.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer and Maeve were in William Reid's guest bedroom getting ready for Spencer's high school reunion.

"Everything will be OK since I'll be by your side tonight," said Maeve as she straightened her husband's tie.

"I know," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were in William Reid's living room looking at William who had Jocelyn on his hip.

"Enjoy spending time with your grandpa tonight," said Maeve as she kissed Jocelyn on the cheek.

Jocelyn smiled at her mommy before looking at her daddy who looked tense.

"Dada?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer kissed Jocelyn's cheek before smoothing back Jocelyn's growing curls.

"Mommy and I are going to my high school reunion," said Spencer.

Jocelyn reached out and patted her daddy on the cheek before William handed his son a house key.

"Here's a key for when you two return tonight," said William.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

William looked at his son while thinking about Spencer telling him about the goalpost incident and the blindfold incident.

"Just remember that you most likely did better in life than some of your former classmates since your working a high profile job, married a beautiful and highly intelligent woman, have a beautiful seven-month-old daughter while having another daughter on the way," said William.

"My teammates told me the same thing," said Spencer.

"Then listen to your teammates, and you'll do fine," said William.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were in their rental car heading to Spencer's old high school.

Xxxxxxxx 

Maeve squeezed her husband's hand as they walked towards Ethan and Parker who were waiting for them outside the school.

"Glad that you two can make it," said Parker.

"When my teammates found out about this reunion, my teammates insisted that I fly out here for the weekend," said Spencer.

Parker looked at Maeve.

"I see that you are already pregnant with baby number two," said Parker.

"Tomorrow I'll be 18-weeks pregnant with our second daughter," said Maeve.

Ethan clapped Spencer on the shoulder while being glad that Spencer has been doing much better since their meeting in New Orleans two years ago.

"Congratulations, Reid," said Ethan.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Parker looked at Spencer.

"Are you ready?" asked Parker.

Spencer felt Maeve squeeze his hand causing him to make eye contact with his wife.

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was ignoring all the looks and whispers from his former classmates as he led his wife to a table with Ethan and Parker flanking him and Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer nervously walked onto the makeshift stage as he shook hands with his former principal who had retired a few years ago while ignoring the glares that he was receiving from his past tormentors who had already confronted him about having the nerve to show up.

"Glad that you finally were able to attend a reunion, Spencer," said Principal Keith Henderson.

"I've been very busy since graduating from Cal-tech," said Spencer.

"What are you doing for work?" asked Principal Havel.

"At 27-years-old I'm currently the youngest profiler for the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico, Virginia," said Spencer as he ended up explaining what he did as an FBI agent.

A few gasp were sounded in the gym causing Spencer to inwardly smirk at some of the shocked faces from his former classmates.

"I remember hearing about the BAU being in town last November to assist the police when a little boy was killed and another one was abducted," said Principal Henderson.

"I was one of the agents that came out here to assist the police, and luckily my teammates and I were able to find the missing boy alive," said Spencer.

"So my next question is, do you have a girlfriend, fiancée, or a wife?" asked Principal Henderson.

"I have a wife of over one year and two months," said Spencer as he looked towards where Maeve who was smiling at him.

"What does your wife do for work?" asked Principal Henderson.

"Maeve's a geneticist," said Spencer.

"What about children?" asked Principal Henderson.

Spencer beamed.

"I have a beautiful seven-month-old daughter, and Maeve's nearly 18-weeks pregnant with our second daughter," said Spencer.

"Congratulations," said Principal Henderson.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Principal Henderson looked at Spencer.

"I'm glad that you've done well with your life, I'm glad that you've been able to take a break from your busy life to let us all know what you've been doing with your life," said Principal Henderson.

"I didn't want to be inside these walls again, but my wife and teammates reminded me that I needed to show my past tormentors that I won it all when it came to life after high school," said Spencer.


	32. Omnivore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to skip Demonology and go straight to Omnivore.
> 
> Please check out my one shot Spencer Faces His Tormentors because it goes with chapter 31 of this story.

Spencer was rubbing cocoa butter on Maeve's 20-week belly when he felt Gabriella kick.

"Gabriella just kicked," said Spencer.

"I know," said Maeve.

Jocelyn crawled over to her parents, and a few seconds later Spencer had Jocelyn sitting on the couch.

"Want to feel your baby sister kick?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn stared at her mommy's 20-week pregnant belly before her mommy gently placed her hands on her growing belly, and a few seconds later Spencer was taking a photo of a wide-eyed Jocelyn as she felt her baby sister kick before she started crying.

"What's the matter?" asked Spencer as he worked on comforting Jocelyn.

"I think she got freaked out when she felt Gabriella kick," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at Jocelyn.

"Did feeling your baby sister kick scare you?" asked Spencer.

"Ya," said Jocelyn.

"I also got freaked out a bit when I felt you kicking mommy, but eventually I loved feeling you kick, Josie Posie," said Spencer as he blew a raspberry on his seven-month-old daughter's belly causing Jocelyn to start laughing.

"I just can't believe that Josie will be eight months old in three weeks," sighed Maeve.

"She's growing way too fast for my liking," said Spencer before rubbing Maeve's rounded belly, "And I'm excited about holding Gabby in about 20 weeks," said Spencer.

Maeve sniffed the air before looking at Jocelyn.

"Did you just fill up your diaper?" asked Maeve.

Jocelyn smiled before laughing before Spencer looked at his wife.

"I got her," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer was on the floor changing Jocelyn's diaper, and after washing his hands he found Jocelyn standing up on her two feet with her hands on the coffee table.

"Dada," said Jocelyn as she smiled at her daddy.

"Did she do that on her own while I snuck away to throw away Jocelyn's diaper and wash my hands?" asked Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"She did," said Maeve.

Jocelyn smiled at her daddy as she tried walking while holding onto the coffee table, and a few seconds later she was whimpering.

"Do you want a hug from daddy?" asked Spencer as he knelt down and held out his arms.

Jocelyn stopped whimpering before she grinned at her daddy, and a few seconds later she let go of the coffee table before she took a few wobbling steps towards her daddy before she fell into her daddy's arms.

"Daddy's so proud of you, Josie Posie," said Spencer before looking at his wife who had tears falling down her face.

"Mommy's proud of you too," said Maeve.

"Do you think we should make a video of Josie walking so we can show your parents and my teammates?" asked Spencer.

"We definitely should because Penelope wouldn't be happy if she didn't see a video," said Maeve.

A minute later Spencer was making a video of Jocelyn walking to Maeve on his video camera.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer entered the master bedroom and he groaned when he saw Maeve wearing lingerie.

"Josie's asleep?" asked Maeve.

"Yes," said Spencer.

"Well on that note, we should have some much-needed mommy and daddy time," said Maeve as she started to undress her husband before they fell onto their bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer sat down on the edge of Emily's desk and showed her the latest ultrasound photo causing Emily to smile when she saw 20-weeks typed onto the photo.

"Maeve's 20-week ultrasound is the reason why you showed up late," said Emily.

Spencer nodded.

"Gabriella's developing right on schedule, and I'm excited about holding Gabriella in about 20 weeks," said Spencer.

Morgan looked over at Spencer.

"After Gabriella's born, are you and Maeve going to stop repopulating the earth with baby geniuses for awhile?" asked Morgan.

"We're going to wait a few years," said Spencer before smiling at Emily, "I have some new pictures of Josie," said Spencer.

Emily's face broke into a huge grin at the mention of her seven-month-old goddaughter.

"Please show me," said Emily.

A few seconds later Spencer was showing pictures of Jocelyn to Emily who raised an eyebrow at the picture of a wide-eyed Jocelyn staring at her mother's baby bump.

"What's with the look on Jocelyn's face?" asked Emily.

"Josie had her hands on Maeve's belly, and let's just say that Josie freaked out a bit when she felt Gabriella kick," said Spencer.

Emily laughed before looking at another photo.

"I just can't believe how big Jocelyn's getting," said Emily.

"I know," said Spencer.

"Pretty soon she'll be walking," said Emily.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"Speaking of walking, I should show you a video since Garcia already seen the video since she summoned me to her lair as soon as I arrived," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Emily gasped when she saw the video of Jocelyn walking to Maeve.

"When did she start walking?" asked Emily.

Morgan looked up from his desk.

"My goddaughter's walking?" asked a surprised Morgan.

Spencer beamed.

"Josie took her first steps last night when I asked her if she wanted a hug," said Spencer.

"Is seven-months-old too early?" asked Morgan.

"Seven months is a bit early, but with the research I did, there have been babies that started walking at seven-months-old," said Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"I have to say that fatherhood actually agrees with you," said Emily.

"I know, and I'm excited about Gabriella's birth in 20 weeks," said Spencer.

"So who are you hoping that Gabriella looks like more?" asked Emily.

"Would you believe it that I'm hoping that Gabby inherits Maeve's auburn hair and her eyes," said Spencer before he noticed Hotch and JJ exiting Hotch's office, "Incoming," said Spencer.

Spencer and Emily instantly listened to JJ who was quickly following Hotch.

"Shouldn't we wait for the official request? We haven't been invited," said JJ as she followed Hotch down the stairs.

"We will be," said Hotch.

JJ threw her hands up before looking at Spencer, Emily, and Morgan while Rossi came out of his office.

"Well, it looks like we're going to Boston," said JJ.

A few seconds later Spencer was sending Maeve a text message.

I'M GOING TO BOSTON. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE, AND I LOVE YOU, JOSIE, AND GABRIELLA.~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch looked at his teammates as they flew to Boston.

"The Reaper is driven by a need to dominate, control, and manipulate," said Hotch.

"So then why would he offer a deal that would stop him from doing that?" asked Emily.

"Well, killing gave him power, But after so many, the payoff began to diminish. So he decided to switch tactics. Offering the deal gave him the ultimate power, better even than killing. He manipulated the police into voluntarily surrendering," said Hotch.

"He even got it in writing," said Spencer.

"He won. Why start killing again?" asked JJ.

"Well, because the only person who knew he'd won, the person he made the deal with, just died," said Morgan.

"Narcissistic killers need other people to recognize their power. That's why they contact the media," said Rossi.

"So how did he stop for 10 years?" asked Emily.

Spencer grabbed the book that he was reading.

"In "Night of the Reaper", the author suggests he had been arrested for an unrelated crime or died. Perhaps he's trying to correct that misconception," said Spencer

"What has he been doing all this time?" asked JJ.

"Planning what he would do if he started killing again," answered Hotch.

"So from '95 to '98, he shoots, stabs, and bludgeons 21 victims. Men, women, all ages, all types. No specific victimology or MO. How did you build a profile from there?" asked Morgan.

"We didn't. Shaunessy sent us home before we had a chance. BTK, The Zodiac, and The Reaper all have similarities. They're all highly intelligent, disciplined, sadistic killers who name themselves in the press," said Hotch.

"Highly intelligent may be a bit of an understatement. The Reaper and The Zodiac killer have never been arrested. The BTK killer was only caught after 25 years because he went to the press to counter a book that said he'd died, moved away, or been locked up, just like this one," said Spencer.

"Speaking of the media, when this gets out, it's going to be a frenzy. If they get wind of this, they're going to be all over the Boston police," said JJ as she held up the note that Hotch had.

"The longer we can float the copycat story, the better chance we'll have of catching him. Rossi, Prentiss, and Morgan, go to the field office, set up shop, go through everything there," said Hotch before looking at his two youngest teammates, "JJ and Reid, we'll go to the crime scene," said Hotch.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"Shouldn't you show JJ, Hotch, and Rossi a video you made last night since you already showed the video to Garcia, Morgan, and me?" asked Emily.

"I should," said Spencer before he showed JJ, Hotch, and Rossi the video of Jocelyn taking her first steps.

"Seeing Jocelyn walking in this video reminded me the video that was sent to me when Jack took his first steps," said Hotch.

"I'm not looking forward to Henry taking his first steps," said JJ as she thought about her four-month-old baby boy.

"With how fast Josie is growing, I'm glad that Maeve and I are already expecting our second child," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Hotch pulled over at the crime scene and looked at Spencer and JJ who were both texting their significant others to let them know that they're in Boston and to check on their babies.

"Just wait in here until I signal for you two to join me," said Hotch.

"Yes, sir," said Spencer and JJ in unison.

As soon as Hotch got out of the SUV, JJ looked at Spencer who insisted on letting her sit up front.

"How's Jocelyn?" asked JJ.

"Other than being saddened by the fact that Josie's already seven-months-old and taking her first steps last night, she's definitely freaked out when she feels her baby sister kick," said Spencer.

JJ laughed.

"Father like daughter," said JJ.

"Maeve said the same thing when we were getting ready for bed last night," said Spencer before looking out the front window to see Hotch talking to an officer, "It seems like he'll be motioning us to join him soon," said Spencer.

At that moment Spencer and JJ noticed Hotch motioning them to join him, and a few seconds later Spencer and JJ were flashing their badges before they ducked under the crime scene tape and joined Hotch.

"This is SSA Jennifer Jareau, Dr. Spencer Reid, Sergeant Mike O'Mara," said Hotch.

"Uh, we're setting up at the field office," said JJ.

Sergeant O'Mara looked at Spencer, JJ, and Hotch.

"OK. I'm done here. Give them anything they want," said Sergeant O'Mara before he handed Hotch some papers.

"Thank you," said Hotch.

Sergeant O'Mara walked away with JJ following him while Spencer and Hotch headed to the victims' SUV as they looked at files.

"Nina Hale, 19, and Evan Harvey, 23. Nina's throat was slashed, she was stabbed 46 times. Evan was bludgeoned and then shot. No shell casings were found," said Spencer.

Hotch walked closer to the SUV.

"He preferred revolvers, .44 magnum. The younger the female victim, the more time he spends with them, usually with a knife," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at a crime scene photo that involved a picture of Nina's wrist.

"Tan line on her wrist. Probably wearing a watch of some sort," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at a picture of Evan before looking at a crime scene tech.

"Do we have his wallet?" asked Hotch.

As soon as Hotch was given Evan's wallet, he looked at Spencer.

"The Reaper took items from each victim and placed them on the next, so as to make sure we knew it was him," said Hotch as he looked at Evan's driver's license, "No corrective lens requirement," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"The glasses aren't his?" asked Spencer.

"He only took glasses from one victim. The ninth. We should have found them on the tenth and we didn't. They were never found," said Hotch.

"What was so special about the ninth victim?" asked Spencer.

"He survived," said Hotch before he gave Spencer a brief explanation about George Foyet.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was sitting in front of a laptop while Hotch looked at his team.

"George Foyet, 28, was the ninth victim and the only one to survive The Reaper," said Hotch as Spencer pulled up pictures onto the monitor.

"Not for lack of trying," said Rossi.

Spencer pulled up the photo of the young woman who was with George Foyet.

"Amanda Bertrand, 19, his date for the evening, was not as lucky. He likes to attack them inside or near their cars, at night, on poorly lit, less populated roads," said Hotch.

"Foyet said he approached them pretending to be a lost tourist. In the hospital, we put Foyet with a sketch artist," said Sergeant O'Mara.

Spencer pulled up the picture of the sketch of The Reaper.

"The reaper always uses some sort of ruse to get close to and spend time with his victims," said Hotch.

Spencer held up the note that Shaunessy gave Hotch.

"The eye, as he depicts it, appears to be the Eye of Providence, a symbol adopted by the US Government and incorporated into the great seal in 1782 with the words, "annuit coeptis" inscribed beneath. That's Latin for "providence" or fate- "Has favored our undertakings." The reaper seems to see himself as the personification of fate," said Spencer.

"So, how did Foyet survive?" asked Emily.

Hotch looked at Spencer who played the 911 recording.

"911. What's your emergency?" asked an operator.

"I just murdered two more," said The Reaper.

"Excuse me, sir, did you say you murdered someone?" asked the operator.

"Victims eight and nine. By a silver Toyota on Riverton past the Tyson Quarry," said The Reaper.

"That call was made from a pay phone about a mile from the crime scene. EMT arrived 15 minutes later. Bertrand was DOA, Foyet barely breathing," said Spencer.

"So The Reaper made one of these calls after each of his killings telling police where to find the bodies?" asked Emily.

"Until this one, the ninth. If he hadn't made this call, Foyet wouldn't have been found in time. The call saved him," said Hotch.

"So The Reaper didn't make any 911 calls after this one," asked Morgan.

Hotch nodded while JJ answered a phone call.

"Yeah?" asked JJ.

"Looks like he learned his lesson," said Emily.

Hotch held up a small bag that contained glasses.

"There's a reason he left Foyet's glasses at the last crime scene. Foyet could be in danger," said Hotch.

Emily and Morgan quickly got up.

"We'll find him," said Emily before she and Emily left the room.

"Hotch, there's a reporter outside Insisting on speaking with you. Roy Colson. He says he knows you," said JJ.

Hotch quickly left the room before Spencer's cell phone vibrated causing Spencer to smile at a new picture of Jocelyn.

"Were you just sent a picture of one of the most beautiful girls in the world?" asked Rossi.

"Yes," smiled Spencer before smiling at the confused look that Sheriff O'Mara was giving him, "My wife just sent me a picture of my seven-month-old daughter Jocelyn," said Spencer as he showed the Sheriff a picture of his daughter.

"She's beautiful and she looks just like you," said Sheriff O'Mara.

"Hopefully Gabriella will look just like her mother," said Spencer as he thought about his auburn haired and blue eyed wife.

"Gabriella?" asked Sheriff O'Mara.

"Maeve's 20-weeks pregnant with my second child, and its a girl," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting by the conference table when Hotch started giving the profile he came up with 10 years ago.

"The Reaper fits a profile we refer to as an omnivore. Unlike most serial killers, an omnivore doesn't target a specific victim type. Although he tends to focus on his younger female victims with his knife, he essentially is a predator who will kill anyone," said Hotch.

"Why is he so democratic?" asked Sergeant O'Mara.

"Because his kills aren't just about his victims. He needs recognition. He needs us to know," said Hotch.

"The symbols, the placement of prior victims' possessions on subsequent victims. It's all for us," said Rossi.

"Why?" asked Sergeant O'Mara.

"Power. The Shaunessy letter is the clearest example of this. He manipulated Tom Shaunessy into literally surrendering to him," said Hotch.

"The burden was too much to bear. In a very real sense, Tom Shaunessy was The Reaper's 22nd victim," said Rossi.

"Like BTK Killer Dennis Rader, The reaper is extremely disciplined. In his everyday life, this will very likely make him so inflexible, he can't keep close relationships or work closely with others," said Hotch.

"I believe our killer has another interest that may give us our best opportunity to catch him. The reaper's last victim was an older woman. He killed her quickly, with a single shot. The prior, younger victim he spent more time with and stabbed 46 times," said Rossi.

"Why?" asked Sergeant O'Mara.

"He pays special attention to his younger female victims, and his weapon of choice with them is the knife, a substitute instrument for bodily penetration," said Hotch.

"And the younger the victim, the more time and effort he spends. I think our guy is a hebophile," said Rossi.

"Hebophile?" asked Sergeant O'Mara.

"Someone who's attracted to adolescent post-pubescent children. Teenagers," said Spencer.

"Look for men with access to authority- High school teachers, counselors, coaches, and anyone who's been charged with sex crimes against teenage girls In the last 10 years," said Hotch before seeing a look that Emily was giving him, "That's all for now. Thank you," said Hotch before he followed Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next night Spencer stood around the conference room table with Hotch and Rossi as he looked at the crime scene photo that contained the numbers that were on the bus's window.

"He never used code before. Why now?" asked Hotch.

"They're not part of a pattern or equation. Mathematically, they're insignificant," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the numbers.

"Maybe so, but I know I've seen them before," said Rossi.

"Foyet said he likes to attack people in their cars. Tonight he hit a bus," said Hotch.

"Which is why Foyet only takes a bus," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at the map.

"It was the number seven," said Hotch as he pointed at a map, "And it stops right in front of Foyet's apartment," said Hotch.

"He knows where Foyet lives," said Rossi.

"And he wants us to know it," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at one set of numbers and realized why they would seem familiar.

"1439," said Spencer before looking at Hotch, "The apartment you interviewed him in today was 1439 Yarbrough," said Spencer.

Rossi pulled his black notebook out of his suit jacket and set it on the table.

"The other addresses he gave us. 201 South Brookline. 1488 Edenhurst. The numbers on the bus are Foyet's addresses," said Rossi.

"We'll split up and cover each address," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was pulling on his FBI issued windbreaker before Hotch looked at his team and Sheriff O'Mara.

"Reid's with me, Prentiss go with Rossi, and Morgan you're with Sheriff O'Mara," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was getting into the front passenger seat of an SUV while Hotch climbed into the driver's seat.

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch looked at Spencer as he pulled over by one of the addresses.

"I prefer that we stick together while clearing this house instead of splitting up," said Hotch.

"Yes sir," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer slowly followed Hotch up the stairs, and a few seconds later Hotch opened up the door and hurried into the house before Spencer quickly followed him inside before they started to clear the house together.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer exited the house first as he reached for the com on his vest.

"We got nothing," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer heard Rossi's voice in his earwig.

"Same thing here. Have you heard from Morgan?" asked Rossi.

"No," said Spencer before looking at Hotch, "Rossi and Emily haven't heard from Morgan," said Spencer.

Hotch instantly thought back to the time that Spencer was held captive by Hankel.

"We need to hurry over to Morgan and O'Mara," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at the blood that was on the floor in the kitchen when Hotch approached him.

"O'Mara was clearly killed outside. This was someone else. There's signs of a struggle and a lot of blood," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at the blood on the floor.

"But no body," said Hotch.

"Just the drag marks. The human body holds five quarts of blood," said Spencer as he looked at the blood, "I'd say there's a little more than half that here. Whoever the bleeder was, they lost too much to survive," said Spencer.

"Foyet? It was his worst fear, that The Reaper would come back and finish the job," said Rossi.

"We offered him protection. He refused. It was his choice," said Hotch before he, Spencer, and Rossi walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by the evidence board while the rest of his team sat around the conference room table.

"Why is he so focused on Foyet? What's so special about him?" asked Hotch.

"He was his only surviving victim, the only one he couldn't defeat," said JJ.

"But he's not a threat. Defeating him would be no great accomplishment. There's something there that we're missing," said Hotch.

"What about the girlfriend, Amanda Bertrand? What do we know about her?" asked JJ.

"19. A freshman. She came here from Michigan to go to school. Foyet was a teacher's assistant in one of Amanda's courses," said Emily.

Hotch instantly thought about the state that Amanda came from.

"Michigan. Where The Reaper had Shaunessy post the personal ad," said Hotch.

"That can't be a coincidence," said JJ.

"He told us she was the love of his life, that he was gonna propose," said Rossi.

"But she just got here from Michigan. They only met when the class started," said Morgan.

"How long had she been in the class?" asked Hotch.

"Four weeks," said Emily.

"So it was either love at first sight or what?" asked JJ.

"Foyet was lying? He's a 28-year-old teacher's assistant in freshman classes," said Hotch as he quickly grabbed the land-line to call Garcia.

"That gives him plenty of access to young girls," said Rossi.

"I'm here," answered Garcia through the phone.

"Garcia," said Hotch as he looked at Rossi, "What are Foyet's aliases?" asked Hotch.

Rossi quickly passed his notes to Hotch.

"I want you to look up in Boston city records Kevin Baskin, Miles Holden, and William Parker. Try the department of education," said Hotch.

"Well played, sir. So they all work for the department of education, they're all substitute teachers, and they all teach computer science," said Garcia.

"High school?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah. Oops. Scratch that. They're not all working for the department of education," said Garcia.

"They're not?" asked Hotch.

"No. William Parker was fired for alleged inappropriate behavior with his female students," said Garcia.

Hotch had a few flashbacks as he realized that George Foyet's really The Reaper.

"Hotch?" asked JJ.

"Colson went to see Foyet. Garcia, I need you to locate Roy Colson's cell phone. George Foyet is The Reaper," said Hotch as he saw the shocked looks on the faces of his teammates.

"Oh, God," said Garcia as she started typing, "OK, triangulating now. I got it. 2633 South Budlong," said Garcia.

"That must be an address that Foyet didn't give us," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer, Emily, and Morgan entered the room where Foyet was holding Roy Colson hostage causing Spencer to point his revolver at Foyet.

"I'm gonna be bigger than Bundy," said Foyet.

"Well, you can't enjoy it if you're dead," said Hotch.

"If you know me so well, how come somebody had to die to bring you here?" asked Foyet.

"That's your choice, not mine. You're the serial killer," said Hotch.

"That's right," said Foyet before turning towards Morgan, "Hello, Derek," said Foyet.

Foyet set his gun down causing Morgan to grab Foyet.

"Where's my badge? Where is it, you son of a bitch?" asked an angry Morgan.

"I'm gonna be more famous than you even realize," said Foyet.

"You're dreaming'," said Morgan as he dragged Foyet out of the room.

A few seconds later Spencer started going through the house with Rossi while Hotch went to Roy.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer and Emily quickly headed over to Hotch, Rossi, and JJ while Spencer held the schematics.

"The Boston field office just identified documents from Foyet's house," said Emily.

Spencer looked at Hotch, Rossi, and JJ.

"They're schematics for the electrical, heating, and water ducts for the East Woburn Correctional Facility," said Spencer as Hotch took the schematics from him.

"He had the schematics," said Hotch.

"And not just for Woburn. For every jail, prison, and courthouse in Massachusetts," said Spencer.

"And 10 years to plan," said Rossi.

Garcia looked at the TV that had breaking news on George Foyet before looking at her teammates.

"They're gonna find him, right?" asked Garcia.

Hotch looked at the TV.

"No, they're not," said Hotch.

Morgan turned around.

"He said he'd be more famous than we knew. And he was right," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"Let's finish up our post case paperwork and head home," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Spencer entered the house to find a pajama-clad Maeve eating leftover spaghetti.

"Cravings?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Maeve before seeing a look on her husband's face, "You OK?" asked Maeve.

"You know about the unsub my teammates and I arrested?" asked Spencer.

"The Boston Reaper?" asked Maeve.

"Apparently George Foyet is the Boston Reaper, and with being in hiding for 10 years he got schematics from various places in Massachusetts so he can escape. After being back in Quantico for a half hour, JJ got the call about Foyet escaping prison," said Spencer.

Maeve's eyes went wide.

"Really?" asked Maeve.

"He outsmarted us, and most likely he went underground with some new aliases," said Spencer.

"Are you guys going to catch him?" asked Maeve.

"Since my teammates and I have other cases to work on, the US Marshals are going to take over the case and call us when they need our assistance," said Spencer before looking at his wife, "After I get some sleep, I'll show you a picture of George Foyet," said Spencer.

"OK," said Maeve as she yawned.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were checking on their sleeping daughter before Spencer took a quick shower before joining his wife in bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: With the timeline I have planned out when it comes to Nameless Faceless, I'm planning that To Hell, And Back, and Nameless Faceless all happen in September and both Haunted and Reckoner happens in October since its mentioned in Haunted that its been 34 days. So between Amplification and To Hell, there will be a big time jump since its a given that Spencer would need time off to recover from Anthrax while Maeve gives birth to Gabriella.


	33. House on Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With how disheveled Spencer looked at the BAU in the beginning of House On Fire, I hope you readers like my reason why Spencer would not have the top button of his shirt buttoned, his shirt not fully tucked in, and no tie during briefing.
> 
> Jocelyn is already eating cooked vegetables in this chapter.

Spencer looked at Maeve as they ate dinner.

"What do you say about having a date night?" asked Spencer.

Maeve smiled as she checked on Jocelyn who was eating cooked carrots and peas in her high chair.

"I can really go for some Indian food," said Maeve.

Spencer grinned.

"Since your parents decided to go on a vacation together before you get further along in your pregnancy, we'll have to ask one of my teammates to babysit Josie," said Spencer.

Maeve rested her hands on her 21-week pregnant stomach.

"And that's OK," said Maeve before Jocelyn pounded her hands on her high chair, "Yes, Josie?" asked Maeve.

Jocelyn signed that she was still hungry.

"Your still hungry, Josie Posie?" asked Spencer.

"Ya," said Jocelyn.

"I'll get you some more carrots and peas," said Spencer before looking at his wife as he heated up some of the carrots and peas from their dinner, "With how she's wanting more vegetables, she's probably going to be dealing with another growth spurt soon since she's already walking," said Spencer.

"I know, and I'm glad that we decided that Josie should learn baby sign language since she's able to tell us what she needs," said Maeve.

"I know," said Spencer as he checked the temperature of the sliced carrots and pea before putting the carrots and peas onto a plastic plate and placed the plate in front of Jocelyn, "Here you go, Josie," said Spencer.

Jocelyn quickly grabbed a sliced carrot and placed it into her mouth before she started to chew with her few baby teeth.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that night at 10:50 PM, Spencer woke up to his cell phone ringing.

"Hello?" asked Spencer groggily.

"We have a case, and I'm willing to pick you up," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly put his glasses on before climbing out of bed as he tried to not wake up Maeve.

"A ride would be great," said Spencer.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes," said Hotch.

"OK," said Spencer before hanging up and grabbed the clothing that he laid out for the next day.

Three minutes later Spencer was buttoning up his dress shirt just as he heard crying through the baby monitor causing him to rush towards Jocelyn's nursery, and a few seconds later he looked at Jocelyn.

"What's wrong, Josie?" asked Spencer before smelling a stinky diaper, "Let's get a clean diaper on you, and then I'll have to head to work since I got called in," said Spencer as he lifted his seven-month-old daughter out of her crib.

A few minutes later Spencer was carrying Jocelyn into the master bedroom.

"Maeve?" asked Spencer.

Maeve opened her eyes to see her husband wearing slacks, a dress shirt that wasn't fully tucked in or fully buttoned, and one of his thick cardigan sweaters.

"What are you doing up? And why do you have a wide-awake Josie in your arms?" asked Maeve.

"I just got a phone call from Hotch telling me that there's a case, and he's on his way to pick me up. And the reason why I have Josie with me is that she woke up with a dirty diaper, so I had to stop getting dressed so I could tend to Josie," said Spencer.

"Mama," said Jocelyn as she made the sign to tell her mommy that she's hungry.

"I'll give you a snack before I rock you back to sleep," said Maeve.

"Daddy loves you, Josie," said Spencer as he kissed his daughter's head before handing her to Maeve, "I'll text you when I know where I'm going," said Spencer.

"OK," said Maeve.

Two minutes later Spencer was getting into Hotch's car.

"Sorry that I'm disheveled, but while I was getting dressed, Josie woke up crying due to a dirty diaper. So I decided that Josie was more important than making sure that I'm presentable for when we arrive at the BAU," said Spencer.

Hotch slightly chuckled as he took in the appearance of Spencer who didn't have time to get the second to last button of his dress shirt buttoned and his shirt not being completely tucked in.

"I remember those days, and you can finish getting dressed before we arrive where we're going. Most of us are probably ended up pulling on the first articles of clothing that we could find, so I'm going to make sure that we all have time to change clothes," said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "Why don't you get some sleep because we're going to be hitting the ground running," said Hotch.

"OK," said Spencer as he worked on getting himself comfortable before closing his eyes.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer was watching some news footage with his teammates.

"This is news footage from a movie theater in Royal, Indiana, population 2,000. Earlier tonight 19 people were killed," said JJ.

"And they're sure it's arson?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah. Two days ago the same thing happened at the local recreation center. 12 victims, no survivors," said JJ.

"I heard about that," said Emily.

"Yeah, it was all over the news," said Morgan.

Spencer nodded as he thought about Maeve's pregnancy hormones increasing when she heard that children died in that fire.

"There were some details that didn't make the news. A week and a half earlier there were some fires at a convenience store, a local restaurant. Luckily, it was after hours and no one was hurt," said JJ.

"So whoever set these went from no victims to 31 in two weeks. That's a hell of an escalation," said Rossi.

"Why didn't they call us in sooner?" asked Emily.

"The local police and fire department knew they were dealing with an arsonist, but they had no idea he'd become a killer," said JJ.

"Most arsonists don't. They just like setting fires. Any deaths that occur are almost always accidental," said Spencer as he sat down.

"31 victims is not an accident," said Morgan.

"The police chief knows he made a mistake. And he learned the hard way That even though not all arsonists are killers, They do have one thing in common- Once they start, they can't stop," said Hotch before looking at his teammates, "We're heading to the jet now, and if any of us need to change into decent clothing, we'll all do it during the flight," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was sending Maeve a text message.

IF YOU REMEMBER WATCHING THE NEWS ABOUT THAT RECREATIONAL CENTER IN ROYAL, INDIANA; THAT'S WHERE I'M HEADING SINCE THERE WAS ANOTHER FIRE. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

"Based on the limited population of Royal, the unsub is most likely a local male between the ages of 17 and 30," said Spencer as he sat down.

"What, arson is a sexist industry?" asked Garcia.

Spencer nodded.

"For the most part, yeah. Only 12% of arsonists are female," said Spencer.

"Apparently women just aren't inclined to burn things," said Emily.

"Let's go with the numbers. Focus on males," said Hotch.

"Well, we can scratch hero complex off the list. He hasn't left anyone to save," said Morgan.

"Yeah, but we can't rule out firefighters and other first responders," said Emily.

"How's about I do a background check on all local firefighters and EMTs?" asked Garcia.

"And flag anyone with a history of being first on the scene," said Hotch.

"Or anyone with a juvenile record that includes vandalism or small nuisance fires," said Rossi.

"I will look at everything from firebug to flamethrower," said Garcia.

"JJ, check out the news footage, I want the word out that we'd like to see any personal videos or photos of the fire. Arsonists like to watch, and if our unsub stuck around, maybe somebody will recognize him," said Hotch.

"I'm on it," said JJ.

"Locals find anything in their call logs That resemble the unsub's MO? I mean, he may have staged practice runs," said Morgan.

"According to the fire chief's report there was nothing similar in the past year," said Rossi.

"Garcia, extend your search statewide. The unsub may have done his practicing far enough away so as not to arouse suspicion," said Hotch.

"I will cast a wide net, sir," said Garcia.

"Thank you," said Hotch.

"I grew up in a small town. People are gonna assume anyone we question is guilty," said JJ.

"The last thing we want is for this to turn into a witch hunt," said Rossi.

"It's exactly what this is. We're just gonna have to keep the locals from realizing it," said Hotch before looking at Garcia, "Garcia, I want you to find out everything that you can about the 31 victims, and I don't mean just their paper trail. I need to know everyone related to them, everybody they owed money to, everybody they had an argument with.

"Sir, if I'm hearing you right, you're saying I'm the witch hunter?" asked Garcia.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was in the jet's bathroom finishing up on getting dressed, and after he had made sure that his appearance was tidy he exited the bathroom causing Morgan to look at him.

"So why were you disheveled when you arrived at the BAU?" asked Morgan.

"I had to stop getting dressed because Josie started crying, so I decided to see what she needed so Maeve could have a few extra minutes of sleep. Luckily I only had to change Josie's diaper even though I had to wake up Maeve so she could get Josie back to sleep," said Spencer.

JJ gave Spencer an understanding look as she grabbed her bag that contained the clothing that she was going to change into.

"I was feeding Henry when I got the call, so I had to wake up Will so he could finish feeding Henry," said JJ before heading towards the bathroom.

Xxxxxxxx

"I have been through every piece of footage I could find. No one sticks out at the fires. No one appears to be inappropriately voyeuristic. No one with bandages," said JJ.

Hotch looked at Garcia who was conferencing in through video chat.

"Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah. No firebug firefighter, no flammable juvie records, however, of the 128 reported instances of petty larceny and vandalism in the last year, there are a few names that sort of stick out, so I'm emailing you those photos. I also have a pattern of small gasoline fires about 300 miles away. A town called Franklin. Got a, uh, trash can fire, a Christmas tree and an abandoned shed. And I sent you that file," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at one of the files.

"Given the 500-mile search radius, there's bound to be a certain percentage of nuisance fires. We can't necessarily attribute that to our unsub," said JJ.

Spencer looked at Hotch and JJ.

"That's true. Only 7% of arsonists use wooden matches with a gasoline accelerant our unsub and this guy," said Spencer before looking at Garcia, "Nice work, Garcia," said Spencer.

"What about the victims?" asked Hotch.

Garcia scoffed.

"Well given that I've had less than 8 hours, I can't really," said Garcia before Hotch interrupted her.

Spencer headed to the wall that contained pictures of the victims.

"I appreciate the time constraint. What have you found?" asked Hotch.

"Uh, a mixture of ages and genders. Mostly local. A cousin visiting from a nearby town," said Garcia.

"Is there any crossover between the victims and the two towns, Garcia?" asked Spencer.

"Hey, it's a little teeny tiny town. There's nothing but crossover," said Garcia as Spencer, Hotch, and JJ watched Garcia walk to a table in her office before returning to look at the list she grabbed, "Um... Alex Nagel he was killed in the rec center. Now, not only was Nagel an upstanding member of the local church, he also owned quite a bit of real estate in royal, including the movie theater. Windy Kennedy was killed at the movie theater. She was a single mom. She worked a double shift at the local discount store. And she still managed to find time to volunteer at the rec center. I also have a third-grade teacher, third cousins, and at least 3 potential affairs," said Garcia.

"You're gonna have to start weeding out some of these, Garcia. Third cousins and religious affiliations Are probably not gonna help us. I need to know who had enemies, who had secrets, who was a target," said Hotch.

"Oh, with all due respect, sir, my brain muscles are comfortable with being intuitive with information, Not people. Looking at people like that is not part of my job description. I'm not a profiler," said Garcia softly.

"Well, you're gonna have to be. We don't have much time," said Hotch before looking at Spencer and JJ, "You two look into the nuisance fires. Garcia, stay on the radio," said Hotch before walking away.

Spencer looked at Garcia.

"After this case, I'll let you babysit Josie so Maeve and I can have a date night," said Spencer.

Garcia smiled at the idea of getting to watch Jocelyn,

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," said Garcia before signing out.

JJ looked at Spencer.

"Good thinking about telling Garcia that she can babysit Jocelyn after this case since you cheered her up," said JJ.

"Maeve and I were already talking about having Garcia babysit Josie because Maeve's parents left for London yesterday and they won't be back for two weeks," said Spencer.

"Why did your in-laws go to London?" asked JJ.

"They decided that right now will be a perfect time to go on an overseas vacation together before Maeve gets further along in her pregnancy," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer and JJ were focusing on the task that Hotch gave them.

Xxxxxxxx

Spencer looked at the officers that were there to hear the profile.

"All of the first four fires- The convenience store, the restaurant, the rec center, and the movie theater, are indicative of a revenge arsonist. That's someone who's seeking retaliation for an injustice, whether real or imagined," said Spencer.

"Revenge arsonists often target group headquarters, such as churches or government buildings," said Emily.

"This unsub has chosen local gathering places with large numbers of potential victims inside. It's clear to us that he's chosen to target this community as a whole," said Hotch.

"That tells us that the unsub is a local, someone who lives or grew up in Royal," said Rossi.

"But he feels like an outsider. As if this community has wronged him in some type of way. These fires are just his way of striking back, trying to draw attention to himself," said Morgan.

"These fires not only killed innocent people, they also gave the unsub a sense of power over the community," said Emily.

"But somehow those fires were lacking. They didn't exact the correct measure of punishment or attract enough attention," said Rossi.

"Or they didn't attract the attention of the right person," said Morgan.

"So with the bar fire, he didn't increase the number of victims. He reduced them," said Spencer.

"That's why the third fire is key. He's not striking out at the community as a whole anymore. He's now striking out at one or more individuals," said Hotch.

"You're sure it's the same guy?" asked the fire captain.

"The odds of another arsonist in a town this small are almost negligible," said Spencer.

"That's why we need to concentrate on these victims. These five will hold the key," said Hotch as he gestured to the board.

"So all we gotta do is just figure out who would have wanted to hurt them," said Chief Carlson.

"It may not be that simple," said Rossi.

"This type of rage tends to stem from things that people keep buried. Things they just don't talk about," said Morgan.

"Which is why we're gonna have to dig deeply," finished Hotch.

"Understood," said Chief Carlson.

Xxxxxxxx

"So tell us about the bar victims," said Emily.

Spencer pointed at two pictures.

"All right. Hilda and Roger Drake," said Spencer.

"She was a teacher, he sold insurance," said Garcia.

"Friends, enemies?" asked Emily.

"Oh, no, nothing like that. They seemed sweet. Their biggest problem was finding baby names. Hilda was pregnant," said Garcia.

"Are you sure? The ME hasn't even started yet," said Garcia.

"No, people in Royal take out ads. "Lordy, lordy, looks who's 40." "Ask Jane what she was doing at the American Legion on Friday night,'" quoted Garcia.

Emily shook her head.

"That's just wrong," said Emily.

"That's small-town life for you. Your business is everybody's business," said JJ.

"There was a belly watch on Hilda," said Garcia.

"Uh, what about Eric Gall?" asked JJ.

"Oh, Eric. He was a boozer. He spent most of his time at Pop's Place. I've got a few drunk and disorderlies, but he seems harmless. And given the number of rounds he bought, it's safe to say the whole town loves him," said Garcia.

Morgan's cell phone rang causing Spencer, JJ, Emily, and Garcia to listen to Morgan's side of the conversation before he hung up.

"OK, well, they managed to speak to the bartender. According to her, there was a guy there before the fire. He didn't speak to anybody and he kept switching seats. She didn't seem to recognize him," said Morgan.

Emily stood up.

"OK. Wait. So she knew the owner And the boozer, And the husband wouldn't have gotten up and changed seats," said Emily as she pointed at one of the pictures.

"If the bartender didn't recognize him, maybe he's just not from Royal," said JJ.

Spencer thought back to how it took his former classmates to recognize him until they saw his name tag when he attended his reunion over a month ago.

"That's not necessarily true. What if she knew him and she just didn't realize it?" asked Spencer.

"What, like a disguise?" asked JJ.

"The fire captain said the unsub knew the layout of the movie theater. He used that knowledge to light the fire. But at the bar, the unsub kept changing his seats," said Spencer.

"Which would give him a better view of the entrances and exits," said Emily.

"So he was studying the layout. He wasn't familiar with the area," said Morgan.

Spencer thought about the changes he has seen in Vegas the first time he visited his mom since joining the BAU.

"What if he grew up in Royal and he moved away? Garcia, what year was that bar built?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, the bar was built five... six years ago," said Garcia.

"And what about the movie theater?" asked Emily.

"The movie theater was built in the forties. It was a single screen, they divided it two years ago. Rec center was built in the late seventies," said Garcia.

"I'm gonna call Hotch," said Morgan before walking away.

Xxxxxxxx

A short while later Hotch and Rossi returned.

"Jason Elliot opened Pop's Place six years ago when he moved to Royal from Indianapolis," said Garcia.

"Why? Does he have friends or family here?" asked JJ.

"None that I could find," said Garcia.

"What about the bar? Did Jason buy it from someone, take over their business?" asked Morgan.

"No. Jason started the bar himself. He named it after his father, who, by the way, was his sole beneficiary," said Garcia.

"Makes sense. He was single," said Emily

"Well, he was single, up until a couple days ago, because two days ago, Jason married... Tina Wheeler," said Garcia as she held up a picture of Tina.

"The EMT," said Rossi.

"Yeah. I had checked her out originally as one of the first responders, but her work records looked squeaky clean, and so I let it go until I realized she'd married Jason. Then I did some more aggressive digging, which I should remind you, you asked me to do, and it turns out that Tina's parents died in a fire when she was five. After they died, she and her brother Tommy were sent to live with their grandparents in Royal," said Garcia.

"Send us everything you have on them," said Hotch.

"Well, that's just it. I got... I got plenty on Tina, but I can't really find anything on her brother. Tina, she, uh, she lived in Royal, she went to a community college a few towns over, got a degree, took a job, worked hard, married Jason- Uh...wait... Tommy, it's like... He just disappeared," said Garcia.

"Find him, Garcia," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx

Hotch looked at the officers in the room.

"We believe Jason Elliot may have been the target," said Hotch.

"Jason," said Chief Carlson.

"The bartender said that Jason stopped by the bar at the same time each day to pick up the cash and take it to the bank," said Rossi.

"Which would have made him an easy target for anyone who knew his schedule," said Emily.

"I don't get all this. Jason was a good man. It may sound corny to you, but everybody loved him," said Chief Carlson.

"Two days ago, Jason Elliot married Tina Wheeler," said Spencer.

"She told me about it yesterday. Uh... All the tragedies made them not want to wait. It's a damn shame," said Doctor Rawlings.

"What can you tell us about Tina's brother Tommy?" asked Hotch.

"Tommy?" asked Doctor Rawlings.

"Uh, nobody's seen him around here in more than 10 years," said Chief Carlson.

"Uh, we actually think they may have. They just might not recognize him," said Spencer.

"How is that possible?" asked Doctor Rawlings.

"Well, he's aged 10 years, and he'd make sure to go unnoticed," said Spencer.

"Garcia?" asked Hotch.

Garcia came into view on the laptop.

"Tommy Wheeler. Little Tommy Wheeler. You remember him? He and his sister Tina moved to Royal when he was five. Doc Rawlings was his pediatrician. Apparently, early medical records indicated Tommy may have been emotionally unbalanced," said Garcia.

Doctor Rawlings instantly remembered Tommy.

"Tommy was a little unstable. His parents dying brought that out," said Doctor Rawlings.

"Granted, I don't have a medical degree, but my guess is, watching his parents die in a fire didn't help Tommy's emotional well-being," said Garcia.

"What about Tina? How did the fires affect her?" asked Morgan.

"Uh...Tina wasn't as damaged by it as he was. Uh, she adjusted more quickly," said Doctor Rawlings.

"She was Tommy's lifeline," said Chief Carlson.

"She was more than that. In a situation like this- no parents, new environment, and grandparents probably too old to take care of them, Tina became Tommy's whole world," said Spencer.

"Sister, mother, family," said Rossi.

"They were very close. Close enough that Tina distorted Tommy's love map," said Rossi.

"The way an individual gives or receives love- Their love map- Is established by the age of six. With the death of the parents, Tommy's love map revolved exclusively around Tina," said Spencer.

"Yeah, it was like they were in their own little world. By the time they were eight, they even had their own language. It was a bit disturbing," said Chief Carlson.

"But understandable. Perfectly understandable," said Garcia.

"Maybe," said Chief Carlson.

Hotch rubbed his forehead.

"So what happened?" asked Hotch.

"What do you think happened? People talked. It's the only real occupation in Royal," said Garcia.

"There were rumors. It was that Tommy and Tina were too close. Nothing was ever confirmed, though," said Chief Carlson.

"No, it wasn't. But, then, the truth didn't matter," said Garcia.

Spencer noticed the rare anger showing in Garcia's eyes.

"After the rumors started, things got ugly. People pointed fingers, Tommy got expelled from school," said Chief Carlson.

"Based on nothing but hearsay," said Garcia.

"Not true. The school had cause," said Chief Carlson.

"No, they didn't," said Garcia angrily.

Hotch took a deep breath as he thought about the anger that Spencer shown nearly a year ago.

"Garcia," said Hotch.

"I spoke to his teacher. She told me how the whole school and the whole town turned against him, based on nothing but a rumor," said Garcia angrily.

"Garcia," said Hotch.

"She also told me another rumor. In this one, 14-year-old Tommy was beaten within an inch of his life by adults. Grown men," said Garcia angrily.

"I didn't hear about it until after the fact. There was nothing I could do," said Chief Carlson.

"Broken bones, punctured lung. All because of a rumor," said Garcia.

"I couldn't go after anyone based on only my suspicions. Nobody was talking about it, not even Tommy. I spoke to his grandparents and told them what to do," said Chief Carlson.

"Yeah. So they moved Tommy to a Colorado boarding school, and they cut off all ties between him and his sister. It was as if Tommy never even existed," said Garcia.

"It was for the best. They would have killed him," said Chief Carlson.

Spencer took a deep breath as he held back his own anger as he thought about what happened to himself and Owen Savage and how he turned out much different than Owen and Tommy.

"If what Garcia said is true, then this town's actions went a long way towards making Tommy who he is," said Spencer.

"We need to talk to Tina," said Rossi.

A few minutes later Spencer was fixing himself some coffee when Dr. Rawlings approached him.

"I have a few examples of people not recognizing me at first when they haven't seen me in either 17 years or 15 years," said Spencer.

"How?" asked Dr. Rawlings.

"Other than seeing my father for the first time in 17 years last November, last month I ended up attending my 15-year high school reunion, and it took some time for my former classmates to recognize me," said Spencer.

Dr. Rawlings studied Spencer a bit.

"You look a bit young to be someone who has graduated high school 15 years ago," said Dr. Rawlings.

"I ended up graduating high school when I was 12, so my former classmates were surprised to see how tall I got since graduating. With how badly I was bullied, I didn't attend a reunion until my wife convinced me to go since we decided that we needed to go visit my family in Nevada before she gets too pregnant for commercial flights," said Spencer.

"How far is your wife?" asked Dr. Rawlings.

"21-weeks, and its a girl," said Spencer.

"Congratulations, and do you have any other children?" asked Dr. Rawlings.

"I have a daughter named Jocelyn who will be eight months old on the 3rd," said Spencer as he showed Dr. Rawlings a picture of Jocelyn.

"Your daughter looks like you," said Dr. Rawlings.

"I know, and I'm hoping that Gabriella looks like her mother," smiled Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx

"According to his former teacher, Tommy Wheeler enrolled in a Colorado boarding school under the name Thomas Boren. That's his dead mother's maiden name. I tracked down his records. He was at that school for half a year before he landed in juvie, where he resided for the next three. His psych evals during his stay were less than stellar. So how mad do you think he is?" asked Garcia

"Well, if I was him I'd be pretty mad," said Morgan.

"Oh, God," sighed Garcia

"Garcia, the town did turn against him. I mean, that's not an excuse," said Emily.

"No, not Tommy. Hotch. I mean, he did tell me to dig, right? So I dug. And, granted, I'm not supposed to have direct contact with the public or purport myself as an FBI agent. And OK, I'm definitely not supposed to accuse someone of a felony or even a misdemeanor, especially when I don't have any actual evidence. Oh, God. I did just what they did. I based everything on a rumor. I got sucked right in. I didn't mean to. I," said Garcia

Morgan decided to get Garcia back on track.

"Garcia, come on, baby. Stick to Tommy," said Morgan.

"Right. Sorry. OK, uh... He was released from juvie when he was 16," said Garcia.

"You couldn't find him?" asked JJ.

"That's when the trail goes cold. No, I said the trail went cold, I didn't say it disappeared. This is the part I'm actually good at. Whatever he did in the interim remains a mystery, much to my chagrin, but at the age of 21, Thomas Boren re-emerged in Franklin, Indiana. That's 300 miles away from Royal. Said Mr. Boren purchased copious amounts of gasoline two months ago. It's not unusual to do in Indiana, But Mr. Tommy Wheeler/Boren didn't own a farm," said Garcia.

"The nuisance fires," said Spencer.

"Roger that. And then after his little spending spree, That's when the trail goes cold and I can't find him," said Garcia.

Morgan's cell phone rang causing Morgan to answer his phone.

"Yeah, Hotch," said Morgan before he listened to Hotch before hanging up, "All right. There's still no sign of Tina. He wants you to bring Rawlings," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx

Spencer was going through everything in the box that Rossi found before noticing an advertisement for a dance.

"Hotch, I think we have something here. What dance is this?" asked Spencer as he showed Chief Carlson the advertisement.

"The, uh, spring formal. They hold it every year at the community center," said Chief Carlson.

"May of '98. This was just before Tommy was beaten and forced out of town," said Spencer.

"Is this dance something Tommy and Tina would have gone to?" asked Hotch.

"It's a big event. All the kids go even if they don't have formal dates," said Chief Carlson.

"So they could have gone together?" asked Hotch.

"Absolutely," said Chief Carlson.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next evening Spencer allowed Garcia who had a bunch of shopping bags into the house.

"Please tell me that some of those bags contain baked goods instead of toys and clothes," stated Spencer.

Garcia nodded.

"There are cookies and cupcakes in these bags for you and Maeve, but you did give me permission to spoil Jocelyn and your unborn daughter," said Garcia as she handed Spencer the bag that contained baked goods.

"Maeve's upstairs feeding Josie before she finishes up on getting ready," said Spencer.

Spencer and Garcia headed towards the kitchen.

"Since we have some time, I just need to know if your OK since Tommy was bullied by the community," said Garcia.

Spencer sighed.

"I'm OK," said Spencer.

"Now on a happier note, what are you and Maeve going to do?" asked Garcia.

"Maeve's craving Indian food, so we're going to go get Indian food before we go shopping for Gabriella's nursery since I spent the past two weekends painting the newest nursery light pink," said Spencer.

"Have you two decided on a theme?" asked Garcia.

"Since Josie's nursery deals with elephants, Gabby's nursery is going to deal with monkeys," said Spencer.

"I can't wait to see the nursery finished," said Garcia before smiling when Maeve entered the kitchen with Jocelyn on her hip, "Now there's baby girl genius," cooed Garcia.

"Can you wave to auntie Penelope?" asked Maeve.

Jocelyn waved at Garcia who eagerly took Jocelyn from Maeve.

"We're going to spend some time together while your mommy and daddy have a date night," said Garcia.

Jocelyn happily babbled at Garcia before Spencer looked at Jocelyn.

"Have fun with auntie Penelope," said Spencer as he gave his nearly eight-month-old baby girl a kiss on the forehead.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

"Thank you again for agreeing to watch Josie," said Spencer.

"I can never turn down the opportunity to babysit Jocelyn," said Garcia before looking at Spencer and Maeve, "Off you two go, and I'll see you two in a couple of hours," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer and Maeve were talking and laughing over Indian food.


	34. Conflicted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its the week of April 5th in this chapter. Maeve is 24-weeks pregnant and Jocelyn is eight months old.
> 
> There is rape mentioned in this chapter, so please read at your own risk.

Spencer and Maeve were cuddling on the living room couch as they watched their nearly eight-month-old daughter toddle around the living room.

"I just can't believe that Josie's eight-months-old," sighed Spencer.

Maeve watched Jocelyn pick up one of her teddy bears before she started to seriously babble to her teddy bear.

"I know," said Maeve as she wiped a tear that was falling down her face.

Spencer rubbed Maeve's 24-week pregnant belly.

"At least we have 16 weeks before Gabriella makes her appearance," said Spencer.

"I know," said Maeve before groaning when she felt a kick, "I just can't believe that I'm already six months pregnant," said Maeve.

Spencer looked over at Jocelyn who was still babbling to her teddy bear.

"Do you think she's telling her bear about her plans for world domination?" asked Spencer.

Maeve laughed.

"I think she is, but with our scientific minds, I'm afraid of what she could come up with during her first time in a lab," said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve decided to play with their daughter before they gave Jocelyn a bath and put her to bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was sitting at the round table for his next case.

"Daniel Keller, 21, a junior at Benjamin Franklin University. He was killed last night while spring breaking in South Padre Island. COD is asphyxiation. He was the second victim to be murdered there in the past three nights. The first was William Browder, also on spring break, COD is also asphyxiation. They were both sexually assaulted prior to death," said JJ.

"Men being raped and murdered on spring break? Well, that's a twist," said Emily.

"So far the deaths have been localized to one hotel," said Hotch.

JJ pulled up a picture of the hotel.

"The Hudson Street Hotel. Initially, the hotel was filled to capacity but lost 20% occupancy overnight," said JJ.

"We should get a list of everyone who works there. There's a good chance one of them is the unsub, at the very least, has interacted with him," said Morgan.

"Yeah, Garcia's already on that. Both victims were discovered by hotel staff, the last after online checkout indicated the room had been vacated," said JJ.

"So he wanted the bodies discovered, and sooner rather than later," said Emily.

Spencer stood up and made his way to the monitor.

"Look at the way they're posed- naked, cowering in the fetal position," said Spencer.

"He's sending a message. Something about this is important to him. We just need to figure out what,"

said Rossi.

Hotch stood up.

"And we need to do it soon. The police suspect the unsub could be another vacationing student, Though I'm not willing to rule out local involvement," said Hotch.

Rossi stood up.

"Makes sense. If the killer is a student, they could be halfway across the country by the time we're onto them," said Rossi.

Emily stood up.

"If he's local, we could lose him as soon as his victim pool dries up," said Emily.

"Either way, we're almost out of time. South Padre spring break season ends this weekend," said Hotch before he left the room.

A few seconds later Spencer studied the pictures on the monitor before he whipped out his cell phone and called Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked out the window of the jet before he closed the window that he was sitting by before standing up and made his way to JJ.

"National media has picked up on the story. We're gonna have to make a statement when we land," said JJ.

"We want to make people aware without obviously causing panic," said Hotch.

"Stress hypervigilance, the whole buddy system, yeah, I'm all over it. I just don't think anyone's gonna listen," said JJ.

Spencer looked at JJ.

"What do you mean?" asked Spencer.

JJ looked at Spencer and remembered that Spencer never had the normal college experience since he started college a month before turning 13 meaning that he was protected by his academic adviser until he became of age.

"Come on. Drunk college students don't exactly want to hear they shouldn't talk to strangers," said JJ.

"Right," said Spencer before he walked away to sit next to Morgan.

"Was there any DNA left on the scene?" asked Morgan.

"Uh, yeah. Too much DNA. This portion of the Garcia show will be brought to you by the letter "I" for icky. The lab has recovered over 100 different trace samples, as multiple guests create a cesspool of DNA. Also, there is no way to determine the exact time of "secretion" or to eliminate anyone actually working at the hotel," said Garcia.

"Were you able to find any connection between the first two victims?" asked Morgan.

"No. They grew up in different states, The went to colleges on opposite coasts I did the whole cross-reference credit card thing, couldn't make it connect," said Garcia.

"So the hotel's the only common denominator," said Rossi.

"Yeah. And it should be noted that the first victim, William Browder, wasn't exactly a registered guest," said Garcia.

"Well, that's a popular thing to do. I mean, youngsters do it all the time. They rent a room, they pack in as many kids as possible to save costs. We could be dealing with hundreds of unregistered guests," said Morgan.

"We need to check every guest, whether they were on the books or not," said Hotch.

"Male raping male. So are we pressing our unsub or victims could be gay?" asked JJ as she sat down in the spot that Spencer was sitting in earlier.

"That's not necessarily true. In male rape, sexual preference typically has less to do with the crime than the power and dominance the attacker feels from the act itself," said Spencer.

"Still, it's a question we should ask the families when we interview them. It could help us determine how the unsub met the victims," said Emily.

"We got a lot of work to do. Emily, JJ, and I will go to the local PD. start victimology," said Hotch as he got up and glanced at his three male team members, "The rest of you, there's your new home," said Hotch as he put an aerial photo of the hotel in front of Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer, Morgan, and Rossi approached a woman who was waiting for them.

"You must be the FBI," said Julie.

"David Rossi," said Rossi.

"Hi," said Spencer as he shook hands with Julie.

"These are agents Morgan and Reid," said Rossi.

Julie shook Morgan's hand.

"Julie Riley. I'm the manager," said Julie.

"You were on duty when the latest body was discovered?" asked Morgan.

"That's right," said Julie.

Spencer looked at Julie.

"Did you happen to notice anyone out of the ordinary?" asked Spencer.

"I'm afraid not. You see so many faces during the spring break, pretty soon they all start to blur," said Julie.

"We need to set up interviews with the rest of your staff as soon as possible, also talk to the hotel guests," said Rossi.

"Of course," said Julie as she started to lead Spencer, Morgan, and Rossi through the lobby.

Morgan noticed a few cameras.

"How many cameras do you have on the property?" asked Morgan.

"Not enough. We have all the main entrances and the garage covered. But the hallways and the service tunnels aren't equipped," said Julie.

"Can you show us the room where the last body was found?" asked Rossi.

"Sure," said Julie.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer who was already had his left hand wearing a latex-free glove opened up the door to the hotel room, and as soon as Morgan and Rossi were in the room, Julie looked at the three agents.

Um, I'll start rounding up the rest of the staff for you to talk to," said Julie.

"Thanks," said Rossi before looking at Spencer and Morgan as he opened up his black book, "No signs of struggle reported. Everything seemed normal when housekeeping arrived," said Rossi.

Spencer crouched down by the footboard of the bed.

"Look at this. Scratch marks on the footboard. The victims were bound before the struggle began," said Spencer.

"Well, that would make sense. Both victims were in pretty good shape. Probably needed them tied up in order to control them," said Morgan.

Rossi walked towards the footboard of the bed.

"The question is, was it consensual or was it coerced?" asked Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood with his arms crossed as Morgan looked at the bed.

"So if I'm the unsub and it wasn't consensual, how does this work?" asked Morgan.

"You'd have to have a weapon," said Spencer.

Morgan pulled out his gun and pointed it at the bed as he imagined that he was pointing his gun at the victim.

"A gun to the face means he doesn't scream out," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the footboard.

"Look at the distance between where each of the arms were tied. There's no way he could have tied that secondhand himself," said Spencer.

"Which means the unsub did it for him," said Rossi.

"Which would be risky, because if he knew he was in danger and he saw the opportunity, he would take it," said Morgan.

"Then why not drug him and then tie him up? Eliminate the risk," said Rossi.

"The tox screen came back negative," said Morgan.

"So it's either consensual or he has a partner," said Spencer.

"He's also learning fast," said Morgan.

"What do you mean?" asked Rossi.

Morgan walked over to the closet.

"He hides the body in the closet and then indicates that the guest has checked out. Which means when the housekeeper gets here," said Morgan.

Rossi understood what Morgan was talking about.

"Everything looks normal And she starts cleaning, wiping everything down," said Rossi.

"Erasing any fingerprints or DNA which could have been left on the scene," said Morgan.

"We need to talk to whoever cleaned this room. Maybe they saw something that can tell us who was in here with Dan Keller," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Morgan approached a young man who was sitting on the roof listening to music while smoking a cigarette.

"Adam Jackson?" asked Morgan causing the young man to scramble up to see Morgan holding a badge, "Your manager said we could find you up here," said Morgan

"Uh-I-I get migraines," stuttered Adam.

"You discovered the body last night?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah," said Adam.

"Had you ever seen him before? Or noticed anyone he may have been with?" asked Morgan.

"I've never seen him before in my life. Since I opened the closet, I can't get him out of my head," said Adam before walking away a bit.

Spencer who realized that Adam might be a bit imitated of Morgan walked towards Adam.

"Adam, what about the first victim, William Browder? Have you ever seen him before?" asked Spencer.

"Never seen either of them," said Adam.

"Let me ask you this- is there anything you remember about the room before you discovered the body? It might not seem like much, but the smallest detail could really help us a lot," said Spencer.

"It looked pretty normal," said Adam as he hesitated slightly, "I mean until I opened the closet door," said Adam.

"Did anything stand out about the body? Or, uh, for that matter, anyone at the hotel last night?" asked Spencer.

"No, man. You seen one drunk frat guy, you seen 'em all," said Adam as he smiled a bit.

"Adam, I thought you said you didn't recognize him," said Morgan.

"I didn't. I just- grew up in Corpus Christi across the bridge. I know the type. They walk around like they own the place, you know? They think they can do whatever they want," said Adam.

Spencer looked down the roof to see college students on the docks.

"How long have you worked here?" asked Spencer.

"6 months, I guess," said Adam.

"Appreciate your time," said Morgan.

"Thank you," said Spencer before he started to walk away.

Adam looked at Spencer.

"Can I ask you a question?" asked Adam.

Spencer stopped walking.

"Yeah," said Spencer.

"You've seen bad stuff, right?" asked Adam.

Spencer thought about everything he had seen since joining the BAU.

"I have, yeah," said Spencer.

"How long before you can close your eyes without it being there?" asked Adam.

"I'm afraid I still don't know," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "But I learned that having a wife, a daughter, and another baby on the way gives me positive memories to balance out the horror I have seen," said Spencer before walking away.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was standing in a hotel room at a different hotel when Detective Evans looked at Spencer, Morgan, and Rossi.

"Your unsubs have changed hotels," said Detective Evans.

"What can you tell us?" asked Rossi.

"The victim's name is Carl Cade, another spring breaker," said Detective Evans.

"Any witnesses?" asked Morgan.

"His friends saw him last night leave a party with a brunette in a green dress. Both had been drinking for most of the day, And he only caught a glimpse of the girl before they left the party. And he found the body posed just like the others," said Detective Evans.

Rossi motioned Spencer and Morgan to follow him to the hotel balcony, and a few seconds later Rossi had his hands on the railing while Spencer had his right hand on the railing.

"It sounds like our theory about the partners was right," said Spencer while Morgan joined Rossi on the other side and rested his hands on the railing.

"Woman lures the victim back, she offers up a little kink, then ties him up," said Morgan as he observed the women by the pool.

"Only this time the unsubs ventured outside of their comfort zone. They changed hotels," said Rossi.

"OK, so what's he doing, getting bolder or smarter?" asked Morgan.

"Well, the local police are on alert, the FBI is here. They probably changed pattern to avoid getting caught," said Spencer.

Rossi realized that the unsub's at the other hotel as he turned around.

"Or because they saw us at the other hotel. We need to go back to Hudson Street," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer led Adam to the table in the interrogation room before taking the seat across from Adam before he started his interrogation while knowing that his teammates were watching him.

"Where's Julie?" asked Adam.

"We're trying to find her," said Spencer softly.

"She's gonna go ballistic," said Adam.

"You're in a lot of trouble, Adam. But I think you know that, right?" asked Spencer.

"The only thing that I did wrong was leave work without telling my boss. I-I need to talk to Julie," said Adam.

Spencer looked at Adam as he thought about the information he was given.

"Adam... Why don't you tell me about the fight you had with the first victim?" asked Spencer.

Adam stayed silent for a moment.

"I don't remember," choked Adam.

"You don't remember?" asked Spencer.

"No," said Adam.

Spencer leaned forward a bit.

"Adam, I really want to help you out, but you' gonna have to do a lot better than that," said Spencer quietly.

"Please... I just need to talk to Julie!" yelled Adam.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer leaned against the wired gate.

"Adam, let's talk about the fight you had with the first victim, William Browder," said Spencer.

"There's nothing to tell. He grabbed Madison, I tried to stop him," said Adam.

"That guy was pretty big," said Spencer.

Adam looked at Spencer.

"So?" asked Adam.

Spencer thought about the occasional times he brought Morgan down during the times Morgan drags him to the gym to work on his self-defense.

"Adam, guys like you and I aren't, uh, we aren't exactly the fighting type," said Spencer as he walked to the wall behind Adam.

"Well, Madison a good person. She didn't deserve to be treated that way," said Adam.

Spencer leaned against the wall that was behind Adam.

"You see, now I'm really confused because you just told me that you don't remember the fight," said Spencer.

"I don't. I mean, I-I don't, but I-I do," stuttered Adam.

"You don't, but you do. Can-can you explain to me how that works?" asked Spencer.

"I remember he grabbed at Madison, I tried to stop him, the next thing I knew, Julie was pulling me out of the pool," said Adam.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting in a chair fiddling with a lighter while Adam paced.

"We've been friends since I was just a kid," said Adam.

"Are you lovers?" asked Spencer.

"No," said Adam.

"Well, then why does she pay for everything you have?" asked Spencer.

"It's not like it's a handout. I mean... I'm working at the hotel so I can pay her back," said Adam.

Spencer looked at Adam's cigarettes.

"Does she pay for the drugs also?" asked Spencer.

Adam looked at Spencer.

"I-I told you, I get migraines," said Adam.

"So, take a prescription," said Spencer.

Adam walked to the end of the wire door and looked at Spencer.

"I thought you were different," said Adam.

"What does that mean?" asked Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting at the laptop reviewing the security footage of the altercation that Adam had with William Browder when JJ, Morgan, and Emily approached him.

"What are you looking at?" asked JJ.

"I'm not sure," said Spencer.

"Well, they both passed," said Emily.

A shocked Spencer quickly grabbed the results.

"How is that possible?" asked Spencer.

"Not only that, they passed with flying colors," said Emily.

"The only spike I got on Adam was a control question regarding geometric equations, but... Honestly, I think I just flustered him. Either way, we got nothing," said Morgan.

Spencer looked over to where Adam and Julie were signing paperwork before noticing a look that Adam was giving him before Julie caught him staring at Adam causing her to see the look that Adam was giving Spencer before Spencer saw the same look on the laptop.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer kept on replaying the footage when Morgan came over with a cup of coffee for himself.

"So... Where are we?" asked Morgan as he sat down.

"Honestly? Nowhere. We just watched our two most viable suspects walk out the door," said Rossi.

"If Adam isn't our unsub, he has all the makings to become one someday," said Emily.

Hotch looked over at Spencer and noticed that Spencer was showing a look that told him that the wheels in his brain were turning.

"Reid?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"Tell me the question that he spiked under in the polygraph," said Spencer.

"It was a control question to set the baseline," answered Morgan.

Spencer thought about the questions that Morgan asked Adam.

"It was a geometric equation?" asked Spencer.

"Reid, I really think he was just intimidated. He tried, he got it wrong, but he wasn't supposed to know the answer anyway," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"What if he lied? What if-what if he knew the answer to the question but intentionally got it wrong?" asked Spencer as he flashed back to Adam answering Morgan.

Why would he do that?" asked JJ.

"Because he realized that he wouldn't know that answer," said Spencer.

"You're losing me, kid," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"Adam said he wasn't getting any rest. He takes midday naps because he's always exhausted. He has a history of blackouts, reclusive behavior, prolonged repeated abuse suffered at the hands of a dominant male who transferred abuse from his female spouse to his prepubescent child," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Where are you going with this?" asked Hotch.

"What if our unsub couple isn't a couple at all?" asked Spencer.

Hotch instantly realized where Spencer was going while thinking back to the time that Spencer was held captive by an unsub with DID.

"Dissociative identity disorder," said Hotch.

"You think Adam's a multiple personality?" asked Rossi.

"Well, it fits. Recurrent physical abuse, knowledge he shouldn't have. We've seen this before," said Emily.

Spencer turned the laptop around.

"Look at this. All right?" asked Spencer as he started to play the footage, "The first intervention is timid. It's apprehensive, right?" asked Spencer.

Spencer pressed a button to pause the footage.

"But then he gets knocked down…," said Spencer as he zoomed in a bit, "There's a moment of calm, and then his entire body language changes. I saw this exact same transformation when Adam left the station, only it wasn't rage, it was, uh, arrogance. Like the alter ego wanted me to know," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Hotch.

"I don't know. Power, control. All I know is the person that stared me down over there was not Adam. He's not assertive like that. He doesn't make eye contact," said Spencer.

"So you think the stress of the interrogation blurred the line between Adam and his alter personality?" asked JJ.

"I think the unsub surfaced for just a moment. It knew the answer to the question, realized Adam wouldn't, and lied," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Detective Evans looked at Spencer who was strapping on his Kevlar vest.

"So Adam and the woman in the green dress are the same person?" asked Detective Evans.

"We profiled the duo accurately, only the dominant personalities and alter are inside of Adam," said Spencer as he worked on securing his vest.

"And Adam has no idea he killed all those people," said Emily before walking away.

Spencer quickly followed Emily.

"You could argue that Adam didn't kill those people. A separate person inside of him did," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Hotch.

"I don't even know what we do with this," said Morgan.

"We take him into custody, we let the courts decide," answered Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer hurried with his teammates to the area where Detective Evans called them over to when Hotch spoke into his mic.

"We've got a woman down at the back of the hotel. Send medics as soon as possible," said Hotch.

Emily looked at Julie.

"Julie, can you hear me?" asked Emily.

"Adam…," cried Julie.

"OK. Look, help is on the way. I need you not to move," said Emily

"It wasn't... Him... Strange," choked Julie.

"Julie, did he say where he was going?" asked Hotch.

"He called himself Amanda," choked Julie.

"The alter personality," said Spencer quickly.

"Reid, you were right. Where would he go?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked up towards the roof.

"Not he. She. Amanda, she panicked. She knew we would connect this to her," said Spencer.

"OK, OK, so she's feeling the pressure. She obviously knows she's running out of time. Where would she go?" asked Morgan.

Spencer quickly flashed back to the time he had that seizure that killed him in the shed that Tobias Hankel went to so he could get high.

"She's gonna go after the man these victims represent," said Spencer.

Morgan quickly called Garcia and got the address before Spencer, Morgan, Hotch, JJ, and Rossi hurried to the SUVs while Emily stayed with Julie.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered Adam's step-father's bedroom with Hotch, Morgan, JJ, and Rossi only to find Amanda/Adam holding a knife to his stepfather's neck.

"Amanda," said Spencer.

"Stay back," ordered Amanda/Adam.

"Put the knife down," ordered Spencer.

"Stand back or I'll kill him," ordered Amanda/Adam.

"You do not want to do that," said Spencer firmly.

"You don't know what he did," said Amanda/Adam.

Spencer quickly holstered his revolver.

"When Adam's mother died, his stepfather needed a new outlet for his aggression, didn't he?" asked Spencer.

"He put Adam in dresses. He beat him. He touched him," said Amanda/Adam.

"Adam was too weak to go through all of that alone. He was just a little boy. He needed you to protect him," said Spencer.

"I could take it. I was stronger than he was. He deserves to die," said Amanda/Adam.

"Amanda. Amanda. That's not for you to decide. I swear to God, if you put him down and you come with me, I will get you and Adam the help that you guys need," said Spencer firmly.

Amanda/Adam stayed silent for about 20 seconds.

"Adam will be sentenced for what I've done. No... I can't let that happen," said Amanda/Adam before putting the knife her throat.

"Amanda. If you kill yourself, you kill Adam. I don't see how that's protecting him. And you know what I know? I know that all you want to do in this world is protect Adam," said Spencer.

"It's all I've ever done," said Amanda/Adam.

"Then why don't you and I help him together," pleaded Spencer.

"You can't help him. I'm the only one. I know what I have to do. I will keep him safe forever," said Amanda/Adam before letting Mark Harrison go before pretending to slash herself/himself across the throat to allow the Amanda personality take over.

A few seconds later Spencer was looking at Adam while Morgan handcuffed Adam.

"Adam. Adam," pleaded Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"Reid. He's gone," said Morgan.

Spencer looked towards the mirror to see that the Amanda personality took over.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood on the roof of the Hudson Street Hotel as he watched the water before Morgan approached him.

"It's time to go, kid," said Morgan.

Spencer stayed silent causing Morgan to get concerned.

"Reid. What's eating you, man?" asked Morgan.

"We've taken the victim into custody and let the abuser go free. I don't really- I don't see that as much of a win," said Spencer.

Morgan sighed.

"A lot of lives are gonna be saved now that Amanda's off the street. You know that," said Morgan.

"Yeah, I just... I wish I could have noticed the signs in time to save Adam," said Spencer.

"Come on, don't do that to yourself. None of us could have noticed. Our profile was right. We just never considered that the team dynamic could be locked inside one person's mind," said Morgan.

Spencer thought to the Hankel case from over two years ago.

"I should have," said Spencer.

Morgan walked closer to Spencer.

"Talk to me. What is this?" asked Morgan.

Spencer slowly turned around and looked at Morgan.

"Tobias Hankel," answered Spencer.

Morgan closed his eyes as he thought about the man who changed Spencer for the rest of his life.

"Tobias Hankel drugged and tortured you for two days. He almost killed you," said Morgan.

Spencer shook his head.

"No, he didn't. The alter persona of his father did those things to me. The real Tobias Hankel saved my life," said Spencer as he slightly hesitated, "He brought me back from the dead. If it wasn't for the real Tobias Hankel giving me CPR that night, I wouldn't be a happily married man with a beautiful eight-month-old daughter, and another daughter being born in less than 16 weeks," choked Spencer.

Morgan removed his sunglasses.

"And you think because of Tobias, somehow you owe Adam?" asked Morgan.

"I just-I know that he's still locked in there somewhere," said Spencer before he turned around to look at the water again.

Morgan slipped his sunglasses back on.

"Kid," said Morgan before he continued when Spencer looked at him, "You're gonna have to accept the fact that sometimes we can't save everyone," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer was sitting away from the rest of his teammates when Hotch joined him.

"Thinking about attending the next movie?" asked Hotch quietly.

"Knowing Maeve, she will insist that I go," said Spencer.

"When you figured out the Dissociative Identity Disorder connection, I ended up thinking about Tobias Hankel too," said Hotch.

Spencer thought about it being April as he looked at a picture of Jocelyn that Maeve sent him earlier.

"Even though its been two years and two months since that case, I would always be grateful that the real Tobias Hankel gave me CPR because I would have never met Maeve and become a father," said Spencer.

"Speaking of fathers, have you ever told your father about your abduction and torture?" asked Hotch.

"I haven't told him yet, but I know that he's still upset with himself over finding out what happened to me in high school and the scars I have from the times my mom attacked me during her episodes," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Even though I've never admitted this to you before, but I have to say that your one of the strongest men I know when it comes to surviving everything you went through since childhood and as an adult and still decide to help people for a living," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer entered the bullpen only to find Maeve standing with Garcia who had Jocelyn on her hip.

"Look who's home," said Garcia.

Jocelyn turned her head and her face broke into a huge grin when she saw her daddy.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

Garcia quickly set the eight-month-old on the floor, and a few seconds later Jocelyn was making a toddling like run to her daddy who eagerly scooped her up 30 seconds later.

"There's my Josie Posie," said Spencer as he gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek.

Jocelyn mimicked her daddy's actions before patting his cheek.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

A few seconds later Maeve approached him.

"Welcome home," said Maeve as she pecked her husband on the lips.

"Thanks," said Spencer before he rested his hand on his wife's 24-week pregnant belly and smiled when he felt a kick before looking at his wife and whispered, "Who called you to be here with Josie when I got back?" asked Spencer.

"Derek," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his brother.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

"I knew that you needed some cheering up, and I know that Maeve and my goddaughter would get you to smile again," said Morgan.

Spencer sniffed the air before looking at his daughter.

"I think someone needs a diaper change, and what do you say about your godfather changing your diaper?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn grinned at her godfather causing some laughter before Morgan reluctantly took his goddaughter so he could change her diaper.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer ended up telling Maeve about the case before they started their celebration to welcome him home.

Xxxxxxxx

The next night Spencer was fixing himself some coffee when John joined him.

"How much longer until your sober for two years?" asked John.

"Three more weeks," said Spencer before looking at John, "The last case I just worked reminded me of the case that changed my life, and my unit chief brought up the code word we created for meetings," said Spencer.

"The suspect you and your team ended up arresting has DID?" asked John.

Spencer nodded.

"I already read the case report, so I had a feeling that you were going to come," said John.

"Part of me wants to work on bringing Adam back, but I know that I can't save everyone. I told one of my coworkers that I owe it to the real Tobias Hankel for saving my life even though he was the one that caused me to get addicted to Dilaudid in the first place before I got sober," said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "But I know that I always can't travel to Texas every weekend so I can try and bring Adam back because I have more important obligations to follow when it comes to my job and my family," said Spencer.

"Meeting the love of your life has been a huge reason why your fighting to stay sober and your daughter is the reason why you're attending these meetings," said John before smiling a little bit, "How's your little angel?" asked John.

Spencer's eyes lit up as he thought about his daughter.

"I just can't believe that she's already eight-months-old and walking for nearly a month," said Spencer as he ended up showing John a picture of him, Maeve, and Jocelyn together, "This photo was taken last weekend when we had a picnic with my wife's parents," said Spencer.

John briefly smiled when he saw the grinning baby girl standing on her two feet while holding her parents' hands in a park.

"Your daughter keeps on getting more beautiful every time I see a new picture of her," said John before seeing Maeve's baby bump in the picture, "How much longer until your second daughter is born?" asked John.

"About 16 more weeks, and luckily I'm finished painting the nursery while doing good on clothes since Maeve and I saved the clothing that Josie already grew out of," said Spencer before his cell phone vibrated causing him to see a text from Maeve.

JOSIE WANTS YOU HOME BECAUSE SHE KEEPS ON REPEATING THE WORD 'DADA' INSTEAD OF FALLING ASLEEP FOR ME, SO IF YOUR DONE AT YOUR MOVIE PLEASE COME HOME SO YOU CAN TRY TO GET JOSIE TO SLEEP. ~ MR

Spencer laughed.

"Josie wants me home since she keeps on saying 'Dada' instead of falling asleep for her mother," said Spencer.

John chuckled.

"Then get home to your little girl, and hopefully I'll see you at your next meeting," said John as he gently squeezed Spencer's shoulder.

A few minutes later Spencer was leaving the church so he could put his little girl to bed.


	35. Stephanie Reid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new OC and I'm warning you guys that this is the chapter where William Reid starts getting the title 'Asshole'

Spencer was sitting at his desk working on paperwork when his desk phone rang, and a few seconds later he answered it.

"Dr. Reid," answered Spencer.

"Dr. Reid, its Noah from security. I thought that I should let you know that you have two visitors on their way up to see you," said Noah.

"OK," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer's got confused when he saw a middle-aged woman with a teenage girl.

"Are you William's son, Dr. Spencer Reid?" asked the mystery woman.

"I am," said Spencer.

"I'm William's ex-wife Tanya Jefferson this is my 14-year-old daughter Stephanie Reid your half-sister," said Tanya.

Spencer's eyes went wide as he realized that he was staring face to face with his little sister who had his brown eyes and brown hair while being grateful that Morgan and Emily were currently teaching classes at the academy.

"OK," said Spencer.

"I know that your most likely shocked, but I'm willing to explain to you about why your now finding out about Stephanie over lunch," said Tanya.

"I will go ask my unit chief if I can leave," said Spencer as he quickly signed the consult he was working on before getting up from his desk as he grabbed his finished consults.

A minute later Spencer was in Hotch's office.

"Can I please take the rest of the day off?" asked Spencer.

"Are Maeve, Jocelyn, and the baby OK?" asked Hotch.

"They're OK, but apparently my dad never told me that I have a half-sister since my half-sister Stephanie is currently in the bullpen with her mother," said Spencer.

Hotch stood up from his desk and noticed a middle-aged woman standing by a teenager who had the same brown hair as Spencer.

"I see that Stephanie has the same hair color as you," said Hotch.

"Stephanie has the same eye color as me too. So do you mind if I take the rest of the day off so I can find out more about my half-sister?" asked Spencer.

"Go ahead, and if you need to take a few days off, please let me know," said Hotch.

"I will," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer approached Tanya and Stephanie who were looking at a few pictures that Spencer had displayed on his desk before Tanya and Stephanie turned around and looked at Spencer.

"Your daughter's so adorable," said Tanya.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

"How old is my niece, and how far along is your wife?" asked Stephanie.

"Jocelyn's eight-months-old and Maeve's currently 25-weeks pregnant with Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid," said Spencer.

"What did your unit chief say?" asked Tanya.

"I have the rest of the day off, and if I need a few more days off, he's willing to grant it since we're on stand down for the week," said Spencer as he slung his messenger bag around his shoulder.

"Since your familiar with the DC and Virginia area, how about you pick where we'll go out to eat," said Tanya.

"There's a really good diner in DC that we could go to that has the best milkshakes in DC, and I'll call Maeve and invite her since she's been craving milkshakes," said Spencer.

"OK," said Tanya.

A few minutes later Spencer was in the driver's seat of his car sending Maeve a text message.

I'M TAKING THE REST OF THE DAY OFF OF WORK BECAUSE I JUST FOUND OUT THAT I HAVE AN EX-STEP-MOTHER AND A 14-YEAR-OLD HALF SISTER. SO I'M TAKING THEM TO PADDY'S SO TANYA CAN EXPLAIN EVERYTHING TO ME, SO I'M HOPING THAT YOU AN JOSIE CAN MEET US THERE. ~ SR

xxxxxxx

Over an hour later Spencer was sitting across from Tanya and Stephanie in a diner when Tanya looked at Spencer.

"I didn't know about you until 10 years ago when I saw your father putting a newspaper article about you into a scrapbook. After finding out that your father abandoned you with your mentally ill mother, I instantly divorced your father and moved Stephanie and myself to Portland, Maine. With being so furious at your father, I made sure that your father wouldn't get visitation rights with Stephanie," said Tanya.

Spencer looked at his little sister and realized that he couldn't resent Tanya and Stephanie.

"When did you find out about me?" asked Spencer.

"One of my teachers shared an article written by you, so I asked my mom if I was related to you since I ended up Googling you and saw that you look just like me when it comes to our eye color and hair color. So after mom explained everything to me, she suggested that we track you down," said Stephanie.

"I'm glad you did," said Spencer.

Tanya looked at Spencer.

"I'm so sorry about what your father did to you and your mom. If I knew what your father did when I met him, I would have reported him for child neglect and endangerment," said Tanya before smiling towards her daughter, "I can never regret having Stephanie, but I hope that I can get to know you while Stephanie gets to know her big brother if you would allow us," said Tanya.

Spencer smiled at his ex-step-mother and half-sister.

"I definitely want you two to be part of my life," said Spencer before looking at Stephanie, "Your my little sister, and despite our father not being father of the year material, you have the right to get to know your nieces and me," said Spencer.

A minute later Maeve approached them and placed Jocelyn in the high chair that was provided to them before sitting down next to her husband.

"I'm Dr. Maeve Reid," said Maeve.

"I'm Tanya Jefferson and this young lady is your sister-in-law Stephanie," said Tanya.

Maeve looked at Stephanie and instantly noticed that Stephanie had her brother's brown hair and eyes.

"Nice to meet you," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at Jocelyn who was staring at Tanya and Stephanie with a confused look on her face.

"Jocelyn, this is Tanya and your aunt Stephanie," said Spencer.

Jocelyn grinned at Tanya and Stephanie.

"Hi," said Jocelyn as she waved at Tanya and Stephanie.

Stephanie grinned at the sight of her niece.

"You are so adorable, Jocelyn," cooed Stephanie.

Maeve looked at Tanya and Stephanie.

"Do you two have a place to stay?" asked Maeve.

"We still have to find a hotel," said Tanya.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other before looking at Stephanie who was playing with a grinning Jocelyn.

"We have a guest bedroom that you two can stay in," said Maeve.

Stephanie looked at her mom.

"Can we please stay with Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes," said Tanya.

xxxxx

Spencer walked into the kitchen only to find Tanya making some tea.

"What are you doing up?" asked Spencer.

"I couldn't sleep due to a headache," said Tanya.

"I developed a sweet tooth, so I'm going to have a few cookies," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer was sitting by the kitchen island across from Tanya and looked at her.

"With being a profiler, I can tell that there's a huge reason why you wanted Stephanie to meet me," said Spencer.

Tanya nodded.

"A month ago I was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor that gives me three months to live. So with having no living relatives and keeping Stephanie away from your father, I was hoping that you and your wife could take in Stephanie so she doesn't go into foster care," said Tanya.

"Even though there's plenty of room for Stephanie in this house, I would need to talk to Maeve," said Spencer.

"I know," said Tanya just as Maeve entered the kitchen.

"What are you doing up, Maeve?" asked Spencer.

"I was craving some ice cream, so I decided to join you down here," said Maeve.

Spencer chuckled, and a few minutes later Maeve looked at Tanya who was rubbing her forehead as she ate her ice cream.

"Are you OK?" asked Maeve.

Spencer looked at Tanya.

"Just a headache from the inoperable brain tumor I have," said Tanya.

Maeve's eyes went wide.

"How long do you have?" asked Maeve.

"Three months and I was hoping that you and Spencer would take in Stephanie since William isn't allowed to have visitation rights with Stephanie," said Tanya.

Maeve looked at her husband and took his hand.

"Since Stephanie's your sister, we should take her in," said Maeve.

Spencer squeezed his wife's hand.

"Thank you," said Spencer before looking at his wife, "It seems like we'll no longer have a guest bedroom since we'll have to give the bedroom to Stephanie," said Spencer.

"I know, but we can easily have Jocelyn and Gabriella share a room in a few years for when we have one more child," said Maeve before looking at Tanya, "Does Stephanie know about you only having a few months to live?" asked Maeve.

"I wanted Stephanie to meet you guys before I tell her," said Tanya before looking at the young married couple, "Does William see his granddaughter?" asked Tanya.

"Even though I tracked him down last November, I told him that he can only see Jocelyn when Maeve, Jocelyn, and I go to Vegas to visit my mom, aunt, and uncle," said Spencer.

"Stephanie can see her father when you guys go to Vegas so Jocelyn can see her paternal grandparents," said Tanya before allowing a few tears to fall down her face, "Even though I know that you two are busy with your jobs, Jocelyn, and preparing for the birth of your second child; I really appreciate you two for agreeing to take in Stephanie after I die," said Tanya.

"I know that I could resent you for marrying my father, but I can't since you gave me a little sister since I always wanted to have siblings," said Spencer before looking at the clock, "We should all get some sleep, and luckily I was able to snag tomorrow off while knowing that my teammates will most likely be blowing up my phone with phone calls and text messages," said Spencer.

"Your team must be very protective of you," said Tanya.

Spencer chuckled.

"I'm the youngest member of my team, so they decided to be protective of me even though I'm a capable field agent," said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

After Maeve left for work the next morning, Tanya looked at her daughter who was playing with Jocelyn.

"I need to talk to you, honey," said Tanya.

"OK," said Stephanie.

Spencer looked at Tanya.

"I'm going to go take Josie for a walk in the neighborhood," said Spencer.

"OK," said Tanya.

A few minutes later Tanya wiped a tear as she looked at her daughter.

"Are you aware that I've been having more doctor appointments lately?" asked Tanya.

"Yes," said Stephanie.

"A month ago I was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, and as of right now I have three months to live," said Tanya.

Stephanie allowed tears to fall down her face as she hugged her mother.

"So I take it that you asked Spencer and Maeve if I can live with them since dad's not allowed to have visitation with me," said Stephanie.

"Exactly, and Spencer and Maeve agreed to take you in. And since Spencer has been reconnecting with your father since November, William does see his granddaughter when Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn go to Las Vegas to visit Spencer's mom," said Tanya.

"So will I be seeing dad when Spencer and Maeve take my niece to Las Vegas to visit her grandparents?" asked Stephanie.

"You'll be seeing your father a few times a year, but I hope that you're OK with Spencer and Maeve taking you in," said Tanya.

Stephanie gave her mom a small smile.

"Spencer and Maeve are so cool, so I don't mind having to live with them because I adore my niece," said Stephanie as she wiped a few tears before looking at her mother, "So are we moving down here before the school year is over or are you allowing me to finish school in Portland?" asked Stephanie.

"We're going to finish the school year in Portland, but hopefully you'll be settled in here before you start high school here in DC," said Tanya.

A few minutes later Spencer came into the house with a sleeping Jocelyn in his arms.

"Are you two done?" asked Spencer.

"Mom told me what's going on, and I appreciate you and Maeve for allowing me to live with you guys," said Stephanie.

Spencer placed a sleeping Jocelyn into her playpen.

"You're my sister, and knowing my teammates, they're going to love you," said Spencer.

"Can I meet your teammates before mom and I go back to Portland?" asked Stephanie.

"We sure can, so how about you, Josie, and I head to the BAU after Josie wakes up from her nap," said Spencer.

Tanya looked at Spencer and Stephanie.

"I'm going to stay here," said Tanya.

"OK," said Spencer.

xxxxx

An hour and a half later Morgan and Emily looked up from their desks and their eyes went wide when they saw Spencer with a teenage girl who had his brown hair and brown eyes who had Jocelyn on her hip.

"Reid?" asked Morgan.

"Morgan and Emily, I would like to introduce you two to my half-sister Stephanie Reid," said Spencer.

"You have a sister?" asked Morgan.

"Spencer and I just met each other for the first time because I'm going to be living with Spencer, Maeve, and my nieces," said Stephanie.

"Your hair and eyes are the same color as Reid's," said Emily.

"I know," said Stephanie.

Spencer looked at Morgan and Emily.

"I'll explain everything after the team is gathered in the conference room," said Spencer.

"I'll let JJ and Garcia know," said Emily as she got up from her desk, "But I call dibs on holding my goddaughter," said Emily.

"Deal," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer looked at his team.

"I know that you guys got worried when you guys found out that I ended up leaving work before lunchtime and taking today off, but yesterday I ended up finding out that I have a half-sister who will be moving in with Maeve, Jocelyn, and me this summer," said Spencer before he introduced Stephanie to his teammates who instantly noticed the resemblance between the two siblings.

Garcia instantly pulled Stephanie into a hug.

"Why are you going to be living with Reid and Maeve?" asked Garcia.

"My mom has three months to live since she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor a month ago, and I haven't seen my father since I was four since my mom divorced my father when I was four," said Stephanie.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"Apparently my ex-step-mother divorced my father after she found out that my dad left me with my schizophrenic mother instead of taking me with him and getting my mom the help she needs," said Spencer.

"My mom hates dad for abandoning Spencer the way he did, so I rather live with Spencer, my sister-in-law, and my nieces instead of with my dad," said Stephanie.

"We all hate William Reid since he is a coward, but we understand that Reid is allowing his father to be part of Jocelyn's life," said Morgan before looking at Spencer, "Since every bedroom is occupied, what are you and Maeve going to do for Stephanie's bedroom?" asked Morgan.

"Stephanie's going to be getting the guest bedroom, so that means that there's no longer going to be a guest bedroom," said Spencer.

Garcia smiled at Stephanie.

"We'll help you turn the guest bedroom into a teenage paradise for you," said Garcia.

"Thanks," said Stephanie.

"When it comes to having a finished bathroom in the basement, we can easily turn the basement into a guest suite," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"I'll make sure that you get some time off when the time comes for Stephanie to move in with you, Maeve, and Jocelyn," said Hotch.

"Thank you," said Spencer before looking at his sister, "Should we get going so I can show you around DC?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, please," said Stephanie.

A few minutes later Spencer was getting into the elevator with Stephanie and Jocelyn when Stephanie looked at her half-brother who had a sleeping Jocelyn on his hip.

"I like your teammates, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"They're my family, and they'll become your family too since Hotch and Rossi are like fathers to me while JJ, Emily, Morgan, and Garcia are all older siblings to me," said Spencer.

Stephanie smiled.

"Then I'll like living with you, Maeve, and my nieces," said Stephanie as she hugged her older brother and niece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a heads up that Stephanie has Asperger's syndrome, so that's why she reacted to her mother's news the way she did.


	36. A Shade of Gray & The Big Wheel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts a week after the last chapter.

Mary and Joe looked at Spencer and Maeve as they ate dinner.

"So when is your half-sister moving in, Spencer?" asked Mary.

"There's no official date yet since it's been decided that Stephanie should finish eighth grade in Portland, but if Tanya passes away before the end of the school year a neighbor will take her in so she can finish eighth grade at her current school before Stephanie moves in with   
us," said Spencer.

Joe looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"If you two ever need help with Stephanie, we'll be glad to help you two out," said Joe.

"Really?" asked Spencer.

"We think its noble of you wanting to take in your half-sister, and Stephanie will give you two experience in dealing with a teenager before Jocelyn and Gabriella are teenagers," said Mary.

"Is there anything we should know about Stephanie?" asked Joe.

"Stephanie has autism, and her mother explained everything to me after I asked her why Stephanie was so calm when I got back from taking Jocelyn for a walk," said Spencer.

Mary thought about the interactions she had with Stephanie when she and Joe joined them for dinner before Tanya and Stephanie headed back to Portland.

"Has Stephanie done any occupational therapy?" asked Mary.

"Stephanie does music lessons for occupational therapy, and when it comes to school, she's doing a special education study hall for an hour every day while being able to attend regular classes with neurotypical teenagers," said Spencer.

"What type of instrument does she play?" asked Mary.

"Piano and flute, so her piano will be shipped here so we don't have to buy a new one," said Spencer.

"So I take it that all the clothes and furniture from Stephanie's bedroom will be shipped down here too?" asked Joe.

"When its time for Stephanie to move in, yes since Tanya doesn't want us to buy Stephanie new clothes, furniture, or electronics since Stephanie will be bringing everything with her," said Spencer before sniffing the air and looked at Jocelyn, "Someone needs a clean diaper," said Spencer.

Jocelyn smiled at her daddy who removed her from her highchair.

xxxxxx

Meanwhile, in Portland, Maine Stephanie looked at her best friend who was helping her pack up clothes that she didn't need so she could ship her first few boxes of belongings down to her brother.

"Even though I promised you that I would never leave you, I'm sorry that I will be moving down to DC to live with my half-brother in a few months," said Stephanie.

"I'm sorry that your mom's brain tumor, but at least you learned that you actually have a half-brother who's an FBI agent who's willing to take you in," said Brittney.

"Spencer travels all over the country for work, but my sister-in-law who is a geneticist will be my primary caretaker," said Stephanie.

"Do you have a picture of your brother?" asked Brittney.

Stephanie pulled out her phone and showed her best friend the picture of her, Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn together that was taken before Spencer took her mom and herself to the airport.

"Your brother is hot," said Brittney before noticing a grinning baby girl on her best friend's lap, "Who's that baby girl on your lap?" asked Brittney.

Stephanie beamed at her best friend.

"That baby girl is my eight-month-old niece Jocelyn, and in 14 weeks I'll be an auntie again," said Stephanie.

"Jocelyn is so cute," cooed Brittney.

"I will get to babysit my nieces a lot," said Stephanie.

"So your sister-in-law is pregnant with a girl?" asked Brittney.

"Yes, so my brother will have to deal with four females under one roof," laughed Stephanie.

Brittney looked at her best friend.

"I will really miss you when you move down to DC," said Brittney.

"Maybe you can come down and visit for a few weeks after I get settled in because Washington DC is a popular tourist attraction," said Stephanie.

"I hope so too," said Brittney.

xxxxxxx

The next day in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Spencer taped a photo of Kyle onto the clear board when JJ approached him and Hotch.

"After the first two abductions, Cherry Hill compiled a list of registered sex offenders in Camden County. There are 439 within a 30-mile radius of where the boys were taken," said JJ as she watched Spencer and Hotch read the lists, "They have been knocking on doors, conducting interviews. They haven't been able to come up with anything," said JJ.

"They should have called us in earlier. There are a lot of these men we can eliminate right away," said Hotch.

Spencer hurried to the box.

"Right," said Spencer.

"No one new to the area. This unsub knows these neighborhoods," said Hotch as he looked at Spencer who started to write on the clear board, "That takes time. Victims are three boys, so cross off anyone who targets females," said Hotch.

"We can eliminate anyone whose preferential age is over seven or under 11," said Spencer.

JJ quickly went through the files to remove possible suspects.

"These boys look nothing alike, so discount suspects who have a very specific type. If the victims have only brown or blond hair, they're off the list. Our unsub's taste of more broad," said Hotch.

"It looks like his preference is based more on age instead of physical characteristics," said Spencer before he started to continue writing on the board.

Hotch looked at JJ.

"Let's make a special pile for more organized offenders, anyone who's been arrested for stalking, uh, breaking and entering, burglary," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded before looking at JJ.

"How are we doing so far?" asked Spencer.

JJ gave Spencer and Hotch an impressed look.

"With these parameters, I can probably cross off half the names," said JJ.

"Good. Let's keep going," said Hotch.

xxxxxxx

Spencer lined up the files on the sex offenders that he and Hotch profiled as potential suspects together onto the table when Emily, Rossi, Morgan, and Detective Lancaster entered the room.

"We've narrowed the list to five men," said Hotch.

"Already?" asked Detective Lancaster.

Spencer taped a picture of a sex offender onto the clear board.

"Registered sex offender Hugh Rollins, 43, lived in Camden County his whole life, in an out of foster care since he was a toddler, and acquired quite the nice rap sheet," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"What's his connection to the victims?" asked Morgan.

JJ looked at Morgan, Emily, and Detective Lancaster.

"Two years ago he got a steady job installing TVs," said JJ.

"Have any of the families purchased a new TV?" asked Emily.

"The first two did. Garcia found something else. Rollins had no cell or bank activity on the days the boys were abducted," said JJ.

"We haven't been able to connect Rollins to Kyle yet," said Hotch.

"So, what, we're gonna wait for more evidence?" asked Morgan.

"No, there isn't time. We have sufficient probable cause," said Hotch.

"Let's go pick him up," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at his two youngest agents.

"You two stay here," said Hotch.

"I'll use this time to check on Jocelyn and Maeve since Mendel University is closed for their Spring break," said Spencer.

"I'm going to check on Henry," said JJ.

A few minutes later Spencer had Maeve on the phone.

"How's it going?" asked Maeve.

"Even though the boy's still missing, we have a possible suspect," said Spencer.

"Good," said Maeve.

"Is Josie awake?" asked Spencer.

"She sure is, and she's toddling around the living room saying 'Dada' so I was about to call you," said Maeve.

Spencer chuckled.

"Josie's definitely a daddy's girl," said Spencer.

"I know," said Maeve before putting her phone on speaker, "Daddy's on the phone, Josie," said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer's face broke into a grin when he heard Jocelyn's voice.

"Dada!" exclaimed Jocelyn.

"Hello, Josie," said Spencer.

Jocelyn started babbling while saying words that she mastered, and a few minutes later Spencer was hanging up at the same time as JJ.

"How's Henry?" asked Spencer.

"He's going great, and I can't believe that he's already five-months-old," said JJ.

"I just can't believe that Josie's already eight-months-old and that Gabriella will be born in about 14 weeks," said Spencer.

"How's the nursery coming along?" asked JJ.

"Joe and I finished Gabriella's nursery over the weekend, and Joe and I made plans to start painting Stephanie's bedroom this weekend," said Spencer.

"That's great," said JJ before becoming serious, "How are you feeling about your half-sister that you haven't even known for a week is going to be moving in with you this summer?" asked JJ.

"Even though I'm sad that Stephanie is going to be losing her mother, I know that it will be beneficial for the both of us since we both lost our father to divorce while losing our mothers to sickness," said Spencer.

"Your mom's still alive and lives in a hospital," pointed out JJ.

"I know, but there are times that my mom doesn't even remember that she has a son during her episodes. So there are times that I'm grieving over my mom since I ended up grieving on the day I committed my mom to Bennington," said Spencer.

"Knowing Garcia, she'll help you find a good grief counselor when Stephanie moves in with you," said JJ.

"Garcia told me that she's already doing background checks on grief counselors while helping me find the best high school for Stephanie to attend," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer followed Rossi up the stairs as he snapped on some gloves.

"If he came in through the basement, this would have been his second flight of stairs," said Rossi.

"So Kyle's is the first room he comes to," said Spencer.

10 seconds later Spencer was looking around Kyle's bedroom while thinking about how Jocelyn and Gabriella were going to have toys scattered across their bedrooms over the next couple of years.

"This wasn't a quiet struggle. He probably knocked Kyle unconscious," said Spencer.

"Then carried him back downstairs," said Rossi.

Spencer noticed a door.

"What's through there?" asked Spencer.

"Danny's room," said Rossi.

A few seconds later Spencer walked through the bathroom that was connected Kyle's and Danny's bedrooms before entering Danny's bedroom.

"It's interesting. Another few feet and he would have found Danny. Danny's far more age appropriate for Rollins' preference. He's closer to the first two victims than Kyle is," said Spencer.

"If he'd been stalking these families, he would have known that," said Rossi.

Spencer noticed that both bunks on Danny's bunk bed was occupied.

"It's weird," said Spencer.

Rossi thought about Danny's bedroom being spotless.

"What, a neat nine-year-old?" asked Rossi.

"Well, that, and most kids either pick a top or a bottom bunk," said Spencer before crouching down, "Both beds are slept in. The top bunk blocks the view of the stars, and there's nothing decorative down here," said Spencer.

"It's Danny's room. He probably sleeps up top," said Rossi.

Spencer started to check under the covers only to find a wet spot.

"Somebody wet the bed. You know, maybe Danny started in the bottom bunk, wet the bed, and then moved up top?" asked Spencer.

Rossi found a stuffed animal causing him to look at a photo of Kyle with the stuffed animal.

"This is Kyle's," said Rossi.

Spencer quickly looked by the ladder and picked up a pair of pajama pants and checked the size.

"It's size 6. Kyle slept in here last night," said Spencer before realizing something, "If he didn't sleep in his room, why was it destroyed?" asked Spencer as he looked at Rossi.

"To make it look like the other crime scenes," said Rossi.

A few minutes later Spencer was in the front passenger seat of an SUV when Rossi looked at him.

"So are you going to tell your father that his estranged daughter that he hasn't seen since Stephanie was four will be moving in with you this summer?" asked Rossi.

"Tanya asked me not to tell my parents anything because there will be a court hearing that my father will be ordered to attend over the custody of Stephanie," said Spencer.

"I take it that Aaron offered to be your lawyer since he hates your father?" asked Rossi.

Spencer smirked.

"He did since he has a recording that he made when I explained to him about my father leaving me with a paranoid schizophrenic when he should have had custody of me while committing my mom, so when the judge finds out that my father left me in a dangerous situation for eight years, there's no doubt that I'll be granted custody since Maeve and my in-laws will be there for Stephanie when I'm traveling with you guys," said Spencer.

"Plus the rest of the team will vouch for you," said Rossi.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting at the conference table while being saddened at the thought of Kyle being dead when Hotch joined them.

"I just talked to Rollins. He said he dumped Kyle's body in the river. He's clearly lying. He doesn't have any connection to that boy," said   
Hotch.

"The disposal of Kyle's body is very different from the other two. He was gently placed on the ground, neatly laid to rest with his hands by his sides. Rollins discarded these two boys like trash," said Emily.

"We think Kyle may not have slept in his room last night," said Spencer.

"Where do you think he was?" asked Hotch.

"I think in his brother's room. Danny has bunk beds. Both bunks were slept in, and whoever slept in the bottom one wet the bed and left Kyle's bear," said Spencer.

"So do we think someone destroyed Kyle's room to make it look like he was abducted like the other two victims?" asked Morgan.

Hotch watched two officers pass by them, and as soon as the officers were out of earshot, Hotch looked at his team.

"Who else knows the details of all three cases?" asked Hotch.

"Lancaster," answered Rossi.

Everyone looked at each other before Hotch decided to lower his voice a bit.

"Morgan, call Garcia and see what she can find out about Lancaster that we don't already know. Reid and Prentiss, watch the video of the press conference. See if you can find anything," said Hotch.

"Want me to talk to Rollins again?" asked Rossi quietly.

"Yes. And I don't have to remind anybody where we are. Please be discreet," ordered Hotch.

xxxxxx

JJ entered the room where Spencer, Morgan, and Hotch were listening to Rossi question Sarah, Dan, and Detective Lancaster.

"Kyle Murphy's autopsy report," said JJ as she passed the report around.

"Two postmortem hits to the head," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at his copy.

"First one was shallow. Clearly, he hesitated," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the copy he was reading.

"Lancaster had to hit Kyle to make the wounds consistent with Rollins' victims," said Spencer.

"I'm glad he spared them that part of his story," said Hotch.

A disturbed JJ looked at Spencer, Hotch, and Morgan.

"Look on the second page," said JJ.

All three men flipped to the second page.

"Prentiss needs to see this," said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer, Hotch, and Morgan listened to Emily tell Sarah and Dan about Danny being a sociopath.

xxxxxx

A week later Maeve looked at her husband as she stroked her 27-week pregnant belly.

"I just can't believe that I'll be starting the third trimester next week," said Maeve.

"I know, and luckily your father and I already completed the nursery since your father and I just started painting the guest bedroom with the paint color that Stephanie picked out," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"Are we going to create a list of rules for Stephanie to follow when she moves in with us?" asked Maeve.

"We don't have to create a list because Tanya already sent me the rules she has for Stephanie," said Spencer.

"What type of rules?" asked Maeve.

Spencer flashed back to the list of rules that Tanya sent him in a letter.

"Mandatory curfew at 10 PM every night. Help out with household chores. Her internet usage will always be monitored. No teenage boys allowed in her bedroom. Homework will be started as soon as she gets home from school before she's allowed to go on the internet, watch TV, or hang out with friends. If her grades start to slip, no cell phone, internet, or hanging out with friends until her grades improve. Always answer her phone unless she's in school," said Spencer.

"Those are good rules," said Maeve.

"I know, but Tanya told me that I can add some additional rules because she knows that with me being a federal agent, I would need to create some stricter rules that would deal with Stephanie's safety," said Spencer.

Maeve thought about the two guns that were currently in her husband's gun safe.

"Will one of the rules be to never touch your revolver or Glock?" asked Maeve.

"That's one of the rules I'm adding to the list, and another rule will be if you're asked to do something by an authority figure, do it," said Spencer.

Maeve yawned causing Spencer to look at his wife.

"We should get some sleep since we have work in the morning," said Spencer as he got up and helped his pregnant wife up.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were securing their house before they checked on Jocelyn before they fell asleep in each other's arms.

xxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was sitting at the round table while JJ played a video.

"Her name's Michelle Watson, a realtor murdered in Buffalo a week ago," said JJ.

"Until yesterday they had nothing, no leads, and then they got this," said Hotch.

"Buffalo PD received it from an unknown source yesterday," said JJ as she pulled up another video.

"They able to trace it?" asked Emily.

"No. Sent through an encrypted server from Ukraine," said Hotch.

"There's no sound," said Morgan.

"Yeah, at first glance there doesn't seem to be a single frame to identify who shot it. He even covered up the mirror," said Spencer.

Garcia shook her head.

"I've seen some crazy things sitting at this table, but that... Why send that to the police?" asked Garcia.

"Well, maybe it's a taunt, to show the police how smart he is," said Emily.

"Catch me if you can," said Rossi.

Morgan watched the two people that were being filmed.

"The two people in the video- they look directly at the unsub and neither one seems to register that they're being filmed," said Morgan.

"I think it's probably a hidden camera," said Spencer.

A second later the sketch of the unsub was being passed around.

"The witnesses were able to give us enough for a sketch. White male, early 30s, wearing glasses," said JJ.

JJ pulled up another video causing everyone to see a room with computers.

"It looks like an editing suite," said Morgan.

"So he not only films the murder, he edits it," said Rossi.

Emily noticed another video playing during the video that the unsub sent to the police.

"Do we know what this is that's playing on the monitor?" asked Emily.

"Buffalo PD is concerned that it might be another filmed killing," said Hotch.

"If it is, then we're not looking at just one murder, but two," said Emily.

"Buffalo is underfunded, undermanned, and they need our help," said Hotch.

"Buffalo's a big gang town," said Morgan.

"Murder in the last year alone was over 700 people," said JJ.

Hotch looked at Garcia.

"Garcia, I need you to go through this frame by frame and put everything on disks," said Hotch.

Garcia got up.

"Yes, sir. I'm on it," said Garcia.

Before Garcia left the round table room, Hotch looked at Garcia.

"Also, put together a go bag. If we get any more of these films, I want you on the ground taking point. Is that OK with you?" asked Hotch.

"Yes, sir. Excellent. OK. Fast forward... Go bag. I don't have a go bag," said Garcia to herself.

Hotch looked at his team.

"There's something I want everyone to see," said Hotch.

JJ played the footage Hotch wanted them to see.

"He's writing something," said Emily as they watched their unsub write HELP ME on a wall.

A few minutes later Spencer was sending Maeve a text message.

GOING TO BUFFALO, NEW YORK. GARCIA IS COMING WITH US ON THIS CASE. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE, AND I LOVE YOU, JOSIE, AND OUR UNBORN DAUGHTER. ~ SR

After sending a text to Maeve, Spencer sent Stephanie a text message.

I'M HEADING TO BUFFALO, NEW YORK. SO IF YOU TRY TO CONTACT ME AND I DON'T ANSWER, I WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. ~ SR

xxxxxx

Over an hour later Spencer was sitting between a window and Garcia on the jet when Morgan looked at his team.

"A serial killer asking for help. Well that's a new one on me," said Morgan.

"Attempt at sarcasm?" asked Rossi.

Morgan looked at Rossi.

"What if he's sincere?" asked Hotch.

"Then he's deeply ambivalent. He wants to stop, but like an alcoholic, he simply can't," said Rossi.

Morgan looked at a picture.

"When we see him driving, his point of view is elevated. I'd say he's driving a van or an SUV," said Morgan.

"And the film stops where it starts at his home. So we could use the film to trace back, street by street, from the crime scene, right?" asked Emily.

Spencer looked at the photo he was holding.

"It only lasts nine minutes. And in this frame, he clearly looks at a clock, and it's 9:22," said Spencer as he showed his teammates what he noticed.

"OK, the autopsy says Michelle Watson's time of death was 4:30 in the afternoon. So, he edited out seven hours," said Emily.

"Garcia, look for unsolved murders of men in their early 30s who were stabbed, Buffalo and surrounding cities. Go back 10 years," said Hotch.

Garcia nodded.

"Wouldn't ViCAP have already picked up on that?" asked Morgan.

"Mm, ViCAP only went web-based about a month ago, and Buffalo PD only recently uploaded the data," said Garcia before she focused on the laptop in front of her.

"They show Watson holding a day planner. They find that at the crime scene?" asked Morgan as he showed a picture.

"Yeah, that, her wallet, and all of her jewelry, including a 3-carat diamond ring. So we know he's not financially motivated," said Spencer.

Garcia looked at her laptop.

"First count I have 22," said a shocked Garcia.

Everyone looked at each other as they realized that there are more victims that they didn't know about.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting at a conference room table when Hotch and Emily entered the room with Detective Henderson.

"The autopsy reports will help us determine which of these cases is connected," said Hotch.

"I'll get them here right away," said Detective Henderson before she nodded at one of her officers.

"We also need to take a look at the crime scenes, Detective Henderson," said Hotch.

"Of course," said Detective Henderson.

"I'll stay and help Reid," said Rossi.

Spencer shot Rossi a grateful look.

"I'll take Prentiss and Morgan," said Hotch.

A few seconds later Hotch, Morgan, and Emily were out of the room before Detective Henderson looked at Rossi.

"Tell me, do you think this is a one-off or can I expect more films?" asked Detective Henderson.

"It's not a one-off. The filming of his kills makes him a sexual psychopath. We'll find more. Many more. Just like this one," said Rossi.

xxxxxxxxx

Rossi removed the message from the unsub from the bulletin board.

"Help me is in direct conflict with the psychology of a psychopath, and it's something I've never seen before," said Rossi.

"Psychopaths don't have the capacity to feel empathy towards others," said Spencer.

"They can mimic it, but they can't feel it," said Rossi.

"Then he didn't mean it?" asked Detective Henderson.

"Or someone or something is showing him who he really is," said Rossi.

"OK, friends, the video on this film is analog. It's since been digitized, but it is seriously degraded," said Garcia.

"Meaning what?" asked JJ.

"Meaning this kind of degradation only happens over at least a decade and thousands of repeated viewings," said Garcia.

"The only way he can get any release," said Rossi.

"Then you're right. He's been doing this for 10 years," said Detective Henderson.

"Uh, more like 20. That woman in this video- She's wearing a sweater I haven't seen since "Flashdance"," said Garcia.

Rossi looked at a sheet of paper that was in front of him.

"On the day of her death, the 21st, Michelle entered the name Robert at 4 PM," said Rossi.

Spencer leaned forward a bit to look at Michelle's handwriting.

"Ah, we found no one connected to her with that name and we think it's an alias.

"Michelle's highly organized, she's precise, light of hand, so left-handed," said Spencer.

"How can you tell?" asked Detective Henderson.

Spencer tilted the paper he was looking at so he could show Detective Henderson.

"The hardest point is where she starts, the lightest point is where she tails off," said Spencer before he focused on the writing as he lowered   
his voice, "In her case, she tails off to the right. It's weird," murmured Spencer.

"What?" asked JJ.

"I'm not sure, but the number 29 is circled twice in red ink and it tails off to the left. Whoever wrote that is right-handed," said Spencer.

JJ quickly pulled up the footage of their unsub writing on the wall.

That person is right-handed and "help me" is written in red," said JJ.

"The unsub wrote the circled 29," said Rossi.

"Guys... Tomorrow's the 29th," said a nervous Garcia before she noticed everyone's reactions.

xxxxxxxxxxx

JJ walked into the conference room as she got off the phone.

"Morgan thinks the unsub's glasses is the camera," said JJ before looking at the detective, "You need to get a sketch of the unsub out to every camera shop in Buffalo," said JJ.

"If he hunts within a comfort zone, then whichever of these camera shops he visits the most, that's the one he'll live closest to," said Rossi.

Detective Henderson looked at the officer who was assisting her.

"All right. You heard the man," said Detective Henderson.

"OK, Hotch also wants us to focus on victims found in controlled locations," said JJ.

Garcia started typing.

"Secure areas with little chance of witnesses. And ones where he left the bodies where he killed them," said Rossi.

Spencer grabbed a picture of one of the victims.

"OK, based on that, June '98, Emily Flyn, found in her apartment, stabbed 23 times," said Spencer as he taped the photo to the board.

Rossi grabbed another photo.

"Hillary Habner, March 2000, found in her basement, stabbed 18 times," said Rossi before he passed the photo to Spencer to pin up on the board.

Detective Henderson picked up another photo.

"Cindy Stagnal, April 2001, stabbed multiple times, found in her office," said Detective Henderson as she passed the photo to Spencer so he could also pin up that photo.

"And May 1999, Vanessa Bright, 29, stabbed and found in her studio," said JJ before she passed the photo to Spencer.

Spencer pinned the photo of Vanessa onto the board.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it appears as though we've found our timeline. It looks like our killer strikes almost exactly every 12 months," said Spencer.

Detective Henderson was in shock.

"Oh, my god. All these women and he got away with it," said Detective Henderson.

"I think we need to inform the media. Buffalo has a serial killer," said JJ.

xxxxxx

Garcia looked at the pictures of the victims.

"He sure does like his blondes. Not a good date, though. Too stabby," said Garcia as she mimicked stabbing with her pen.

"Less so, though, with Michelle Watson and the girl we found this morning," said Emily.

"Every one of these murders happens during a month of Spring," said JJ.

"So, Spring for the unsub is a stressor," said Emily.

"Do you think my video was done in the Spring?" asked Garcia.

"There's a good chance," said Emily.

"OK," said Garcia as she bent down to pick up her high heeled shoes, "Eighties, Spring, Buffalo. Search for homicide, see if I can make a connection," said Garcia as she walked to a chair.

Spencer looked at all the photos of the victims.

"All of the victims except for Michelle Watson were killed within a year of each other," said Spencer.

Emily looked at another picture.

"Victim number 10, Joyce Wolcott, stabbed 32 times," said Emily.

"And then Michelle Watson was stabbed just once two years later," said Spencer.

Garcia looked up from the picture that she was looking at.

"What's missing from the Michelle Watson murder is any sign of rage or overkill," said Emily.

"Yeah. Instead, on the tape, we see signs of remorse. A complete and sudden emotional change. It's absolutely fascinating," said Spencer.

Garcia looked at Spencer.

"I love you, Reid, but the stuff you find fascinating is sad," said Garcia while JJ and Emily smiled a bit before she showed the picture she was looking at, "OK. The woman in my video... She looks a lot like the ones on your board, don't you think?" asked Garcia.

"So he's killing her over and over again," said Emily.

"Maybe. I don't know. Not my job," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at the file that dealt with Joyce's murder.

"Guys, there was an actual witness In the Joyce Wolcott murder," said Spencer.

"A witness?" asked Emily.

"A boy. Her son," said Spencer.

xxxxxx

Garcia read a newspaper article that she pulled up.

"Neighbors called the police when they heard her son Stan screaming for his mother," said Garcia.

"Let's see, they were found in the backyard and she was dead," said Spencer.

"So he saw the whole thing?" asked Emily.

Spencer started walking towards JJ.

"If he did, why didn't the unsub kill the only living witness?" asked Spencer.

"Did they interview him?" asked Emily.

"He was traumatized," said JJ.

"Did he see the killer?" asked Emily.

Spencer's heart melted as he read that Stanley is blind.

"He didn't see anything," said Spencer as he showed JJ the file.

"Where is the boy now?" asked Emily.

Garcia highlighted the article she was reading.

"Single mom, father died in a car accident. He was foster-homed after her death," said Garcia.

"Tell me he's still in Buffalo," said Emily.

Garcia quickly pulled up an address.

"Yes," said Garcia.

xxxxxx

"Garcia, I got a name, Vincent," said Morgan.

"Morgan, I'm gonna need a surname, honey," said Morgan.

"She can't remember," said Morgan.

"Can you at least cross-reference Vincent's name with all of the mentor organizations in Buffalo?" asked Emily.

"I think we'll get more from the video," said Garcia.

Spencer quickly went through the notepad he was reading through.

"We're running out of time," said Emily.

Spencer made his way over to Garcia.

"Come on, Garcia, we gotta find this kid," said Morgan.

"Trust me, OK? Give me a second," said Garcia as she pulled up an old picture of a woman.

"That's her. That's the woman from the film," said JJ.

"June 5, 1983. Kim Rowlings was killed in her home. When police arrived, they found her son Vincent Rowlings. Garcia," said Emily.

"Thank me when we've got an address," said Garcia.

Spencer quickly read the article.

"Vincent was found sitting with the body of his murdered mother. Police believe that he sat with her for more than 24 hours," said Spencer.

JJ shook her head.

"He was only nine years old. He filmed his mother's murder and hid the tape from the police all these years," said JJ.

Garcia quickly pulled up Vincent's address.

"Vincent Rowlings, 5605 1/2 Pearl Street, East Side, Buffalo," said Garcia.

Emily looked at Spencer and motioned him to follow her.

"Tell Hotch we're en route. I love you," said Emily.

xxxxxx

Spencer stormed into Vincent's apartment with his teammates and after clearing the apartment, everyone noticed the video that Vincent filmed of his mother's murder causing Hotch to call Garcia.

"Garcia, I need you to conference everybody now," said Hotch as he watched Spencer review the footage.

"Hotch, you've got Rossi and Morgan," said Garcia.

"And we have Stan's foster mother Kate here. Stanley is missing, and there's blood on the windowsill," said Morgan.

"Kate, did Vincent take Stan out? Was there a favorite place they liked to go?" asked Hotch.

"A park? Playground?" asked Rossi.

"No. No. Like I said, I only allow him to see Stan under this roof, under my supervision. He's been coming around more since I told him we   
were moving away," said Kate.

"When did you tell Vincent that?" asked Rossi.

"Like a week ago. Why?" asked Kate.

"What?" asked Garcia.

"He killed Michelle Watson over a week ago," said JJ.

"That must be the stressor that triggered Vincent's behavior change," said Spencer.

Emily pulled out a notebook.

"Kate, Vincent's drawn the number 29 with a circle around it numerous times. Today is the 29th. We believe the circle may represent a specific location. They would have talked about it, or he might even have taken him there before," said Emily.

"Did Vincent talk to Stan about adventures that they could take? Places they could visit?" asked Hotch.

"What are Stanley's favorite things to do?" asked Rossi.

"He just likes to make things. To build things. Vincent used to help him," said Kate.

"The construction sets?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah," said Kate.

"Ferris wheel. It's a circle," said Morgan.

"When did he build this?" asked Rossi.

"Over the last couple of months. He's been in here every night," said Kate.

"Garcia, check Buffalo and the surrounding areas for any theme parks, permanent or visiting," said Morgan.

Everyone heard typing over the phone.

"Theme park just outside of Buffalo," said Garcia.

"Ferris wheel?" asked Hotch.

Garcia did some typing.

"Yes!" exclaimed Garcia.

"Let's go," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at Spencer and Emily.

"You both go. I'll stay here in case he comes back. I want to go over everything and see how many others we've missed," ordered Hotch.

"Got it," said Emily before she and Spencer left Vincent's apartment.

xxxxxx

Spencer inwardly smiled as he watched Stan get reunited with his foster mother.

xxxxx

The next morning Spencer smiled as Maeve entered the kitchen with Jocelyn.

"Your back," said Maeve as she set Jocelyn onto the floor.

"Dada!" exclaimed Jocelyn as she toddled over to her daddy.

Spencer set down the spatula that he was using to flip the omelet that he was making and scooped up his daughter.

"Daddy missed you," said Spencer before giving his wife a kiss, "I missed you," said Spencer before he rested his hands on Maeve's belly and smiled when he felt Gabriella kick.

"Why didn't you call to tell me that you would be home this morning?" asked Maeve.

"I wanted to surprise you guys," said Spencer as he set Jocelyn into her high chair before he focused on the omelet that he was cooking.

"Just so you know, some of Stephanie's belongings arrived while you were in Buffalo," said Maeve.

"I saw the boxes when I entered the house, so I'll carry them upstairs after breakfast," said Spencer.

"Do you have to work today?" asked Maeve.

"I took the day off so I can spend time with Jocelyn," said Spencer.

"Good," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were eating breakfast as they fed Jocelyn purred bananas, and after breakfast was eaten, Spencer and Jocelyn stood on the porch waving as Maeve left with her mother for work.


	37. Roadkill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its going to be a few chapters before Spencer faces off with his father in court, but let's just say that I have planned a plot twist that will deal with William Reid.
> 
> This chapter starts the day after the last chapter so Jocelyn is still eight-months-old.

Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates when a shocked Emily looked at JJ.

"An unsub that kills with his car. I haven't seen that before," said Emily.

JJ pulled up a picture.

"Neither have the police in Bend, Oregon. Which is why they need our help," said JJ.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"Two victims in the last 12 days," said Hotch.

"First was hit while on a morning jog Maria Delgado, 23. The second was a stranded motorist, Shannon Makely, 43," said JJ.

"And what makes the locals think that they were connected?" asked Morgan.

JJ pulled up a picture that showed tire tracks.

"Well, for one thing, they were both backed over after the initial impact," said JJ.

"No accident there," said Rossi.

"They matched treads at both scenes. Large wheels, all-terrain," said Hotch.

"Wounds also indicate a raised bumper, so they're thinking large SUV or truck," said JJ.

Spencer looked at JJ.

"Do they know the model or make?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, tires aren't factory issued. They could be on a number of different models," said JJ.

"No witnesses to either incident?" asked Emily.

JJ shook her head.

"A hit-and-run is loud, draws attention. Somebody usually sees something," said Rossi.

"Both victims were attacked in secluded areas," said JJ.

"Two tons of metal make a hell of a weapon," said Morgan.

"Serial killers have been known to become rather attached to their vehicles. Bittaker and Norris even gave theirs a nickname," said Spencer.

Rossi looked up from the file that he was reading.

"Murder Mac," said Rossi.

"Bittaker and Norris were sexual sadists. There's no sign of torture here," said Hotch.

"It sounds like thrill kills. Opportunistic," said Emily.

Rossi took a breath.

"Easy targets randomly selected," said Rossi.

Morgan looked at the picture that he was looking at.

"With this type of impact, the vehicle shouldn't be hard to pick out of a lineup," said Morgan.

"Yeah, there should be significant front-end damage," said Spencer.

"Somehow I don't think it's gonna be that easy," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at his team.

"Since we have a long flight to Oregon, we'll all be sleeping in our own beds tonight before we leave at 8 AM in tomorrow morning so we can hit the ground running. So everyone should head home and get a good night's sleep," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxx 

Over two hours later Spencer looked at Maeve as they cuddled on the couch.

"I'm leaving for Bend, Oregon tomorrow morning. So there's a chance that the plans we made for this weekend might be canceled," said Spencer.

"Its OK," said Maeve before she groaned when she felt Gabriella kick, "I'm not looking forward to you being more active next week, Gabby," said Maeve.

Spencer rubbed his wife's belly and felt a kick.

"Its like she knows when I'm touching your belly," said Spencer just as he felt a kick again.

"Seems like she likes your voice just like Josie," said Maeve before yawning, "We should get some sleep," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were in their bedroom getting ready for bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Emily looked at one of the crime scene photos.

"Well, I think it's safe to assume our unsub is male," said Emily.

"I agree with you, given what we know about aggressive driving and road rage," said Hotch.

"And the fact that men have an unnatural bond with their cars," said Emily.

"That is true," said JJ.

"Wait a minute. I don't know about unnatural," said Morgan.

JJ looked at Morgan.

"I once dated a guy who washed his car more than he washed his hair," said JJ.

"A nice car needs love," said Rossi.

JJ and Emily both glared at Rossi.

"And a woman doesn't?" asked JJ.

"I'm not qualified to answer that," said Rossi.

Everyone laughed.

"I'm just saying, big car-it's phallic," said Emily.

"So he's compensating?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Or overcompensating," said Spencer.

"Impotent?" asked Morgan.

"Possibly. If the unsub sees himself as physically defective, the car not only gives him the power and control he otherwise lacks, but it also serves as a shield," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer and thought about how Spencer could be about physical contact.

"A way to avoid physical contact?" asked Hotch.

"Power and control, female victims- that almost reads like a rape profile," said Emily.

"Vehicular rape," said Rossi.

"Rape and thrill kill are two very different profiles," said Morgan.

"What does the victimology tell us?" asked Hotch

"Nothing yet. Shannon Makely was a white, married, 43-year-old commodities trader, Maria Delgado was a 23-year-old Hispanic grad student, competitive tri-athlete," said JJ.

"So far, gender's our only link. Hopefully, the crime scenes will tell us more," said Hotch before he gave assignments.

JJ looked at Spencer.

"Since you own a classic car, are you going to say that taking care of a car is more important than showing women love?" asked JJ.

"Not at all because my mom raised me to treat women with respect," said Spencer before looking at Morgan and Rossi, "If Maeve was on this jet and heard what you two said, I wouldn't have saved you two from her pregnancy hormones," said Spencer.

Hotch, Emily, and JJ laughed.

"Maeve's hormones getting worse?" asked JJ.

"She's starting the third trimester next week, and other than giving her massages to help ease the pain that carrying Gabriella's giving her, I'll really be spoiling Maeve on the 10th," said Spencer.

"Why May 10th?" asked Morgan.

"Its Mother's Day that day, and I already pre-ordered flowers and sent a card that's been signed by Maeve and me while including Josie's hand-print to Bennington that will be given to my mom on Mother's Day," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

"He may have specifically targeted these women," said Hotch.

"That takes thrill kill off the table," said Rossi.

"Because the murders were planned in advance?" asked Detective Quinn.

Spencer turned around from the geographical profile he was doing.

"Yeah. This type of stalking behavior indicates a personal motive. There's a reason he chose these victims," said Spencer.

"So you think he knows them?" asked Detective Quinn.

"Well, he knew their work schedules, jogging routes, drive patterns," said Hotch.

"That would explain how he knew where to strike," said Spencer.

"It explains the Delgado girl. She was on a run. But he couldn't have known Shannon Makely's car was gonna break down out there," said Detective Quinn.

Rossi looked at Detective Quinn.

"Did you look at her car?" asked Rossi.

"Guys at impound said the water pump blew. They said it's a common enough problem," said Detective Quinn.

"Maybe we should take a closer look," said Rossi.

"Why don't you head over there, let me know what you find out," said Hotch.

Rossi got up and walked away while Emily approached them.

"Shannon Makely's husband is here," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was looking through a file when Hotch came over.

"How's it going?" asked Hotch.

"Well, we're down to an older model, black, American made. Sounds like he debadged the truck so nobody could ID him," said Morgan.

"I can start a list from DMV matching what we've got," said Detective Quinn.

"A list like that's gonna kill a lot of trees," said Morgan.

"He's right. The truck's only gonna get us so far. What we need to do is build on the profile," said Hotch.

"Well, he's mechanically inclined. He certainly knows his way around an engine block," said Spencer.

"And he can pull a dent, too, if he's fixing the body damage to his truck," said Emily.

"Both victims were killed during prime office hours. It means he has a flexible work schedule," said Hotch.

"Or he might not be working at all. Stalking someone, getting to know their schedule, it's a pretty serious time commitment," said Spencer.

Detective Quinn nodded.

"8% of the state's out of work," said Detective Quinn.

"And job loss is a classic stressor," said Morgan.

"It's a start. Look for men who are employed as mechanics, body shops, And look for those with criminal records- Reckless driving and assault," said Hotch.

Detective Quinn nodded before he walked away.

"Two murders in two weeks? It's not much of a cooling-off period," said Emily.

"He's not gonna wait for another opportunity to present itself," said Hotch.

"Now he'll create one," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Detective Quinn looked at Spencer, Emily, and Rossi as they looked at the body of the latest victim in a parking garage.

"Impact nearly cut him in two. His name is Victor Costella, podiatrist. He works in the building," said Detective Quinn.

"Male victim," said Emily.

"So much for the vehicular rape theory," said Spencer.

"He ran down from the level above to try to get away," said Detective Quinn.

"Initial collision was up there?" asked Rossi as he pointed to the level above them.

Detective Quinn nodded.

"Let's see it," said Rossi.

A few minutes later Spencer was watching a CSI officer dust for prints on a red car as the wheels in his brain started to turn.

"This is the victim's car?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah. Why?" asked Detective Quinn.

Spencer pulled out his phone.

"Uh, excuse me for a second," said Spencer as he walked away while dialing Garcia, "Garcia, I need you to look into something," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer approached Emily, Rossi, Detective Quinn, and Officer Feder.

"Guys, I think I know what connects the victims," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was pointing at the pictures of the cars that the victims drove.

"All of the victims drove red 2-door Coupes," said Spencer.

"Don't you think that could be a coincidence?" asked Detective Quinn.

"It's statistically significant," said Spencer.

"We haven't been able to find any other common denominators," said JJ.

"If the unsub is targeting people because of their cars, then his initial contact with them would have been on the road," said Hotch.

"Exactly," said Spencer.

"I spoke to the families about the victims' daily car travel, how they got to work, the gym," said JJ.

Spencer looked at Detective Quinn.

"There's one road all the victims have in common," said Spencer.

Detective Quinn looked at the geographical profile.

"Route 7," said Detective Quinn grimly.

"That mean something to you?" asked Hotch.

"Maybe we should take a drive," said Detective Quinn.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"How about you come with so you can take some time to check on Maeve and Jocelyn," said Hotch.

"Maeve and Jocelyn?" asked Detective Quinn.

Spencer, Hotch, and Detective Quinn started to head to an SUV.

"Maeve's my wife who also just about to start the third trimester of her second pregnancy and Jocelyn is my nearly nine-month-old daughter," said Spencer as he showed the detective a picture of him with his wife and daughter.

"Your daughter looks just like you, and do you know what you and your wife are having for baby number two?" asked Detective Quinn.

"Another little girl," smiled Spencer.

"You must be excited about ending up with two little girls," said Detective Quinn.

"I am, and I'm hoping that Gabriella looks like her mother," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer had Maeve on the phone.

"Are you coming home?" asked Maeve.

"Not yet, but I have some time to check on you and Josie since the detective decided to take Hotch and me for a ride," said Spencer.

"Josie is sleeping in her playpen, so put your phone on speaker so I can say hi to Aaron," said Maeve.

"OK," said Spencer as he put his phone on speaker.

"Hi, Aaron," said Maeve.

"How are you feeling, Maeve?" asked Hotch.

"I'm at least glad that next week I will be starting the third trimester, but it doesn't help that Gabriella gets active when she hears Spencer's voice," said Maeve before she spoke again, "Daddy's on the phone, Josie," said Maeve.

Spencer's face broke into a huge grin when he heard Jocelyn babbling.

"Is my little Josie Posie saying hi to me?" asked Spencer.

"Hi, Dada," said Josie.

"I miss you Josie, and can you say hi to your uncle Aaron?" asked Spencer.

"Hi," said Josie.

Spencer noticed Hotch smiled a little bit.

"Hello, Jocelyn," said Hotch.

Jocelyn instantly started babbling causing Hotch to shake his head.

"Are you practicing on telling me facts and statistics like your daddy?" asked Hotch.

"Ya," said Jocelyn before whimpering.

"Jocelyn just signed to me that she needs a diaper change, so you guys stay safe," said Maeve.

"I love you girls," said Spencer.

"Love you too," said Maeve before hanging up.

A few seconds later Detective Quinn looked at Spencer.

"Your daughter's not even nine-months-old and she's already saying words like hi, Dada, food, and knows baby sign language?" asked Detective Quinn.

"I'm a genius who married a fellow genius, so my wife and I are curious about how our daughters and any other children we have will turn out," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer and Hotch looked over the ledge on the highway that Detective Quinn was showing them.

"Anyone living outside Bend who commutes toward Eugene uses Route 7. It's the most dangerous stretch of highway in the state. They call it "suicide 7"," said Detective Quinn.

Spencer noticed a few crosses.

"These crosses represent accidents?" asked Spencer.

"Fatalities. The fire chief put them up to remind drivers to be careful," said Detective Quinn.

Spencer looked at the road.

"Two lanes, no dividers. I'm assuming there's a lot of head-on collisions," said Spencer.

"Either that or they go off the side," said Detective Quinn.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid, you mentioned the possibility of a physical limitation, something that kept the unsub from attacking in the traditional way," said Hotch.

"Yeah, I was thinking about impotence, but we've ruled out sexual motivation," said Spencer.

"What if he'd been involved in a crash?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at the road.

"On this road. If the unsub is disabled, it explains why he uses a truck. It gives him power, mobility," said Spencer.

"But what?" asked Hotch.

"The idea that he's avenging his own physical suffering speaks to a victim mentality that's inconsistent with the profile," said Spencer.

"Maybe it's not just about his own suffering," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer stood near Hotch as they gave the profile.

"As we speak, this profile and a description of the unsub's truck are being released to state and national media," said Hotch.

"In addition to what we already know, we believe the unsub is ex-military, most likely army or marines," said Spencer.

"We also believe he's physically handicapped," said Emily.

"From combat?" asked Officer Feder.

"From an automobile accident," answered Hotch.

"An accident that may have occurred along Route 7, where the unsub finds his victims," said Emily.

"And that has something to do with why he's going after red Coupes?" asked Detective Quinn.

"We believe that he holds the driver of a comparable vehicle responsible for his accident," said Spencer.

"And this person is the object of his rage, but unable to confront them, He's taking revenge against a surrogate," said Hotch.

Emily pointed at a few boxes.

"These boxes contain accident reports from a strip of Route 7 between Bend and Eugene. There's about 5 years' worth. We're gonna need everyone you can spare to comb through them," said Emily.

Spencer pointed at a nearby whiteboard.

"We've also compiled a list of local rehabilitation facilities where the unsub may have gone to recover. Use the profile as you canvass these places," said Spencer.

"Remember, we're looking for a white male in his early 40s, former military…," said Hotch before he finished giving the profile.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer crossed out a list of a rehab facility as he got off the phone.

"How's Dave doing?" asked Hotch.

"A few more possibles," said Spencer as he torn the paper he was writing off of his notepad.

"I'll take them," said Detective Quinn as he took the piece of paper.

JJ walked over.

"Hotch. Just got a walk-in. His name's Gil Bonner," said JJ.

Hotch noticed a man in the doorway.

"What's his story?" asked Hotch.

"It's about the unsub's accident. He says it's his fault," said JJ.

A minute later Spencer, JJ, and Hotch were sitting in an office with Gil who was telling them his story.

"It was late, and I'd spent all day in Eugene with my mom. She'd been sick. I shouldn't have been driving. But I just wanted to get home to see my little girl. It was darker than usual. I remember the moon was just a sliver. Right outside the Cascades, my phone started vibrating. And when I went to reach for it, I knocked it off the far side of the seat, and it fell down by the door, and I thought I could reach," said Gil.

"And you took your eyes off the road?" asked JJ gently.

"If couldn't have been for more than a few seconds. But when I looked back up, there were lights and this horn was blaring. And I swerved at the last second, and then I just... kept on going... Without a scratch," said Gil.

"You'd gone into the oncoming lane?" asked Hotch.

Gill nodded.

"What happened to the other vehicle?" asked Spencer gently.

"Well, that's the thing. It was in rear-view mirror and then it was gone. It vanished," said Gil.

"Why didn't you stop?" asked Hotch.

"It didn't seem real," said Gil.

"You're saying you just pretended it didn't happen?" asked JJ.

"I guess if you tell yourself something for long enough... You can make anything true," said Gil.

"Well, you're here now. Tell us about the other vehicle," said Hotch.

"It was the truck you're looking for," answered Gil.

"How do you know that?" asked

"When I saw the news... It all made sense. It's come back for revenge," said Gil.

"When did the accident occur?" asked JJ.

"December '07. The second Saturday," answered Gil.

Spencer looked at the reports that were on his lap.

"There are no accidents reported in December of 2007," said Spencer.

"No. That's... No," said Gil.

"Maybe you have your dates wrong?" asked Hotch.

"It could have been November," said Gil.

"Uh, memories are kind of like puzzle pieces, and it's- It's quite possible that in suppressing these for so long, you've sort of rearranged things," said Spencer.

Gil took a few breaths.

"How long was your mother sick?" asked Hotch.

"5 months. She... She died in January. That much I know," said Gil before looking at Spencer, Hotch, and JJ, "Do any of you guys have kids?" asked Gil.

"I have a three-year-old son," said Hotch.

"I have a nearly six-month-old son," said JJ.

"I have a nearly nine-month-old daughter, and in about 12 weeks I'll be holding my second child which will be another little girl," said Spencer.

"Do you dote on your daughter?" asked Gil.

"I do since Jocelyn's been a daddy's girl since the first time I held her, but I don't know if Gabriella will either be a daddy's girl or a mama's girl," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer walked towards his teammates as he read out loud from a file.

"September 28, 2007, Ian and Sheila Oakley crashed while driving home from Napa Valley going eastbound on Route 7 around midnight. It appeared their car was run off the road, flipped numerous times, no witnesses," said Spencer as he gave the file to Hotch.

"His wife was riding in the passenger seat. She died at the scene," said Rossi.

"Coakley survived. Paramedics indicated spinal cord injury," said Hotch.

"Morgan said he fractured his t6 and t7 vertebrae," said Rossi.

"He's paraplegic," said Hotch.

"That's not all. He's a former light-wheel mechanic in the Army National Guard," said Spencer.

"Does it say anything about a red car?" asked Detective Quinn.

"No. It says Coakley suffered memory loss after the accident," said Hotch.

Spencer looked up from the file that he was reading.

"Short-term retrograde amnesia is common after a serious accident," said Spencer.

"I think it's safe to say he remembers now," said Rossi.

"Do we have an address?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah, Garcia's working on that now," said Spencer as he put his phone on speaker for Garcia.

"OK. The house Coakley and his wife bought was foreclosed on 10 months after his accident," said Garcia.

"Well, there's gotta be a paper trail, then," said Spencer.

"Yeah, and that trail leads to a land called nowhere. Cashed some insurance checks during a stay at Edelman House, but after he left, zilch," said Garcia.

"Any relatives he could be staying with?" asked Hotch.

"No. I tried that. There's no family in the area. My exquisitely educated guess is he's either squatting or subletting with cash," said Garcia.

"What about his truck?" asked Rossi.

"He owns a '79 dodge d100. He bought it used 10 years ago," said Garcia.

"He's had to rebuild it several times now. Parts can't be easy to find for a truck that old," said Rossi.

Garcia started typing.

"I smell what you're cooking, agent. Checking auto suppliers in Bend. Yeah, Rossi gets a fruit cup with lunch. He's having the parts drop-shipped through Syd's auto and sent directly to an address in Southwest Bend," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer sighed in relief when he saw Hotch and Detective Quinn enter the room before Hotch noticed Spencer staring at his bandaged forehead.

"I'm going to be OK, Reid," said Hotch.

Detective Quinn handed Spencer and JJ each a bag.

"When you two told me that you each have babies at home, I insisted on getting your babies each a gift as a way to thank you for your help," said Detective Quinn.

Spencer opened up the bag and shook his head when he saw two bibs that said OREGON.

"You didn't have to do this," said Spencer.

"My wife insisted on getting bibs since they last longer than onesies," said Detective Quinn.

"They will, so thank you," said Spencer.

"Thank you," said JJ.

Xxxxxxxx 

Seven hours later Spencer walked into Jocelyn's nursery and smiled as he watched Jocelyn asleep in her crib.

"Daddy missed you while I was away," said Spencer gently as he stroked Jocelyn's growing curls.

Jocelyn opened her eyes and smiled when she saw her daddy.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

"Daddy's home, Josie," said Spencer as he lifted his daughter out of her crib and felt her diaper, "Someone needs a diaper change," said Spencer as he spoke in a funny voice.

Jocelyn giggled at her daddy as her daddy started to change her diaper, and a minute later Spencer was sitting in the rocking chair that was in Jocelyn's nursery just as Maeve approached the open doorway.

"I missed you too," said Maeve as she walked towards her husband and kissed him.

"I missed all three of my girls," said Spencer as he rubbed Maeve's 28-week pregnant belly, "At least I made it back in time for your doctor appointment on Monday," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next day Dr. Marks looked at Spencer and Maeve as she finished Maeve's 28th-week exam.

"So how has the past month been for you guys?" asked Dr. Marks.

"Three weeks ago I found out that I have a 14-old half-sister that my father never told me about," said Spencer as he ended up showing Dr. Marks a picture of him, Maeve, Stephanie, and Jocelyn.

Dr. Marks smiled as she saw the smiling nine-month-old baby girl on her aunt's lap.

"Seems like Jocelyn adores her aunt," said Dr. Marks.

"She does, and luckily Josie and Gabriella will get to spend the next four years getting to know their aunt since Stephanie will be moving in with us before Gabriella's due date," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Dr. Marks.

"Stephanie hasn't seen my father since she was four since her mother was furious at my father for leaving me the way he did, and her mother is dying from an inoperable brain tumor. So my ex-stepmother is granting us custody Stephanie," said Spencer.

"When is Stephanie moving in?" asked Dr. Marks.

"She'll be moving in before Gabriella's due date, so we're busy turning the guest bedroom into a bedroom for Stephanie while turning the basement into a guest bedroom," said Spencer.

Dr. Marks looked at Maeve.

"I hope you're taking it easy when it comes to preparing for your sister-in-law to move in with you guys," said Dr. Marks.

"I've been forbidden to help out with the process of painting Stephanie's bedroom, but I've been washing and hanging the clothing that Stephanie has already shipped to us," said Maeve.

Dr. Marks looked at the clock before looking at Maeve.

"Since you're now in the third trimester, I'll be seeing you biweekly until you reach 36-weeks pregnant where I'll be seeing you on a weekly basis," said Dr. Marks.

"Yes, ma'am," said Maeve.

Dr. Marks looked at Spencer.

"Hopefully I'll see you at your wife's bi-weekly appointments," said Dr. Marks.

"Me too," said Spencer as he didn't even realize that the next one of his upcoming cases would cause him to be off of work until a month after Gabriella's born.


	38. Amplification

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts on May 8th of 2009, and I decided that Stephanie and Tanya should come down to DC for Mother's Day weekend.

Spencer was hurrying up on packing up his desk when Morgan looked at him.

"Hurrying to get home to Maeve and Jocelyn?" asked Morgan.

"Stephanie and Tanya are currently on a plane to DC since they wanted to spend Mother's Day weekend with Maeve, Josie, and me. So I have to head to the airport to pick up Tanya and Stephanie," said Spencer.

Morgan and Emily exchanged sad smiles as they thought about Spencer's half-sister.

"Even though this is Stephanie's last Mother's Day with her mom they want to spend Mother's Day with you?" asked Emily.

Spencer smiled sadly at his teammates.

"Tanya was my step-mother, and the interactions I had with her the past few weeks, I realized that I wouldn't have minded having her as my step-mom if dad didn't leave me the way he did," said Spencer.

"Your dad should have committed your mother while gaining custody of you," said Morgan.

"I know, but I'm making sure to get to know the woman who was my step-mom while I get to know my sister," said Spencer as he slung his messenger bag around his shoulders, "Have a nice weekend, and I'll see you guys on Monday," said Spencer as he hurried towards the elevator.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer smiled as Tanya and Stephanie approached him.

"Did you guys have a nice flight?" asked Spencer.

"I spent the flight working on my essay that's due next Friday," said Stephanie.

"Good," said Spencer before taking Tanya's and Stephanie's bags, "When do you guys have to catch your flight back to Portland?" asked Spencer.

"Our flight is at 9 AM on Sunday morning since Stephanie still has school on Monday," said Tanya.

"At least we'll be able to have breakfast on Sunday morning before I bring you guys here," said Spencer as his personal phone vibrated causing him to see a text from Maeve.

DINNER WILL BE DONE IN 30 MINUTES. ~ MR

"Dinner will be done in 30 minutes," said Spencer.

"Can I please play with my niece after dinner?" asked Stephanie.

"You can play with your niece all you want until Josie goes to bed," said Spencer.

"Good," said Stephanie.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour and a half later Spencer was doing dishes while Maeve and Tanya sat at the kitchen island drinking tea as they watched Stephanie push a giggling Jocelyn on her baby swing outside.

"How are you feeling, Tanya?" asked Maeve.

Tanya smiled sadly at Spencer and Maeve.

"I have good days and bad days when it comes to the headaches I'm experiencing, and Stephanie and I have been going to counseling together," said Tanya.

Spencer turned around from the sink.

"At least you two are making sure to spend as much time as possible with your daughter since I make sure to spend as much time as possible with my family before I get a phone call about my next case," said Spencer.

Tanya looked at Spencer.

"Do you know if you're going to be taking a few weeks off of work when its time for Stephanie to move in with you?" asked Tanya.

"I'll be taking two weeks off to help Stephanie settle in," said Spencer before Stephanie came into the house with a crying Jocelyn, "Jocelyn's crying and I checked her diaper and its clean," said Stephanie.

"That's her "I'm hungry" cry, so do you want to feed your niece some pureed peas?" asked Maeve.

"Sure," said Stephanie.

A minute later Stephanie was feeding her niece as she looked at her brother.

"So what plans do we have for tomorrow?" asked Stephanie.

"My parents will be coming over for dinner tomorrow, and they're excited to meet you, Stephanie," smiled Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer looked at Jocelyn as he held her outside of his and Maeve's bedroom.

"As soon as we go in there, wake up Mama," said Spencer.

Jocelyn smiled at her daddy.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

A minute later Spencer placed Jocelyn onto his and Maeve's bed and a few seconds later Jocelyn quickly crawled to her mommy.

"Mama. Mama. Mama. Mama," chanted Jocelyn.

A few seconds later Maeve woke up to see her soon to be oldest daughter face to face with her.

"Well this is a lovely wake up call, Josie," said Maeve.

"Check out her onesie," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Maeve started to tear up at her daughter's onesie that said HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOMMY AND GRANDMA!

"Stupid hormones," muttered Maeve before she groaned when she felt Gabriella kick causing her to rub her 29-week pregnant belly, "I take it that you're wishing me a Happy Mother's Day, Gabby," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer, Maeve, Stephanie, Tanya, Joe, Mary, and Jocelyn who was in her high chair all sat around the dining room table to eat the breakfast that Spencer, Joe, and Stephanie cooked together while Stephanie insisted on feeding her niece the scrambled eggs that were made for her.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Spencer's cell phone vibrated causing the young man to groan when he read a text from JJ.

WE HAVE A CASE SO PLEASE REPORT TO THE BAU ASAP, BUT DON'T BRING A GO BAG. ~ JJ

Maeve looked at her husband and saw the sadness in his eyes as she rested her hands on her 29-week pregnant belly.

"Everything OK, Spence?" asked Maeve.

"As much as I was hoping about getting to stay home on Mother's Day, but I just got a text from JJ stating that I have a case and I'm not supposed to take a go bag," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"Its OK since I know that you'll only be called in on weekends if there are no other teams available," said Maeve.

Spencer gave Maeve a quick kiss.

"I'll try to call you as soon as I can," said Spencer before smiling sadly at Tanya and Stephanie, "I'm sorry that I won't be seeing you two off to the airport in two hours," said Spencer.

"Its OK, Spencer," said Stephanie as she hugged her older brother.

"I'll call you as soon as this case is over," said Spencer.

"Pinky swear?" asked Stephanie as she held out her pinky.

"Pinky swear," said Spencer as he locked his pinky with Stephanie.

A few seconds later Spencer looked at his nine-month-old daughter.

"Daddy loves you, Josie," said Spencer as he gave his daughter a kiss.

"Dada," smiled Jocelyn.

A minute later Spencer was getting his revolver out of his gun safe before heading to his car.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer exited the elevator with Morgan and Emily.

"Case must be local. JJ said not to bring a go bag," said Spencer just as he, Morgan, and Emily ended up seeing men and women wearing fatigues taking over their bullpen.

"What's the army doing here?" asked Morgan.

Emily stepped further into the bullpen with Spencer and Morgan.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Emily.

A minute later Spencer entered the conference room with Morgan and Emily to see an Asian woman at the table getting some pills ready.

"Guys, this is Dr. Linda Kimura, chief of special pathogens with the CDC," said JJ.

"Hello," said Emily.

"Hello. I'm sorry to meet under these circumstances," said Dr. Kimura.

A confused Spencer looked at Dr. Kimura.

"What circumstances?" asked Spencer.

Hotch looked at his team.

"We need to get started," said Hotch.

Spencer grabbed the file that was in front of him.

"Last night, 25 people checked into emergency rooms in and around Annapolis. They were all at the same park after 2 PM yesterday. Within 10 hours, the first victim died. It's now just past 7 AM. The next day, we have 12 dead," said JJ.

Morgan looked at the information that was in his file.

"Lung failure and black lesions. Anthrax?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked at his file.

"Anthrax doesn't kill this fast," said Spencer.

"This strain does," said Dr. Kimura.

"What are we doing about potential mass targets- Airports, malls, trains?" asked Emily.

"There's a media blackout," answered Hotch.

"We're not telling the public?" asked a shocked Emily.

Morgan looked at Emily.

"We'd have a mass exodus," said Morgan.

"The psychology of group panic would cause more deaths than this last attack," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Emily while thinking about wanting to get Maeve, Jocelyn, his in-laws, Stephanie, and Tanya far away from the DC area as possible while the scientist in him knew why they couldn't tell anyone.

"Yeah, and if it does get out, whoever did this might go underground or destroy their samples," said Spencer.

"Or if they wanted attention and didn't get it, they might attack again. Doesn't the public have the right to know that?" asked Emily.

"If there is another attack, there's no way we'll be able to keep it quiet. Our best chance of protecting the public is by building a profile as quickly as we can," said Hotch sternly.

Spencer looked at Dr. Kimura.

"What do we know about this strain?" asked Spencer.

"The spores are weaponized, reduced to a respiral ideal that attacks deep in the lungs. Odorless and invisible," said Dr. Kimura.

"A sophisticated strain. Only a scientist would know how to do that," said Rossi.

Morgan looked at a picture of the lesions.

"These lesions are doubling in size in a matter of hours," said Morgan.

"It's not the lesions I'm worried about. It's the lungs. We don't know how to combat the toxins once they're inside. And the reality is, we may lose them all," said Dr. Kimura.

"The remaining survivors have been moved to a special wing at Walter Reed hospital. Our offices will become a small command center," said JJ.

"We'll be working with military scientists from Fort Detrick," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at Hotch.

"General Whitworth is coming here?" asked Rossi.

"He's in charge of site containment and spore analysis. Determining what strain this is will help inform who's responsible," said Hotch.

"My team is in charge of treating all victims," said Dr. Kimura.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid, go with Dr. Kimura to the hospital. Interview the victims. Morgan and Prentiss, there's a hazmat team that will accompany you to the crime scene. There's Cipro. everybody needs to take it before we go," said Hotch.

Dr. Kimura picked up the tray that she prepared, and a few seconds later Spencer was grabbing a small cup that contained Cipro.

"We don't know if it's effective against this strain, but it's something," said Dr. Kimura.

"This is really happening?" asked Emily.

Hotch looked at his teammates and thought about how they ended up having to sign up for the possible sacrifices they would have to make when they chose the FBI.

"We knew this could happen. We've done our homework. We've prepared for this. This is it," said Hotch as he put Cipro into his mouth.

Rossi held up his small cup as a toast.

"Jin dan. May you live 100 years," toasted Rossi.

A few seconds later everyone was swallowing their Cipro with the help of water before Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Even though I hate lying to my wife, I promised Maeve that I would let her know why I was called in. Since I can't tell her the truth, should I tell Maeve that I'm going undercover and that I can't answer any phone calls or text messages to prevent my cover from being blown?" asked Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"That reason will work, and with the urgency, you should text Maeve instead of calling her," said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer was sending Maeve a text message.

MY TEAMMATES AND I ARE ALL GOING UNDERCOVER SO I WILL BE UNREACHABLE UNTIL THE CASE IS OVER. I LOVE YOU, JOCELYN, AND GABRIELLA. ~ SR

A minute later Maeve replied.

THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW. PLEASE STAY SAFE AND JOCELYN, GABRIELLA, AND I ALL LOVE YOU. ~ MR

Xxxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer quickly headed to JJ's office.

"Do you have those files I've been looking for?" asked Spencer.

JJ ignored Spencer's question as she pointed at her computer.

"Did you see this memo from the director? Office phones and emails are being monitored," said JJ.

Spencer took a quick glance at JJ's computer and read the message.

"Yeah, they're trying to protect the media blackout," said Spencer before becoming serious, "Files?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, yeah, right here," said JJ as she pointed at the stack of files on her desk.

"Thanks. I want to see what kind of medical treatment the victims received before I head to the hospital," said Spencer as he paged through the files.

"Why do you think the suspect in 2001 stopped sending the letters?" asked JJ.

"I have no idea, but if he hadn't, it would have been much worse," said Spencer.

"The worst part was not knowing when it was gonna be over. Feeling safe opening mail again," said JJ as she rubbed her forehead.

"Five people died. Many more exposed and sickened, including a baby who was admitted to the hospital after lesions appeared on his skin," said Spencer as he ended up thinking about Jocelyn and his unborn daughter.

JJ instantly became alert about the baby as she thought about Henry and Jocelyn.

"How did he contract it?" asked JJ.

"I have no idea. must have come into close contact with a tainted letter or crossed paths with the unsub himself," said Spencer.

JJ looked at Spencer and realized how good he was at not thinking about his family.

"How old was the baby?" asked JJ.

"7-months," answered Spencer.

"Did he survive?" asked JJ.

Spencer looked at JJ.

"I gotta run. Kimura's waiting. I'll call you from the hospital," said Spencer as he hurried to the door.

"Spence," called JJ.

Spencer quickly stopped and looked at JJ.

"Did the baby survive?" asked JJ.

Spencer inwardly beat himself up as he realized that JJ was thinking about Henry.

"Yeah, but, I mean, that was a curable strain. This thing's entirely different," said Spencer before looking at JJ, "I know that your thinking about Henry. I'm also thinking about Jocelyn and my unborn daughter," said Spencer before hurrying away.

Xxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Dr. Kimura was driving to Walter Reed Hospital when she looked at Spencer who was reading the files he collected.

"Do you have any children with your wife?" asked Dr. Kimura.

Spencer stopped reading a file and looked at Dr. Kimura.

"I have a nine-month-old baby girl named Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid, and my wife's 29-weeks pregnant with my second child," said Spencer.

"Beautiful name, and do you know what your wife's having?" asked Dr. Kimura.

"Another little girl who will be named Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid," smiled Spencer.

Dr. Kimura thought about the current date.

"I'm sorry that I had to call you and your teammates in on today of all days," said Dr. Kimura.

"Its OK since my wife, in-laws, and my sister understood that I would only get called in if there were no other teams available," said Spencer before smiling a little bit, "If Maeve knew what was going on right now, she would be asking questions about this strain of anthrax while wanting to study this strain of anthrax with her microscope," said Spencer.

"Is your wife a doctor?" asked Dr. Kimura.

"Maeve's a geneticist at Mendel University, and my mother-in-law Dr. Mary Donovan is also a geneticist," said Spencer.

Dr. Kimura smiled a bit.

"I met them before, and I have to say that they're brilliant women," said Dr. Kimura.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer walked into a hospital room with Dr. Kimura.

"Hi, Abby. You feeling any better?" asked Dr. Kimura gently.

Abby nodded a little bit.

"OK. This is Agent Reid from the FBI. If you can, will you talk with him?" asked Dr. Kimura gently.

Abby nodded.

"Abby, I'd like to try to do a memory recall exercise with you to take you back to the park, if that's OK," said Spencer as he used the voice he uses for Jocelyn, Jack, and Henry before Abby nodded at him, "I need you to close your eyes," said Spencer.

Abby closed her eyes while Spencer recalled what Abby was doing at the park.

"Yesterday afternoon, you rode your bicycle to the park. How did the sun feel on your skin, the breeze through your hair? Can you describe for me what you heard and the people that you saw?" asked Spencer gently.

"It was warm, windy. There were guys...football. Kids... I see free... Me seen fee me. Free knee. S...sin knee," said Abby as she looked at Spencer and Dr. Kimura with scared eyes.

Dr. Kimura decided to stop the interview.

"All right, Abby. That's OK. You just rest now, OK?" asked Dr. Kimura.

Abby started to freak out a bit.

"Me mock fee key me free," said Abby.

"Shh, shh, shh. You just rest. OK? Thank you," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer looked at Abby with sad eyes before he left Abby's hospital room with Dr. Kimura.

"What's causing her aphasia?" asked Spencer.

"The poison is infecting the parietal lobe, Impairing her speech. Some of the other patients displayed the same symptoms shortly before they died," said Dr. Kimura.

"None of the drug combinations are working?" asked Spencer.

"The only thing that's helping them right now is the morphine," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer inwardly shuddered at the mention of a narcotic before he followed Dr. Kimura.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood outside of a hospital room with a sad look on his face as he watched an upset Dr. Kimura deal with a patient that flat-lined before nurses covered up the patient before Dr. Kimura looked at him.

"38-year-old high school history teacher. Leaves two kids behind," said Dr. Kimura sadly.

Spencer looked at Dr. Kimura.

"17 out of 25 dead," said Spencer.

Dr. Kimura walked to a desk and grabbed a pen.

"This strain is duplicating every 30 to 45 minutes. It's poisoning the lungs, causing massive hemorrhaging and organ failure," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer squinted a bit as the wheels in his brain started to turn as he started thinking as a scientist instead of a federal agent.

"Extreme bacterial amplification. Whoever created this had to at some point go to the trouble of testing it," said Spencer.

Dr. Kimura looked at Spencer.

"What do you mean?" asked Dr. Kimura.

"Think about the way scientists work their way up to human testing. They start with rodents, then advance to larger mammals, and then at some point, they do a very small trial run with people. There's no way this was his first human test run,' said Spencer.

Dr. Kimura looked at Spencer.

"We would have heard about a previous anthrax attack," said Dr. Kimura.

"Not if it presented itself as something else," said Spencer.

"I'll make some calls," said Dr. Kimura.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer's cell phone rang causing Spencer to see that it was the conference room's landline.

"Hello?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, Reid, you have me, Rossi, and Hotch," said JJ.

"Kimura made some calls. It turns out that two days ago, two people in two separate Baltimore ERs and one person in a Philadelphia ER. Slipped into comas and died suddenly. Now, the COD on all of them was meningitis. Doctors didn't test for anthrax because the illnesses presented themselves as meningitis, but I think it can be caused by anthrax," said Spencer.

"Did they show symptoms that we're seeing now- the lesions?" asked Rossi.

"They wouldn't have if the bodily functions expired as quickly as they did," answered Spencer.

"How quickly?" asked Hotch.

"All dead within three hours of being admitted," said Spencer.

Spencer heard JJ sigh.

"But the first patient died yesterday at 10 hours," said Hotch.

Spencer switched into his scientist mode.

"Here's the thing- if they inhaled a higher concentration of the strain, it would cause a quicker death. Organ failure without exterior physical symptoms," said Spencer.

"What are their names?" asked Hotch.

Spencer gave the names that Dr. Kimura gave him before he hung up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer walked with Dr. Kimura as nurses pushed a gurney that contained another victim that died.

"It feels like the plagues of Egypt," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer thought back to the times that his parents taught him about the Bible.

"10 scourges created by God. Plague six was unhealable boils believed by biblical scholars to be caused by anthrax," said Spencer as they stopped outside of Abby's hospital room.

"Never missed Sunday school, did you?" asked Dr. Kimura.

Spencer looked at Dr. Kimura.

"Actually, never been before," said Spencer before he looked at Abby who was sleeping.

"How is she doing?" asked Spencer.

"She's a fighter. She's held on this long because she's young and strong. But she's started to bleed into her lungs," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer sighed sadly as he thought about the remaining victims.

"One of four left," said Spencer.

"We're running into another problem. When the next of kin have questions, what do we tell them about the cause of death?" asked Dr. Kimura.

Spencer opened his mouth a bit as he looked at Dr. Kimura.

"There's no way we can tell their family members without creating a wide panic," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer stood outside of Dr. Nichol's house with Morgan just as Morgan spoke to the technician.

"All right, keep me posted," said Morgan before looking at Spencer, "This guy just had people over for a charity event last month," said Morgan.

"We should probably take a look around anyway," said Spencer.

Both men started walking just as Spencer had a clumsy moment causing his hand to brush against a thorn on one of the rose bushes.

"Ow," said Spencer as he shook his hand.

A minute later Morgan's cell phone rang causing the older man to stop walking to answer a call from Emily while Spencer continued to walk into the lab. 30 seconds later Spencer ended up freezing at the sight of Dr. Nichol's dead body and a broken vial of anthrax powder on the floor while the air conditioner ran full blast causing him to freak out a bit at the thought of Maeve becoming a widow and never getting to see Jocelyn grow up or witness Gabriella's birth just as he heard Morgan's voice and Morgan running towards the lab.

"Reid!" shouted Morgan.

Spencer quickly ran to the door and started to close it.

"Morgan, get-get back! Get back! Get out of here!" shouted Spencer as he locked the door.

"What are you doing? What's wrong?" asked Morgan.

Spencer continued to lock the door.

"No, don't! What's wrong?" asked Morgan.

"Believe me, get back," said Spencer as he moved his hair away from his eyes.

"Reid, open the door!" shouted Morgan.

"I'm sorry," said Spencer.

Morgan stopped looking at Spencer only to see a broken vial of anthrax, the air conditioner running full blast, and Dr. Nichol's dead body.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was looking around the lab as he told Morgan about his suspicions about Dr. Nichol's cause of death and how long he could be dead for before he noticed that Hotch arrived with General Withworth causing him to call Hotch as he stood by the door.

"Reid," said Hotch as he looked at Spencer who was putting on a brave face.

Spencer thought about one of the last times he messed up on the job.

"Hotch, I really messed up this time," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid, we need to get you out and to the hospital," said Hotch.

Spencer thought about everything he had seen in the lab as he thought about needing to save the last for remaining victims and himself.

"No. I'm staying right here," said Spencer firmly.

"No, you're not, Reid," said Morgan.

"I'm already exposed. it's not gonna do me any good to stop working the case," said Spencer firmly as he started to look around the lab more.

General Withworth looked at Hotch as he thought about Hotch telling him about Spencer on the way to the lab.

"He's already infected. Now, if Nichols created the strain, he may have also created the cure," said General Withworth.

Spencer inwardly sighed in relief as he realized that General Withworth was siding with him as he continued to look around the lab as he knew that he needed to find a cure so he could get treated and go home to his girls and have his sister move in with him within in the next few months.

"My best chance is to stay here, see if there's a cure, try to figure out who killed Dr. Nichols," said Spencer firmly.

"Come on, Hotch, say something to him," pleaded Morgan.

Spencer waited to hear what Hotch was going to say.

"He's right. His best chance is inside. We're gonna get a suit and mask into you right away," said Hotch.

"Don't bother. it's not gonna do me any good. I'm already infected," said Spencer as he grabbed a clipboard.

A few minutes later Spencer was looking around the lab when Hotch spoke up.

"Reid, what do you see in there?" asked Hotch.

"I see cages filled with dead animals. I see signs of a struggle, probably before Dr. Nichols was murdered. Equipment's missing. There's a large desk. Clutter all over the surface," said Spencer before running to a smaller desk, "But in the corner, there's a smaller desk. It's organized, functional," said Spencer.

"Two different work spaces?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked at the handwriting.

"Two sets of handwriting. I'm looking at instructions on how to boil lab-grade broth, sterilize lab equipment, and transfer spores," said Spencer.

General Withworth who was listening in looked at Hotch and Morgan.

"Nichols would know all that," said General Withworth.

"He has a partner, maybe even a protege. Go back to the BAU, try to figure out who this partner is," said Spencer.

"Hotch, why don't you go? I'll stay with Reid," said Morgan.

"Funnel all the information you get to me," said Hotch before hanging up.

A minute later Spencer ended up thinking about his mom, Maeve, Jocelyn, his unborn daughter, and Stephanie causing him to decide that he needed to make a message to them as he decided to call Garcia.

"Hey, Reid," said Garcia sadly.

"Gee, wow, no, uh... No witty Garcia greeting for me?" asked Spencer.

Garcia sighed as she realized how Spencer was trying to stay calm.

"I can't be my sparkly self when you are where you are," said Garcia.

Spencer's heart broke at the sound of Garcia's voice.

"Garcia, do you think you can do something for me?" asked Spencer.

"Anything," answered Garcia.

"I, uh... I know I can't call my mom or Maeve without, uh," said Spencer as he cleared his throat, "Without alerting everyone at her hospital or possibly cause something to happen to Maeve or the baby if Maeve learns that I could possibly die," said Spencer.

Garcia's heart broke.

"What do you need?" asked Garcia.

"I, uh... I need you to record a few messages in case anything happens to me," said Spencer

"Oh, nothing's going to happen to you. You're gonna...brilliantly find out who did this and we're gonna treat this strain," said Garcia.

"I hope you're right, but if you're not, I just- I really want to make sure that they hear my voice since Jocelyn is too young to remember my voice while I want Gabriella to know my voice as soon as she's old enough," said Spencer.

"Ok. just, uh, give me a second," said Garcia as she did some typing, "Are you ready?" asked Garcia.

"Ready. Hi, mom. this is Spencer. I just, um... I just...really want you to know that I love you and," choked Spencer as he cleared his throat, "I need you to know that I spend every day of my life proud to be your son," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Garcia realized that Spencer was finished with his message for his mom before thinking about Maeve.

"Do you want to do a message for Maeve right now?" asked Garcia.

"Yes," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer took a deep breath.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't keep my promise to stay safe and come home to you, Maeve. When I first looked into your eyes at that coffee shop, I instantly knew that you were going to be my wife and the mother of our daughters," choked Spencer, "I know that you would have trouble moving on from my death, but you have my permission to find Josie and Gabriella a father who will be there for them. Hopefully, I'll see you someday when it's your time, and please remember that I will always love you," said Spencer as he wiped a tear.

After staying silent for a few seconds Garcia spoke up.

"Do you want to do a message for your daughters now?" asked Garcia.

"Yes," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer took a deep breath as he allowed a tear to fall down his face.

"Josie and Gabby, this is your daddy. If you girls are playing this, I not here since your mommy told you girls that I died as a hero protecting our country," choked Spencer as he allowed a tear to fall from his face, "Josie, I enjoyed being your daddy since your birth nine months and seven days ago and I'm sorry that I didn't get to guide you into becoming a wonderful young woman like your mother. Gabriella, I'm sorry that I never got to meet you and watch you grow up with your big sister. Just remember that no matter where I am, I love you girls while I've been proud to be part of bringing you into this world with your mother," said Spencer.

Garcia realized that Spencer was finished.

"Now a message for Stephanie?" asked Garcia.

"Yes," said Spencer before he took a breath when Garcia gave him her cue, "Hi Stephanie. This is Spencer. I enjoyed getting to know you the past few weeks, and I'm sorry that we didn't get to live under the same roof together. Knowing Maeve and my team, they would make sure that you don't live with my father since Maeve and my team would want to take care of you and help you figure out what to do with your life. I love you," said Spencer before becoming silent.

"Reid?" asked Garcia.

Spencer instantly heard Dr. Kimura's voice as he realized that she was coming to help him.

"Prep the victim for transfer," said Dr. Kimura.

"I gotta go," said Spencer before hanging up.

A few seconds later Spencer looked at Dr. Kimura who was wearing a hazmat suit.

"Dr. Reid," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer looked at Dr. Kimura and decided that he needed to bring some humor in after the emotional messages that he just recorded.

"You look nice," said Spencer.

Dr. Kimura laughed.

I haven't been in this outfit for a while," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer thought about Abby and the other victims that were still alive as he realized that he was feeling sick.

"How are-how are the patients doing?" asked Spencer.

"Let's worry about you," said Dr. Kimura.

"I actually-I feel fine," lied Spencer.

"OK, if you feel any pain, I could give you something," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer thought about his sobriety.

"No, I-I'd rather not take any pain medication," said Spencer.

"We can at least make you feel more comfortable," said Dr. Kimura.

"I am comfortable and I don't want to take any narcotics," snapped Spencer.

Dr. Kimura looked at Spencer.

"OK. Tell me how I can help," said Dr. Kimura.

"I think the cure for this strain is in here somewhere," said Spencer.

Dr. Kimura pointed at one of the tables and shelves.

"Well, shall I start here?" asked Dr. Kimura.

Spencer thought about Dr. Nichols as he decided to move around a bit.

"Dr. Nichols is a former military scientist, which means he's most likely secretive and most likely a little paranoid. He would have protected the cure and probably would have hidden it from his partners. So look for something innocuous, something you would not suspect," said Spencer.

"All right," said Dr. Kimura just as Spencer's cell phone rang.

Spencer started to cough before he answered his phone.

"Hello," choked Spencer.

"How's it going in there, kid?" asked Morgan.

"I've seen better days," said Spencer truthfully.

"Well, you got me and Garcia," said Morgan.

"Hey, Reid," said Garcia sadly.

Spencer started to cough as he felt pain in his lungs.

"Reid, stick with me. Listen, Prentiss and Rossi don't think the partner was a coworker. Can you tell us anything else about him?" asked Morgan.

"I...I've already been through everything," said Spencer.

"Come on, now, kid, I know you're not thinking straight, but the Reid I know wouldn't stop looking," said Morgan.

Spencer inwardly smiled at Morgan's pep talk to get him going.

"All right, all right," said Spencer as he hurried to a desk and saw a photo, "I see a, uh, a framed photograph of Dr. Nichols teaching," said Spencer before grabbing a binder and opened it, "I see a... I see a binder with syllabi. Course assignments going all the way back to the 1970s," said Spencer as he looked through the binder.

"All right. so he kept a scrapbook of himself as a professor. That tells us that he values himself as an educator," said Morgan.

The wheels in Spencer's brain started turning.

"A teacher," said Spencer as he started to run to the other desk, "I saw something earlier. I didn't- I didn't make a connection to it or to the partner, but he has a study on anthrax. He has an annotated bibliography, table of contents. It's formatted like a thesis and has writing in the margins in red ink, like the way a teacher grades a paper. Now, Nichols wouldn't have let just anyone in here, but he may have opened his lab for educational purposes, as a teacher," said Spencer as he continued to go through the information as he felt sweat trickle down his face.

"So the partner must have appealed to him as a student. Nichols is helping him with his thesis," said Morgan.

"I-I can look up local Ph.D. students," said Garcia.

"Yeah, check the sciences. Biochemistry, microbiology," said Morgan.

Garcia started typing.

"Uh... Cross-checking with names of former employees or customers with grievances at the bookstore," said Garcia as her computers beeped, "Nothing, my doves," said Garcia.

Spencer coughed a bit before focusing on the thesis in front of him.

"Listen to this. "this country is woefully unprepared. Every household should have a 2-month supply of Cipro. Hospitals are in need of bio-safety level four decon wings," read Spencer.

"That's verbatim to what we heard from Nichols. The partner's adopted Nichols' views as his own," said Morgan.

Spencer turned the page.

"The chapters are on setting up triage and mobile emergency rooms. I don't think this paper was written by a science student. It's about city preparedness and response," said Spencer.

"So, Garcia, check with students in the social studies- public policy, urban planning," said Morgan.

Spencer heard typing.

"Hot to trot. There's a Chad Brown, School of public policy at U of M. Matches a Chad Brown, a former employee at the Book Front," said Garcia.

"That's gotta be him," said Morgan.

"Totally. He's been in the doctoral program on and off for five years. Nix on a steady job. Was slapped with a restraining order from his former girlfriend and has been arrested and released twice at protest rallies in DC. I'll tell Hotch," said Garcia before hanging up.

"Kid, you did real good. Now get the hell out of there," said Morgan.

"Bye," said Spencer before hanging up as he coughed.

A few seconds later Dr. Kimura approached him as she held up an inhaler.

"Dr. Reid. You said the cure would be hidden somewhere we wouldn't suspect. What about Nichols's inhaler?" asked Dr. Kimura.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"This could be it," said Spencer before coughing.

Dr. Kimura looked at Spencer.

"Let's get you out of here and cleaned up so we can get you to the hospital so you can receive the cure and go home to your family," said Dr. Kimura.

A few minutes later a coughing Spencer was standing in a tent getting hosed down in his street clothes as Morgan stood outside the glass as he spoke on the phone.

"OK," said Morgan as he listened to someone as he heard Spencer coughing, "Yeah, they're hosing him down now. All right," said Morgan before hanging up and looked at Spencer, "They're checking out Brown's house," said Morgan.

Spencer felt his clothing start to weigh him down more as a technician continued to hose him down.

"Go help Hotch," sniffed Spencer.

Morgan sighed.

"Hotch has plenty of people helping him," argued Morgan.

"He needs you more than I do," said Spencer.

"Reid, I'm gonna see you off to the hospital," said Morgan.

Spencer figured out a way to scare Morgan off.

"I'm about to get naked so they can scrub me down. Is that something you really want to see?" asked Spencer.

Morgan realized that he didn't want to see something that Maeve would want to see.

"I'll check on you later," said Morgan before looking at Dr. Kimura, "Take good care of him, please," said Morgan before walking away.

Dr. Kimura handed a bagged inhaler to one of her technicians.

"Get this to the lab," said Dr. Kimura before looking at Spencer, "I hope you're right about this," said Dr. Kimura.

As soon as the hose was taken off of him, Spencer reached for his tie so he could undress.

"So do I," said Spencer as he started to untie his tie.

Dr. Kimura instantly noticed a cut and a lesion on Spencer's hand.

"Dr. Reid, did you cut yourself?" asked Dr. Kimura.

Spencer looked at his hand while flashing back to when he cut himself when his hand brushed against a thorn on a rose bush before he became scared at the thought of never going home to Maeve and Jocelyn and witness Gabriella's birth.

Xxxxxxxx 

A coughing Spencer was dressed in scrubs as he was being transported to the hospital, and as he tried to stay awake, he felt a stethoscope pressed against his chest.

"How are you feeling, Dr. Reid?" asked Dr. Kimura.

"My throat's a little dry. But other than that, I feel... Flee... Feel fin. I feel-I fleel fin. I," said Spencer as he started to freak out.

Dr. Kimura realized that Spencer developed aphasia much faster.

"Dr. Reid, OK," said Dr. Kimura before looking at the driver, "Driver, faster," ordered Dr. Kimura.

"Maeve," coughed Spencer as blood came out of his mouth before he blacked out.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer woke up to find a blurry Morgan reading a magazine as he ate some Jell-O.

"Are you eating Jell-o?" croaked Spencer.

Morgan chuckled as he thought about one of Spencer's favorite foods.

"Hmm. Hey, kid," said Morgan before he looked at Dr. Kimura, "Hey, doc. Look who's back," said Morgan.

Dr. Kimura smiled when she saw Spencer awake.

"Is there any more Jell-O?" asked Spencer as he tried to sit up.

"Hey. Not so fast," scolded Dr. Kimura gently.

"What happened?" asked Spencer.

Morgan stood up.

"You're gonna be all right, kid. And we got Brown. It's over," said Morgan.

Spencer thought about the teenage girl that made him think constantly of his daughters and Stephanie.

"How's Abby?" asked Spencer.

"She's on the mend. So are the three others. You were right about where to look for his cure," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer sighed in relief about there being no other deaths.

"Why was Dr. Nichols making anthrax in the first place?" asked Spencer.

"He was a brain scientist downgraded to working on the flu. Brown comes along asking for help on his thesis...," said Morgan.

"Would have been more than happy to share his knowledge," finished Spencer.

"There was no indication that Nichols had any idea what Brown was planning," said Morgan.

"His strain and its cure are getting locked up in containment at Fort Detrick, with all the other bio-agents people don't know about," said Dr. Kimura.

"Hmm. really. What else do they have locked up in there?" asked Morgan.

"I don't really want to know," said Spencer before he felt a slight headache from his blurry vision, "Since I had to remove my contacts, do you have my glasses?" asked Spencer.

Morgan grabbed Spencer's glasses from the table.

"Right here, kid," said Morgan as he helped Spencer put his glasses on before he took a sip of water.

"How long was I asleep?" asked Spencer.

"Two days, Dr. Reid," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer stayed calm so the heart monitor he was hooked up to doesn't go wild.

"Does Maeve know that I'm here?" asked Spencer.

"She doesn't since we decided to continue with the undercover excuse that you gave her, but Hotch is trying to get Maeve clearance to know about you getting infected with anthrax so she knows your post care instructions," said Morgan.

"Since the threat is over, I really need to hold Josie and feel Gabriella kick since they almost lost me." said Spencer before looking at his left hand and noticed that his wedding ring was gone, "Where's my wedding band?" asked Spencer.

Morgan reached into his pocket.

"I believe that this belongs to you," said Morgan as he passed Spencer his wedding band.

Spencer's eyes lit up as he took his wedding band and slipped his wedding band onto his fourth ring finger.

"I'm glad that I got my ring back," said Spencer.

"We had to burn your clothes, but I made sure to get your phone, watch, and wedding band cleaned," said Dr. Kimura before looking at Spencer, "I'm going to have a nurse to get you some food," said Dr. Kimura.

"Don't forget Jell-O," smiled Spencer.

Morgan laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm ending this chapter here, and the next chapter will deal with Spencer's stay in the hospital and talking with his wife, Stephanie, and teammates and some family time.


	39. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place an hour after chapter 38, and now the next couple of chapters won't deal with episodes at all because the last two episodes of season 4 will happen during the beginning of September of 2009 before I get to season 5 since Nameless Faceless will happen in September while Haunted takes place in October of 2009

After Spencer cleaned off everything on his tray, he looked at the date that was written on the whiteboard in his hospital room and glanced at the clock before looking Morgan who was also eating.

"Was I asleep for nearly three days because of respiratory distress?" asked Spencer.

"That's part of the reason why you were asleep, but when Hotch was alerted about you getting the cure and your refusal of morphine for the pain, he suggested that you should be put into a medically induced coma for two days so you won't feel any pain. After they were pleased with how your lungs were recovering they started reducing the medication last night so you could wake up," said Morgan.

"I know that I will need to call my mom so she doesn't get worried," said Spencer.

At that moment both Spencer and Morgan heard a gasp causing the younger man to look at Garcia, JJ, and Emily.

"Hi," said Spencer.

"Spence," cried JJ.

"Reid," cried Emily and Garcia.

Garcia quickly rushed over to Spencer's hospital bed and gently gave Spencer a kiss on the forehead before JJ and Emily each took a turn.

"I'm so glad that you woke up, boy wonder," said Garcia.

"I'm just glad that I was right about the cure," said Spencer before looking at the clock, "Shouldn't you ladies be at work?" asked Spencer.

"The Director gave us all the rest of the week off, and Hotch is planning on talking to you when he finds out that you're finally awake," said JJ.

Spencer instantly looked nervous as he fiddled with his blanket causing Emily to take hold of his IV free hand.

"Your not in trouble, but what you did was reckless," said Emily.

"I know," said Spencer.

"I better call Hotch and Rossi to let them know that you're awake," said Morgan before yawning.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"How long have you been here?" asked Spencer.

Garcia looked at Spencer.

"He refused to leave the hospital since Chad Brown was caught," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at Morgan and noticed how tired he looked.

"Since I'm going to be OK, please go home before you end up in a hospital bed yourself," said Spencer firmly.

Garcia looked at Morgan.

"I'll stay with Reid," said Garcia.

"I better get home to Henry," said JJ.

"Please give him my love, and maybe Henry and Josie can have a play date soon," said Spencer.

JJ kissed his cheek again before she left the room while Emily looked at Morgan.

"I'm driving you home," said Emily.

"Let's go," said Morgan.

A minute later Spencer and Garcia were alone in Spencer's hospital room causing the 27-year-old genius to look at Garcia.

"With those recordings I made, can you please keep the one I made for my mom?" asked Spencer.

"I can," said Garcia before looking at Spencer, "I was crying as I listened to you recording those messages for your mom, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Stephanie," said Garcia.

"I had tears falling down my face too since I was afraid that I would never see my mom, Maeve, Josie, and Stephanie again while getting to hold Gabby for the first time," said Spencer before he yawned.

"Get some sleep since your body is still recovering," said Garcia.

Spencer removed his glasses, and a minute later he was fast asleep.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Spencer woke up to see a blurry Hotch sitting in a chair, and after he had his glasses on and sipped some water, he looked at his unit chief.

"Hi Hotch," said Spencer.

"How are you feeling?" asked Hotch as he gave Spencer a look to tell him the truth.

"Better than I was in that lab, but I'm glad that I'm going to be OK," said Spencer honestly.

"Even though entering that room when it wasn't cleared by a hazmat team member was reckless, I'm glad that you decided to become stubborn again and stay in that lab," said Hotch as reached into an inner pocket of his suit jacket and grabbed a small envelope, "Due to national security reasons, the Director asked me to give you this since there can't be a public ceremony," said Hotch as he passed the envelope to Spencer.

Spencer opened up the envelope and a few seconds later he was pulling out an FBI Medal of Valor causing him to realize why he earned a medal.

"Did I earn this medal for locking myself in that lab to keep Morgan safe and go through everything to find out who killed Dr. Nichols and find the cure?" asked Spencer.

"Exactly," said Hotch just as there was a knock on the open door causing both men to see Dr. Kimura.

"I was hoping that you would be here, Agent Hotchner," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer looked at Dr. Kimura.

"Even though you told me that I'm remaining in the hospital until Friday, how long will I have to stay home for?" asked Spencer.

"When is your wife's due date again?" asked Dr. Kimura.

"July 28th, and it's been planned that I'm on paternity leave for a month," said Spencer.

"As much as I would want to put you on medical leave until a month after your second child's birth, but I know its highly unlikely," said Dr. Kimura.

Hotch looked at Dr. Kimura.

"Then Reid will be on medical leave until a month after Gabriella's birth," said Hotch.

Spencer opened his mouth to protest before Hotch looked at his youngest agent.

"Your half-sister is really going to need you when you get the phone call about her mother dying, and you won't be missing out the rest of Maeve's pregnancy or Jocelyn turning one if I put you on medical leave until a month after Gabriella's birth," said Hotch.

Spencer sighed in defeat.

"Fine, but even though I will enjoy spending time with my family, what can I do to keep my mind active?" asked Spencer.

"I can have an agent bring consults home to you so you can work on them so the rest of the team won't complain about their pile of consults growing because of you. You can finally work on the articles that you've been wanting to write and publish. Also, I've been already planning on talking to you about a conversation I had with Agent Blake," said Hotch.

Spencer smiled a bit at the mention of his mother figure.

"What does she want?" asked Spencer.

"She's teaching a forensic linguistics class this summer, and she was hoping that you could take a break from the BAU so you can help her until Gabriella's born," said Hotch.

"Before I make my decision, I should talk with Maeve," said Spencer.

"Speaking of Maeve, I got her clearance to know what happened to you as long as she doesn't tell anyone else," said Hotch.

"I thought that she couldn't know?" asked Spencer.

"It's different when its a spouse since I had Maeve sign some paperwork about not being allowed to tell anyone about the cases we work on," said Hotch.

Spencer picked up his cell phone and looked at the pictures of Jocelyn that were sent to him since Sunday before looking at Dr. Kimura.

"Can Maeve and Josie come visit me?" asked Spencer.

"They can since I need to talk to your wife about what to watch out for," said Dr. Kimura.

Spencer dialed his wife's number, and a few seconds later he heard Maeve's voice.

"Is the case over?" asked Maeve.

"The unsub has been caught, but I got sick and I just found out that I'm going to be hospitalized for a few days," said Spencer.

"What hospital?" asked Maeve.

"Walter Reed Hospital since it was the closest hospital, and Jocelyn is able to visit me since I'm not contagious," said Spencer.

"Do you need me to bring you anything?" asked Maeve.

"Some books and my go bag please," said Spencer.

"I'll be there in an hour with Jocelyn and everything you need," said Maeve before she hung up.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Maeve and Josie will be here in an hour," said Spencer.

"I'll stay with you since I have papers that Maeve needs to sign," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Dr. Kimura who didn't leave the room.

"Would you like to meet my little girl?" asked Spencer.

"I will love to, but right now I want to have you get some x-rays done before your wife and your baby girl comes," said Dr. Kimura.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Maeve was pushing a stroller that contained wide awake and babbling Jocelyn into Spencer's hospital room, and a few seconds later Jocelyn's eyes went wide when she saw her daddy in a hospital bed.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

Spencer's face lit up at the sight of his daughter.

"Josie," said Spencer before looking at Maeve and Hotch, "I really need to hold Josie," said Spencer.

Hotch got up and walked over to Jocelyn's stroller as he smiled at the nine-month-old baby girl.

"Hello Jocelyn," said Hotch.

Jocelyn smiled at her uncle Aaron as Hotch removed her from her stroller and passed Jocelyn to her father while being careful of the IVs and tubes that were attached to Spencer before Jocelyn looked unsure of her surroundings.

"Dada?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer adjusted Jocelyn in his arms so they both could be comfortable before he ran a hand through his daughter's chin-length curly brown hair.

"Daddy got sick, so I will be in bed for a few days," said Spencer as he cradled his daughter close to him before he pecked Maeve on the lips, "I'm going to be OK, Maeve," said Spencer.

"I know," said Maeve.

"Can I feel Gabby kick right now?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded, and 30 seconds later Spencer smiled as he felt Gabriella kick.

"Why don't you sit down, Maeve," said Spencer.

Maeve nodded while Hotch helped Maeve sit down.

"What illness caused you to be hospitalized for a few days?" asked Maeve.

"Before we tell you, I need you to sign these papers since this will be classified and only a few people will know what happened. So that means no telling your parents," said Hotch as he passed Maeve some papers.

Maeve signed the papers, and a minute later Spencer looked at his wife.

"Do you remember the "House on the Prairie" episode that we watched on Saturday when it came to sheep being found dead on a farm and the owners decided to butcher up the sheep and sell the meat to everyone in the community while knowing that the meat was spoiled?" asked Spencer.

Maeve quickly connected the dots before she paled as she rested her hands on her 29-week pregnant belly and felt Gabriella kick while Hotch rubbed Maeve's shoulders to keep Maeve calm.

"Anthrax?" asked Maeve quietly.

Spencer nodded.

"A strain that wasn't protected by Cipro and caused damage to my lungs. When I realized that I was exposed, I locked myself in the lab to keep Morgan safe and I argued with Morgan and Hotch about staying in that lab to find the cure and identify the unsub. Luckily with help from the doctor that called us in, the cure was found and the unsub was caught, and the remaining survivors and I received the cure. I'm sorry that I didn't keep my promise to stay safe," said Spencer.

Maeve stayed silent for a minute before she looked at her husband.

"Apology accepted, but you better stay safe and not make any reckless moves when your cleared to go back to work," said Maeve.

"Deal," said Spencer before smiling down at Jocelyn who was asleep in his arms, "Luckily I'll be home 24/7 until a month after Gabriella's birth," said Spencer.

Maeve's eyes went wide.

"Wouldn't you go crazy for being on medical leave for over three months?" asked Maeve.

"Other than Stephanie moving in with us and Gabriella's upcoming birth, those two events will keep me busy for awhile," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "As a way to keep my mind active, Hotch is allowing me to work on consults from home so I can continue solving cases from a distance. Also, I finally have the time to write and hopefully publish the articles that I've been doing research for while I co-teach with Dr. Blake at Georgetown until Gabriella is born," said Spencer.

"At least you'll have a productive summer," said Maeve.

"I know," said Spencer.

At that moment Dr. Kimura came into the room and smiled at the sight of Spencer holding his sleeping daughter before looking at Maeve.

"I wish that I could meet you again under better circumstances, Dr. Donovan," said Dr. Kimura as she shook hands with Maeve.

"Likewise, but please call me Maeve instead of by my professional title," said Maeve.

Dr. Kimura looked at the sleeping baby girl in her father's arms.

"That's one beautiful baby girl that you two have, and congratulations on the upcoming addition," said Dr. Kimura.

"Thank you," said Maeve as she rubbed her stomach and smiled when she felt Gabriella kick.

Dr. Kimura became serious.

"Are you aware of what happened to your husband?" asked Dr. Kimura.

"Yes, and Spencer mentioned about his lungs being damaged," said Maeve.

"The x-rays he had nearly an hour ago showed a bit of scaring, but with going to rehab for his lungs for a few weeks so he can run again while having to carry a rescue inhaler for the rest of his life, he'll live an active life," said Dr. Kimura.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"Since we can't tell any family members about what happened to you, should we just say that you developed adult-onset asthma?" asked Maeve.

Dr. Kimura smiled.

"That's perfect," said Dr. Kimura before she left the room.

At that moment Spencer's cell phone rang causing him to see that it was Stephanie calling.

"Hey Stephanie," said Spencer.

"I just came home from school to find my mom laying in her bed dead," cried Stephanie.

Spencer instantly became alert as he mouthed to Hotch to take Jocelyn, and a few seconds later Hotch was holding Jocelyn.

"Please take a few breaths and calm down, Stephanie," said Spencer in a calm and gentle voice.

Stephanie took a few breaths.

"I'm calm now," sniffled Stephanie.

"Who are you with right now?" asked Spencer.

"My best friend Brittney and her mom Julie," said Stephanie.

"Please put Julie on," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Are you Stephanie's half-brother Dr. Spencer Reid?" asked Julie.

"I am, but it's going to be a few days before I can come up to Portland," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Julie.

"I just developed adult onset asthma, and I'm going to be hospitalized until Friday while doctors run some tests," said Spencer.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Reid," said Julie.

"Its OK, and Tanya told me that if she passes away before the school year ends, you would be the one to take Stephanie in for the remainder of the school year," said Spencer.

"I am, and I don't mind taking in your sister until the school year is over," said Julie.

"Do you think that the funeral can wait until Monday?" asked Spencer.

"Tanya told me that she doesn't want a funeral except for being cremated," said Julie.

"OK. Can you put Stephanie back on please?" asked Spencer.

"I can," said Julie.

A few seconds later Spencer heard Stephanie's voice.

"When can you come to Portland?" asked a sniffling Stephanie.

"It's going to be a few days since I was diagnosed with adult onset asthma, and I'm being hospitalized until Friday," said Spencer.

"Can you please check out against medical advice and come sooner?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer's heart broke at the sound of Stephanie's voice.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I promise that I'll head up to Portland with Josie as soon as my doctor gives me the all clear to travel," said Spencer.

"What about Maeve?" asked Stephanie.

"Maeve will have to get clearance from her doctor since she's now in her 29th week of this pregnancy," said Spencer.

"Please come as soon as possible, Spencer," said Stephanie before she hung up.

A few seconds later Spencer sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked Maeve.

Spencer wiped a tear that was falling.

"Stephanie came home from school to find her mother dead, so I'll need to head to Portland as soon as I get the all clear to travel," said Spencer.

"How is Stephanie doing?" asked Maeve.

"Based on the sound of her voice she's been crying while being in shock, and she told me that she wishes that I could check out against medical advice and head to Maine right away," sighed Spencer before looking at Maeve who was about to protest, "Before I make a decision myself, I'll ask Dr. Kimura," said Spencer.

"OK," said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer pressed the call button and a minute later Dr. Kimura entered the room.

"Everything OK?" asked Dr. Kimura.

Spencer looked at his doctor.

"Is there any way that I could check out against medical advice? I just received a phone call from my half-sister in Maine telling me that her mom just died in her sleep and she wants me there as soon as possible," said Spencer.

"Shouldn't your father be taking care of Stephanie?" asked Dr. Kimura.

"Its complicated since my sister hasn't seen dad since she was four and my father isn't allowed to see or talk to Stephanie at all," said Spencer.

Dr. Kimura looked at Spencer before making her decision.

"I will be willing to let you check out against medical advice tomorrow as long as the x-rays your having tomorrow morning are good and you have someone drive you to Maine," said Dr. Kimura.

"Deal," said Spencer.

Dr. Kimura looked at Hotch and Maeve.

"Does he always use his eyes to get what he wants?" asked Dr. Kimura.

"Yes," said Maeve and Hotch in unison.

Spencer blushed a bit while Jocelyn laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you readers approve the adult-onset asthma lie since Spencer and Maeve can't tell anyone that Spencer survived anthrax. The next chapter will include Spencer Reid vs. William Reid!


	40. Spencer Reid vs. William Reid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts two days after the last chapter, and while Spencer, Maeve, and Hotch are in court, Stephanie watched her niece. I have it that only Hotch came to Portland for when Spencer faces his father off in court since Rossi, Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Garcia ended up working on another case.

Spencer knocked on the apartment door of Julie's and Brittney's apartment, and a minute later Julie opened up the door and looked at Spencer and Maeve before smiling at Jocelyn who was sleeping in her stroller.

"You two must be Dr. Reid and Dr. Reid," said Julie.

"Spencer, please," said Spencer.

"Maeve, please," said Maeve.

"Where's Stephanie?" asked Spencer.

"She's taking a nap in the guest bedroom right now, but why don't you guys come in," said Julie.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were sitting on the couch while Jocelyn stayed asleep in her stroller.

"Can I get you two anything to drink?" asked Julie.

"Water please," said Spencer.

"Water please," said Maeve.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were drinking water when Julie looked at Spencer.

"How are you feeling?" asked Julie.

"Better than I was two days ago," answered Spencer.

"How long are you two in town for?" asked Julie.

"With me being on a sabbatical until a month after Gabriella's birth, I'm staying in Portland until the school year is over," said Spencer.

Julie looked at Maeve.

"What about you?" asked Julie.

"I'm also staying here too since I'm also on a sabbatical until Gabriella's born," said Maeve.

Julie gestured to Maeve's nearly 30-week pregnant stomach.

"What about monitoring your pregnancy?" asked Julie.

"My gynecologist found a gynecologist for me to see while I'm up here," said Maeve.

"What about a place to stay?" asked Julie.

"We know about the guest bedroom in Tanya's and Stephanie's apartment, so we'll be staying there so Stephanie can sleep in her own bed while we pack everything up to either ship to DC or donate," said Spencer.

Julie nodded before she looked over at the sleeping nine-month-old baby girl.

"Did you two bring something for your daughter to sleep in?" asked Julie.

"We have Josie's playpen with us," said Spencer.

Julie smiled a bit.

"There's a tenant in this building who is planning on getting rid of her daughter's crib tomorrow, but knowing Samantha, she'll be glad to give you two Cassandra's crib so your daughter can sleep more comfortably," said Julie as she grabbed her cell phone and called her next-door neighbor causing Spencer and Maeve to listen to Julie's side of the conversation before she hung up and looked at the young couple.

"Samantha's husband will be bringing the crib in an hour," said Julie.

"Thank you," said Spencer just as he heard a scream causing him to get up and walk in the direction of the scream.

A minute later Spencer was working on waking up his sister.

"Wake up, Stephanie. You're having a bad dream," said Spencer.

Stephanie quickly opened her eyes that ended up going wide when she saw her brother.

"Spencer?" asked Stephanie.

"I'm here, Stephanie," said Spencer.

Stephanie hugged her brother.

"I'm glad your here, Spencer," sobbed Stephanie.

"Me too, and I checked out against medical advice so I can get to you faster," said Spencer.

Stephanie looked at her brother.

"You really checked out against medical advice for me?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer let go of his sister and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"When I told my doctor about what was going on, she told me that depending on how my x-rays were yesterday morning she would discharge me as long as I had someone drive me. So this morning at 5 AM, Maeve, Josie, and I hit the road with Maeve driving us," said Spencer.

"Maeve drove you here while she's 29-weeks pregnant?" asked Stephanie.

"She's still allowed to drive, and I have to wait until next week Tuesday before I can drive again," said Spencer.

"How long are you in town for?" asked Stephanie.

"Until you finish the eighth grade. So next week Wednesday, your dad and I will be going against each other in court over custody of you," said Spencer.

"What happens if the judge decides that dad gets custody of me?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer smirked a bit.

"Family court judges aren't huge fans of parents who have left a child in a dangerous situation, so I'll be telling him or her about dad leaving me with my schizophrenic mother. Hotch who use to be a criminal prosecutor once wanted to call a few contacts in Nevada and have our father lose his license to practice law revoked. I told Hotch not to do that because I told him that earning three PhDs and additional BAs and gaining a lot of media attention is my version of revenge against our father," said Spencer before looking at his sister, "How are you doing?" asked Spencer.

"I miss my mom, but I know that she's no longer suffering," said Stephanie as she started to cry.

Spencer hugged his little sister, and a minute later he heard babbling causing him to notice Jocelyn standing in the open doorway.

"Dada?" asked Jocelyn.

"Your aunt Stephanie is sad right now," said Spencer.

Jocelyn toddled towards the bed causing Spencer to look at Stephanie.

"Jocelyn's by the bed right now, and I'm not supposed to lift her right now," said Spencer.

Stephanie gave her niece a watery smile as she lifted up her niece.

"Hello Jocelyn," said Stephanie.

"Hi," said Jocelyn as she patted her aunt on the cheek causing Stephanie to smile a bit.

"I'm glad that you're here, Jocelyn," said Stephanie as she cradled her niece close to her.

Xxxxxxxx 

Four days later Spencer stood at the arrival gate as he waited for his father, and a few minutes later William Reid's eyes went wide when he saw Spencer leaning against his SUV with his arms crossed.

"What are you doing here, Spencer?" asked William.

"I've known about Stephanie for over a month since Stephanie and Tanya tracked me down at the BAU, and I'm upset that you didn't even think about telling me that I have a half-sister. I'm glad that Tanya took Stephanie away from you when she did because I doubt you would have been able to handle dealing with an autistic daughter because you couldn't handle my mom and me," said Spencer calmly.

"So you knew that Tanya was dying and didn't even think about telling me?" asked William.

"I was under orders not to tell you by Tanya and my lawyer," said Spencer.

"Your lawyer?" asked William.

Spencer smirked.

"You'll be meeting him in a few minutes and he hates lawyers like you," said Spencer before smiling when he saw Hotch, "Your early," said Spencer.

"I know, but how is Stephanie doing?" asked Hotch.

"She's coping, and she's with Maeve and Josie right now," said Spencer before he introduced his father to Hotch.

Hotch glared at William as he shook hands with the man who looked like an older version of Spencer.

"Aaron Hotchner," said Hotch.

"Your Spencer's unit chief," said William.

"I am, but I kept up with my bar exam," said Hotch.

"Am I allowed to see Stephanie before tomorrow?" asked William.

"Even though Tanya's dead, the restraining order that she filed is still effective," said Spencer before looking at Hotch, "Maeve and Stephanie have started dinner, so we should get going because Josie misses her adoptive grandfather," teased Spencer.

Hotch shook his head as he thought about Spencer, Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Garcia referring him and Rossi as 'mom and dad'.

"Let's go," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his father.

"I'll see you tomorrow in court," said Spencer before he passed his keys to Hotch, "You can drive," said Spencer.

A minute later William Reid watched his son leave with his boss.

"I'm glad you have someone like Agent Hotchner to step in as a father figure for you," said William to himself.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Judge Jeffery Owens looked at Spencer who was sitting with Maeve and Hotch.

"Why do you think that your father shouldn't get custody of his daughter," said Judge Owens.

"My mom was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia before I was born. When I was 10, my dad left me with my schizophrenic mother while knowing that he was leaving me in a dangerous situation and very little money," said Spencer.

Judge Owens shot William a glare before looking at Spencer.

"How did you survive for eight years?" asked Judge Owen.

"Despite the physical and emotional abuse I went through at home and in high school, I kept my head up and graduated from high school when I was 12. My aunt and uncle took care of my mom when I left for Cal-tech where they made sure I had proper adult supervision outside of classes until I turned 18. When I was 18, I committed my mom to a sanitarium where she is getting the proper medical treatment she needs while I get to live my life," said Spencer.

"You never tracked down your father or called the police and reported your father for child neglect before you turned 18?" asked Judge Owens.

Spencer shook his head.

"Due to how much I love my mother, I didn't want to be taken away from her and placed in foster care since I knew that going into foster care would kill my mom," said Spencer as he took a deep breath, "When my teammates and I had a case in my hometown last year, I finally decided to track down my father. When I found my father, I demanded to know the truth about why he left 17 years ago while telling him that he's a grandfather. After learning the truth, I told him that he would be covering for what isn't covered by health insurance for my mother's medical expenses or I would make sure that his license to practice law gets revoked since my unit chief wanted to do that as soon as I told him about my parents," said Spencer.

Judge Owens looked at William.

"After finding out what you did to Dr. Reid and his mother, I'm not even going to give you a chance to explain why you should get custody of your daughter since father's like you sicken me," said Judge Owens before looking at Spencer, "Are you able to fulfill your sister's needs even though your on call 24/7 while having to travel all over the country?" asked Judge Owens.

"Yes, your honor," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at the judge.

"Your honor, may I please say something?" asked Maeve.

"And you are?" asked the judge.

"I'm Spencer's wife Dr. Maeve Donovan-Reid. I'm the mother of Spencer's nine-month-old daughter and the baby girl I'm 30-weeks pregnant with. I'm always home every night unless I attend a conference with my mom, so my father will supervise Stephanie because he has taken care of Jocelyn when Spencer's on a case and I'm attending a conference with my mom. So if you were worried about a female presence for a teenage girl; my mom, Spencer's female teammates, and I will all be there for her," said Maeve.

"Very good," said Judge Owens.

Judge Owens looked at everyone in the room.

"Since Tanya originally wanted Stephanie to live with her half-brother, I decided that I will grant full custody of Stephanie Reid to her half-brother Dr. Spencer Reid," said Judge Owens before looking at William Reid, "Even though its too late for you to go to prison for child neglect, I'm going to contact a judge in Nevada and let them know that you have to pay a $1,000 fine for child endangerment while you also serve 100 hours of community service," said Judge Owens as he banged his gavel in front of him.

Spencer, Maeve, and Hotch all smiled at each other before they got up and headed towards the judge who looked at Spencer.

"I need you to sign these papers," said Judge Owens as he passed Spencer a pen.

Spencer signed his name on the appropriate lines before Hotch looked at the judge.

"I will need a copy of these papers for Agent Reid's personnel file," said Hotch.

"I will make sure," said Judge Owens before looking at Spencer, "Will Stephanie be finishing the school year here in Maine or are you taking her down to DC right away?" asked the judge.

"Since there are only three weeks left in the current school year, I'm having Stephanie finish junior high at her current school. So during summer vacation, I'll get her enrolled at one of the various high schools in Washington DC in time for the upcoming 2009 and 2010 school year while making sure that she sees a grief counselor," said Spencer.

"Grief counseling was going to be one of my next questions," said Judge Owens as he shook hands with Spencer, "Good luck with raising your sister for the next four years," said Judge Owens.

A few minutes later Spencer was talking with Maeve and Hotch when a furious William approached them.

"My girlfriend who came to support me just broke up with me since you had to tell the judge about what I did to you and Diana," said William angrily as he swung his arm and punched Spencer in the face causing Hotch to tackle the older man to the ground while a security guard ran over to handcuff William.

"Your under arrest for assaulting a federal agent," said Hotch as he started to read William his rights.

Maeve looked at her husband who was on the ground.

"Are you OK?" asked Maeve.

Hotch who had passed William to the security guard helped Spencer get up.

"I should be," said Spencer before glaring at his father, "Punching a federal agent just earned you six months in prison. On top of that, your license to practice law will get revoked like it should have been done 17 years ago. When you get out of prison, I'll be filing a restraining order that will order you to stay away from mom, Maeve, my daughters, Stephanie, and me," said Spencer firmly.

Hotch looked at William.

"I will also see to it that your on the list of people who can't step into the BAU," said Hotch.

The security guard looked at Spencer.

"You want me to take him away now?" asked the security guard.

"Please get him out of here," said Spencer.

As soon as William was led away, Maeve looked at the bruise that was on her husband's face.

"You definitely have a bruise, but bruises heal," said Maeve.

"I know," said Spencer quietly.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Are you sure that your OK?" asked Hotch.

"Even though my father just hit me, I should be OK while having to tell Stephanie that dad's going away for awhile," said Spencer.

"Let's go get some ice on your cheek, and then we should go tell Stephanie the news," said Maeve.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Even though you have gotten better with your hand to hand combat, I'm glad that you didn't duck, do a side step, or grabbed your father's wrist," said Hotch as he smirked at Spencer.

Spencer smirked.

"Being a federal agent has its perks, but at least he'll be facing the punishment he should have received when he walked out when I was 10-years-old," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Spencer, Maeve, and Hotch entered Stephanie's apartment and Stephanie's eyes went wide when she saw the bruise on Spencer's face.

"What happened to you, Spencer?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer took Jocelyn away from his sister and cradled her close to his chest.

"Dad punched me because of me telling the judge about what he did to mom and me which caused his girlfriend to break up with him, and he's also upset that I got custody of you," said Spencer.

"So dad's going to jail?" asked Stephanie.

"He'll be in prison for six months. But when dad gets out, there's going to be a restraining order to keep him away from you, Maeve, my daughters, mom, and me," said Spencer.

Stephanie hugged her brother before looking at the bruise.

"Are you going to be OK?" asked Stephanie.

"I will be, but what do you say about going out to eat to celebrate before Hotch has to fly back to DC?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie grinned at her brother.

"Great idea and I'm thinking about going back to school tomorrow," said Stephanie.

"Are you sure?" asked Spencer.

"There are only two and a half weeks left in the school year, and I want to say goodbye to my friends and teachers," said Stephanie before her stomach growled, "Can we go out for Indian?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer grinned.

"Your definitely my sister when it comes to loving Indian food just like me," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Stephanie, and Hotch were getting into Spencer's SUV so Hotch could drive them to Stephanie's favorite restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm not going to include the dinner scene, but I hope that the punishments that William Reid received are appropriate.


	41. Going Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts when Maeve is 33-weeks pregnant, so within the next chapter or two, Gabriella will finally make her debut. I thought that with Portland, Maine being over 9 hours and 10 minutes away from Washington DC by car, I decided that Spencer and Maeve decided that they would stay in New York City for a night to make it easier for Maeve and Jocelyn. I'm not going to include what Spencer and Stephanie did while Maeve and Josie took a nap.

Spencer and Maeve were standing in the kitchen as they watched Stephanie who was holding Jocelyn on her hip say goodbye to her friends.

"Watching Stephanie say goodbye to her friends reminds me the tearful goodbye I had with my mom before the first time that uncle Gordon drove me to Cal-tech and the goodbye I shared with her before I moved out East. Even though I have to rely on letters and occasional phone calls, Stephanie will have better luck at staying in contact with her friends," said Spencer.

"Hopefully Stephanie will love it when she finds out that we arranged for Brittney to come visit for a week in August," said Maeve.

"She will," said Spencer before he looked at his wife, "Are you ready for us to hit the road at 8 AM tomorrow morning so we can stay in New York City for a night before we're finally home tomorrow?" asked Spencer.

"I am because I miss being near my parents, but at least I'm on a sabbatical until 12 weeks after Gabriella's birth," said Maeve as she rubbed her 33-week pregnant belly before groaning when she felt a kick, "Excuse me," said Maeve as she hurried off towards the bathroom.

Stephanie came over with Jocelyn.

"Jocelyn wanted her daddy, but is Maeve OK?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer took his daughter from her sister.

"She had to use the bathroom because of Gabriella kicking her," said Spencer.

"OK," said Stephanie.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next afternoon, Spencer looked at Stephanie who had her mid-back length brown hair pulled into a ponytail as they walked through Central Park.

"Before today have you ever been to New York City?" asked Spencer.

"Mom and I came down here a few times, but what about you?" asked Stephanie.

"I've been here a few times for work, but I never came here for a vacation," said Spencer.

Stephanie looked at her brother.

"I hope I'm not overstepping any boundaries, but do you have Asperger's syndrome like me?" asked Stephanie.

"I do, and my teammates know," said Spencer.

"Since you didn't let your Asperger's syndrome stop you from following your dreams, you gave me some hope," said Stephanie.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" asked Spencer.

"I want to run my own daycare because I enjoy babysitting the kids in the apartment building I lived in with my mom," said Stephanie.

"With how good you are with your niece, I can actually see you taking care of children," said Spencer just as his cell phone vibrated causing him to see a text from Maeve.

JOSIE AND I JUST WOKE UP FROM OUR NAPS AND JOSIE WANTS HER DADDY. ~ MR

Spencer looked at his sister.

"Since we've been exploring the city for three hours, let's head back to our hotel room because Josie misses me," said Spencer as he fastened up his pace.

Stephanie grinned mischievously before she ran towards her brother and did a running jump onto her brother's back causing a laughing Spencer to shake his head as he positioned his arms underneath Stephanie's legs while Stephanie tightened her grip around her brother's neck and shoulders.

"Are you trying to get me to make up for all the piggyback rides I could have given you if dad didn't abandon me the way he did?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Stephanie seriously before giggling, "So giddy up, Spencer," said Stephanie.

Spencer laughed before he started walking.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next afternoon Spencer pulled up into the driveway and looked at his little sister who was in the back seat with Jocelyn.

"Welcome to your new home, Stephanie," said Spencer.

"Thank you, Spencer," said Stephanie softly.

Spencer looked over where Maeve was sleeping before looking at his sister.

"While I wake up Maeve, would you mind taking Jocelyn into the house?" asked Spencer.

"Not at all, Spencer," said Stephanie.

A minute later Stephanie had Jocelyn in the house while Spencer worked on waking up his sleeping wife.

"We're finally home, Maeve," said Spencer.

Maeve opened her eyes and looked at her husband.

"I really have to urinate because Gabby has been messing with my bladder," said Maeve before her eyes lit up when she saw her parents exit the house, "Knowing my mom, she's going to have dinner waiting for us," said Maeve as she unbuckled herself and got out of the SUV as fast as she could.

Spencer nodded in agreement as he got out of the SUV, and a few seconds later he was being engulfed in a hug by his mother-in-law while Maeve rushed into the house.

"Welcome back, and other than having the house cleaned and stocked with groceries, I have dinner cooking in the oven," said Mary.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Joe looked at his son-in-law.

"I'll help you with all the bags. Other than the belongings that Stephanie has in your SUV, Mary and I finished setting up your sister's room," said Joe.

"Thank you, dad," said Spencer.

"Speaking of dad, how are you feeling about your dad being in prison?" asked Joe.

Spencer sighed as he thought about his father who was transported back to Las Vegas to serve his prison term.

"There are times that I wished that he ended up in prison over 17 years ago for child neglect, but now I'm upset with him for making the choice to punch me because he ruined the rest of his life by punching me," said Spencer as he grabbed his suitcase.

Joe nodded in agreement as he grabbed his daughter's suitcase.

"Do you know if any of your teammates are stopping by today?" asked Joe.

"They're flying back from Boise right now, but I told them that I'll stop by the BAU tomorrow afternoon," said Spencer.

"Why not invite them over for a cookout here for tomorrow evening so we can have a party to welcome Stephanie to the family?" asked Joe.

Spencer shook his head as he thought about the grill that Joe bought for him and Maeve as a housewarming present.

"Only if you're going to help me man the grill," said Spencer.

"I'm already planning on it, son," said Joe.

Xxxxxxxx 

20 minutes later Spencer, Maeve, Stephanie, Joe, Mary, were sitting around the dining room table eating baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables while 10-month-old Jocelyn sat in her high chair cut up baby sized portions of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables on her own.

"I just can't believe how much Jocelyn has grown since you guys left for Maine a month ago," said Mary as she watched her granddaughter eat unassisted.

Spencer looked at his in-laws.

"I'm sorry that I kept you two from your granddaughter," said Spencer.

Joe decided to answer for his wife and himself.

"Its OK, Spencer," said Joe.

Stephanie looked at her brother.

"Having Jocelyn with you helped cheer me up," said Stephanie.

Mary looked at Stephanie.

"After everyone is done eating dinner and cleaned up, would you mind playing the piano for me?" asked Mary.

Stephanie smiled as she thought about her piano that came with her.

"Sure," said Stephanie.

Xxxxxxxx 

40 minutes later the Reid family and Donovan family were gathered around the living room watching Stephanie play "The Magic Flute" on the piano.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that night Spencer exited Jocelyn's nursery before he made his way towards Stephanie's bedroom only to find out that Stephanie wasn't in her bedroom.

"Where would she go?" asked Spencer to himself before he noticed a light on in the library.

20 seconds later Spencer found Stephanie curled up on the couch reading a book.

"What are you doing up, Stephanie?" asked Spencer as he stepped into the library.

"It's strange sleeping in the new bed that I picked out for my room, so I decided to come in here and read one of my favorite books," said Stephanie.

Spencer sat down in a chair and looked at his sister.

"I understand because of all the hotels I end up staying in," said Spencer before noticing the book in his sister's hands, "What are you reading?" asked Spencer.

""Twilight"," said Stephanie.

"What's "Twilight"?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie stared at her brother before she started to explain the book to her big brother. When she was finished, she looked at her big brother.

"As soon as I'm done reading this book, I'll be glad to let you read it and any other books that I placed on the bookshelf you got for me," said Stephanie.

"My teammates said that having a teenager around will help me experience what I missed out on as a teenager because when I was your age, I had to focus on being a very mature 14-year-old college student," said Spencer.

Stephanie grinned at her brother.

"I'll help make sure that you get caught up so you can understand the books and movies that my nieces will most likely watch when they're teenagers," said Stephanie.

Spencer nodded while Stephanie looked at her brother.

"You and Maeve haven't told me any rules that I have to follow while living under this roof. So are there any rules for me?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer nodded.

"If I have any files from work out in the open, please don't open them and never touch my guns or my gun safe," said Spencer.

"I was already planning to never open any files or touch your guns," said Stephanie.

"You will be helping out with household chores. Unless you are in school or asleep, you always have to answer your cell phone. If you're going anywhere other than school, you need to let Maeve and me know. On a school night you have a 9:00 PM curfew and on a non-school night you have a 10 PM curfew. If you're going to hang out with your friends on a school night, you have to finish your homework first and allow Maeve or me to look over it. Your internet usage will always be monitored because Penelope did some work on the computer that Maeve and I keep in here. As Josie's language continues to develop, please watch your language so Josie doesn't swear. If you are asked to do anything by Maeve, my in-laws, my teammates, or me please do it. Unless your sleeping or getting dressed, always leave your bedroom door open. You can't have any boys except for me, my adoptive nephew Jack, and my godson Henry in your room," said Spencer.

Stephanie raised her eyes at her brother.

"Why are you allowed in my room?" asked Stephanie.

"I'll never enter your room without your permission, but if you get sick and have to stay in bed there will be times that I'll be the one to bring you medicine, something to drink, snacks, and meals," said Spencer.

"Good point," said Stephanie before looking at her brother, "Any other rules?" asked Stephanie.

"If your grades start to slip, no going out with friends, watching TV, or going on the internet until your grades improve," said Spencer.

"Most of the rules you gave me were the ones my mom had for me," said Stephanie sadly.

"Your mom made sure to send me the rules she had for you while telling me that she knows that I will add a few more rules due to my job. The new rules that I gave you are for your safety because I don't want to expose you to the horrors I see every day while not wanting you to get hurt," said Spencer.

"Spencer?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes?" asked Spencer.

"Have you ever dealt with homesickness before?" asked Stephanie.

"Countless of times, but eventually I started feeling homesick less," said Spencer before looking at his sister, "Do you think that you can get some sleep now?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie placed a bookmark in her book before closing it.

"I think so," said Stephanie.

Spencer stood up and stretched his tired muscles.

"Tomorrow morning I have a doctor appointment before I head down to the BAU and say hi to my teammates," said Spencer.

"Can I go with you?" asked Stephanie.

"Not this time because Maeve's talking about going grocery shopping and she's going to need help lifting heavy items," said Spencer.

"Will Jocelyn be going with Maeve?" asked Stephanie.

"So far Maeve's planning on taking Josie with her, but Josie might end up going with me," said Spencer.

Stephanie laughed.

"My niece is definitely a daddy's girl," said Stephanie.

"I know," said Spencer.

A minute later Stephanie was fast asleep in her room while Spencer rejoined his sleeping wife in bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was sitting in Dr. Kimura's office with Maeve when Dr. Kimura came into the room.

"You are looking much better than you were when I discharged you," said Dr. Kimura.

"I got a lot of rest during the past four weeks in Maine, and when packing up my former stepmother's and Stephanie's apartment, we hired movers to help us out with removing the furniture," said Spencer.

"Good," said Dr. Kimura before becoming serious, "I was pleased with the progress reports I received from the doctor and physical therapist I referred you to in Portland," said Dr. Kimura.

"I'm glad too because I'm excited about helping another FBI agent teach forensic linguistics at Georgetown next week," said Spencer.

"Just remember to take it easy from now until your second child is born," said Dr. Kimura.

"I know," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Two hours later Spencer stepped into the BAU with Jocelyn on his hip and he smiled when he saw his teammates talking in the conference room. After spending a few minutes to chatting to Anderson, he made his way up to the conference room.

"Hi guys," said Spencer as he set Jocelyn on the floor.

"Hi," chirped Jocelyn before she toddled towards Hotch who quickly scooped her up.

Garcia, JJ, Emily, and Morgan quickly got up and made their way to Spencer before Garcia quickly pulled Spencer into a hug.

"I missed you while you were up in Maine," said Garcia.

"I missed all of you guys," said Spencer.

"I missed getting to see my goddaughter on weekends," said Emily while Morgan nodded in agreement.

Hotch passed Jocelyn over to Emily.

"I can't believe how big you got while you were in Maine with your daddy," said Emily.

Jocelyn babbled at her godmother before giving her godfather a big grin.

"At least you made sure to send us a lot of pictures of my goddaughter," said Morgan as he took Jocelyn from Emily.

"Where are Maeve and Stephanie?" asked JJ.

"After my checkup with Dr. Kimura, Maeve decided to go grocery shopping and Stephanie is helping Maeve," said Spencer.

Garcia who was now holding Jocelyn looked at Spencer.

"Other than Hotch telling us that you have full custody of Stephanie, he wouldn't tell us why your dad ended up in prison. He wouldn't let me or anyone else hack into prison records," rambled Garcia.

"Hotch forbade us from asking you about what happened until you got back, Spence," said JJ as she took Jocelyn from Garcia.

"We weren't allowed to ask Maeve or Stephanie either," said Emily.

Spencer sighed in relief as he inwardly thanked Hotch for respecting his, Maeve's, and Stephanie's privacy.

"Dad's in prison because he punched me in front of Hotch, Maeve, and a security guard," said Spencer.

Rossi who was accepting Jocelyn from JJ looked at Spencer.

"Why?" asked Rossi as he took his turn to hold the 10-month-old baby girl.

"I told the judge about him leaving me with my schizophrenic mother causing his girlfriend who was in the room to break up with him because she has two teenagers of her own so she decided to save her kids from my dad," said Spencer.

"Good for her, and your dad is getting what he deserves," said Rossi.

"You didn't even think of ducking or blocking the punch?" asked Garcia.

Spencer shook his head as he accepted his daughter from Rossi.

"Why should I have done that when dad should have been serving time in prison and losing his license to practice law over 17 years ago?" asked Spencer.

Morgan looked at Garcia.

"Pretty Boy made the right choice because William is getting what he deserves for being a rotten father," said Morgan.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"You'll never be like your father," said Emily.

"I know," said Spencer before looking at his teammates, "I hope that none of you guys made plans for tonight because my father-in-law wants to have a cookout in my backyard this evening," said Spencer.

"Are Will and Henry welcome?" asked JJ.

"I have Jack tonight, so is he welcome?" asked Hotch.

"They are because Stephanie's dying to meet the two little boys who have caught my heart," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer looked up from the grill and smiled as he watched his little sister interact with Jocelyn, Jack, and Henry in the backyard before Maeve who was in the kitchen with her mom, JJ, Emily, and Garcia making side dishes came outside and waddled over to her husband.

"Are you happy to be home again?" asked Maeve.

"I am, but what about you," said Spencer.

"Me too," said Maeve.


	42. Guest Lecture & Family Fluff

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is a much longer chapter for you faithful readers, so please be prepared for some cuteness. This chapter starts a few days later when Maeve's 34-weeks pregnant so this chapter will start on June 12th of 2009, and the episode The Last Gasp inspired me for a scene in this chapter when it comes to Professor Spencer Reid.

Stephanie looked at her brother who was dressed up in a suit as she, Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn ate breakfast.

"Are you going back to work today?" asked Stephanie before she gave her niece another spoonful of scrambled eggs.

"I'm guest lecturing for a fellow FBI agent and professor at Georgetown University," said Spencer.

"About what?" asked Stephanie.

"Forensic linguistics because I'm my teammates go-to guy for writing a message that would be used as bait, studying handwritten notes, letters, journal entries from the unsub because I need to find out if the unsub is excited about a certain aspect, or if there is a hidden code that I need to decode," said Spencer.

"Have you ever found any codes?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer gave his sister a slight grin.

"I have a couple of times," said Spencer before looking at his 34-week pregnant wife, "Are you going to be OK while I'm at Georgetown University this morning?" asked Spencer.

"I'll be fine, and guest lecturing will help keep you busy from now until Gabriella's birth," said Maeve.

Stephanie looked at her brother.

"I'll make sure that my sister-in-law takes it easy," said Stephanie.

"Thank you, Stephanie," said Spencer.

"Your welcome, and do you know when I start grief counseling?" asked Stephanie.

"This afternoon, and I will be back in time to take you to your appointment," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Alex Blake looked at Spencer as they went over the plans they made for their lecture.

"How is Jocelyn doing?" asked Alex.

Spencer grinned.

"She's a very happy 10-month-old, and she loves her aunt Stephanie," said Spencer.

"Aunt Stephanie?" asked Alex.

Spencer gave Alex a sheepish smile.

"I haven't guest lectured for a couple of months because I ended up finding out that I have a 14-year-old half-sister in April," said Spencer.

"Finding out that you have a half-sister must have been a shock," said Alex.

"It was, and Maeve and I ended up getting custody of her because of my former step-mother dying nearly five weeks ago," said Spencer as he started to tell Alex everything about his sister.

When Spencer was finished, Alex looked at Spencer.

"Are you happy about having a little sister?" asked Alex.

Spencer grinned.

"Even though some of my teammates ended up becoming older siblings for me, I always wanted a biological sibling growing up. I'm mad at my father for not telling me about Stephanie last November, but I'm glad that Tanya tracked me down because I got to know my sister for a month before my former step-mother died instead of getting a phone call from a social worker asking me if I could take in my sister," said Spencer.

Alex nodded in agreement.

"May I see a picture of your sister?" asked Alex.

"Sure," said Spencer as he pulled out his phone and showed Alex a picture of his sister and him together.

Alex looked at the picture and noticed that Stephanie was a foot shorter than her brother while having the same eye color and hair color.

"She looks just like you when it comes to your eyes and hair color," said Alex.

Spencer nodded.

"If she didn't have any of my father's or my features, I would have asked Tanya if a DNA test could be done," said Spencer.

"How is Stephanie adjusting?" asked Alex.

"She misses her mother, but she's adjusting to all the recent changes just like I am because, in about six weeks, I'll be holding Gabriella for the first time," said Spencer.

Alex smiled as she thought about the first time she met Maeve.

"I'm glad that you have Maeve in your life," said Alex.

"Me too," said Spencer just as students started to come into the lecture hall.

"We should finish up preparing for your lecture," said Alex as she handed Spencer a microphone to hook up to himself so everyone could hear.

Spencer nodded as he started to hook up the microphone to himself.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Spencer gave his lecture on how he helped his teammates find Steven Baleman after his teammates arrested William Harris, he looked at all of the students in the room.

"Do you guys have any questions?" asked Spencer.

One 23-year-old student raised her hand.

"Are you single?" asked the student.

Spencer shook his head as he held up his left hand.

"I'm happily married," said Spencer before he heard a few groans in the room.

Xxxxxxxx 

45 minutes later Spencer entered his house and a few seconds later Jocelyn did a toddling run over to him.

"Dada!" exclaimed Jocelyn.

Spencer eagerly scooped up his daughter.

"Were you a good girl for mommy and aunt Stephanie?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn nodded as he chin-length brown curly hair bounced.

"Where's mommy and aunt Stephanie?" asked Spencer.

"We're in the kitchen," called out Maeve.

20 seconds later Spencer entered the kitchen with Jocelyn on his hip.

"Hey," said Spencer.

"How was your lecture?" asked Maeve.

"The lecture went well, and one of the first questions I was asked if I was single, and after telling everyone that I'm married a bunch of the women in the room groaned," said Spencer.

Maeve burst out laughing before she quickly waddled to the bathroom while Spencer looked at his laughing sister.

"What's so funny?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie looked at her brother as she stirred the pot of macaroni & cheese.

"When I was in junior high school, I had a few female classmates who had crushes on the young male teachers while male classmates had crushes on their female teachers. So I won't be surprised if I have classmates who develop crushes on their male teachers when I start high school. So a bunch of the girls in that lecture hall most likely thought of you as a hot professor that they want to seduce," said Stephanie.

Spencer blushed a bit.

"My best friend Brittney developed a crush on you when I showed her a picture of you, Jocelyn, and me together," said Stephanie.

Spencer's face turned even redder causing Jocelyn who was still on her daddy's hip to look up at her daddy.

"Dada?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer looked down at Jocelyn.

"If your worried about my face turning red, I'm only blushing, Josie," said Spencer as he blew a raspberry on Jocelyn's cheek causing the baby girl to laugh.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer closed his book as Stephanie entered the waiting room.

"How did it go?" asked Spencer.

"OK," said Stephanie.

"Let's get out of here and pick up Maeve and Josie before we get some ice cream," said Spencer.

"I thought that you are lactose intolerant?" asked Stephanie.

"I am, but I have medication that reduces the effects of eating dairy," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Stephanie were in Spencer's car.

"What do you think of Dr. Moss?" asked Spencer.

"I'm going to like Dr. Moss," said Stephanie.

Spencer gave his sister a slight grin.

"I've been going to her husband for therapy for over two years now," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Stephanie.

"Over two years ago I got injured in the field, and Hotch referred me to Dr. Brennan Moss who specializes in post-traumatic stress disorder. I'm not going to tell you about what happened to me yet, but I'll tell you someday," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next Sunday Spencer woke up to Jocelyn squeezing his nose causing the 27-year-old father to put on his glasses only find Stephanie standing by the foot of his and Maeve's bed.

"What's with the wake-up call?" asked Spencer as Jocelyn plopped herself on her daddy's chest.

"Happy Father's Day, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"Where's Maeve?" asked Spencer.

"She's downstairs with her parents and she sent me up here with Jocelyn to wake you up because breakfast is almost done," said Stephanie.

Spencer looked at his 10-month-old daughter.

"Daddy will be downstairs in a few minutes," said Spencer as he gave his daughter a kiss.

Xxxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer entered the kitchen and he smiled when he saw his 35-week pregnant wife already sitting at the dining room table with her father, Mary cooking breakfast while Stephanie got her niece into a high chair.

"Good morning, Maeve," said Spencer as he gave his wife a kiss.

"Happy Father's Day, Spencer," said Maeve.

"Thank you," said Spencer before he nodded at his father-in-law, "Happy Father's Day, dad," said Spencer.

"Happy Father's Day to you too, son," said Joe.

A few minutes later both the Reid family and the Donovans were sitting down for breakfast when Spencer looked at his wife.

"What plans do we have for today?" asked Spencer.

"Even though I'm now 35-weeks pregnant, I want to get out of the house for a couple of hours. So I decided that we need to continue showing Stephanie around Washington DC today," said Maeve.

Mary looked at her son-in-law.

"If my daughter needs to sit down and rest, I'll keep my daughter company while Joe accompanies you, Jocelyn, and Stephanie," said Mary.

"Thank you," said Spencer before looking at his sister, "I know that you've been doing research on all of the tourist attractions in this city, so is there a certain place you want to go to today?" asked Spencer.

"Since its suppose to be sunny today, I would like to go to the Smithsonian Zoo," said Stephanie.

Spencer looked at his 10-month-old daughter while feeling sad about Jocelyn turning 11-months-old in about 12 days.

"What do you think about going to the zoo, Josie?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn grinned at her daddy.

"Even though you're too young to remember today's trip to the zoo, you'll be loving future trips to the zoo as you get older," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"Before pregnancy brain allows me to forget, here's your Father's Day present," said Maeve as she passed an envelope to Spencer.

Spencer opened up the envelope and smiled as he opened a Father's Day card before opening a card that caused a piece of paper to fall out.

"Open it," said Maeve.

Spencer opened up the piece of paper before smiling at a picture that Jocelyn finger painted herself.

"I'll put this on my desk when I go back to work," said Spencer before looking at the card that contained Jocelyn's hand-print while recognizing Maeve's handwriting for Jocelyn and Gabriella,

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer smiled as he watched Jocelyn watch a mother elephant interact with her baby elephant.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three weeks later Stephanie and Maeve were washing dishes from breakfast when Maeve felt a burst of pain and felt water trickling down her legs as she gripped the counter causing Stephanie to look at her 38-week pregnant sister-in-law.

"Are you OK, Maeve?" asked Stephanie.

Maeve quickly looked at the clock on the microwave before she looked at her sister-in-law.

"My water just broke. If Spencer isn't done getting Josie cleaned up from breakfast and dressed, can you please go switch places with Spencer so he can get me to the hospital?" asked Maeve.

Stephanie's eyes went wide.

"Yes," said Stephanie as she hurried upstairs to find Spencer gently pulling a fully dressed Jocelyn's hair into pigtails, "Maeve's water just broke, so I'll stay here with my niece while you get my sister-in-law to the hospital," said Stephanie as she took her niece from her brother.

Spencer's eyes went wide as he hurried out of Jocelyn's nursery with Stephanie running after him.

"While I get Maeve to the hospital, can you please call Maeve's parents?" asked Spencer.

"I'll call them, and good luck and please send me a picture of Gabriella after she's born," said Stephanie.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

"What about your team?" asked Stephanie.

"They're in Seattle right now, but I'll call them after Gabriella's born," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer was standing outside of Maeve's hospital room when Mary came over to him.

"Joe decided that he'll stay with Stephanie and Jocelyn while I stayed here with you and Maeve," said Mary as she hugged her son-in-law.

"I already figured that you would be joining Maeve and me here," said Spencer.

A minute later Dr. Marks came out of the room and looked at Spencer.

"Your wife is about eight centimeters dilated and she didn't even know that she was in labor until her water broke," said Dr. Marks.

"At least I'll be holding Gabriella much sooner," said Spencer.

"You two can join Maeve and I'll have a nurse bring you two some scrubs so you two can change before Maeve enters the delivery room," said Dr. Marks.

"Thank you, doctor," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer and Mary were in Maeve's hospital room and Mary smiled at her daughter while Spencer sat down on the stool by Maeve's bed and started massaging Maeve's lower back.

"Are you ready to give birth within the next couple of hours?" asked Mary.

"Ready as I'll ever be, mom," said Maeve before noticing that her father wasn't in the room, "Where's dad?" asked Maeve.

"He's with Stephanie and Josie, and he'll drive Stephanie and Josie here as soon as Gabriella's born," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Three hours later Dr. Marks looked at Spencer, Maeve, and Mary.

"I see some red hair, so only a few more pushes until your second daughter makes her debut," said Dr. Marks.

Spencer squeezed his wife's hand.

"I love you," said Spencer.

"I love you too," said Maeve before she felt another contraction, "I need to push now," said Maeve.

"Go ahead," said Dr. Marks.

A screaming Maeve pushed as hard as she could before she leaned back against her husband while her mother wiped up her sweat.

"Only two more pushes, Maeve," said Dr. Marks.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were tearing up as they heard Gabriella cry.

"Congratulations mommy and daddy, its a healthy baby girl," smiled Dr. Marks as she held up Gabriella so Spencer and Maeve could see, "Spencer, would you like to cut the cord?" asked Dr. Marks.

"Yes," said Spencer as he got up and accepted the scissors and cut the cord that connected Maeve to his youngest daughter.

Maeve looked at her husband and mother.

"Why don't you go be with Gabriella while I deliver the placenta and get cleaned up," said Maeve.

"OK," said Spencer as he gave his wife a kiss, "I love you," said Spencer.

"I love you too," said Maeve.

A minute later Spencer was watching his youngest daughter get checked over while Mary went to call her husband and let him know that his youngest granddaughter arrived.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer smiled down at Gabriella who was fitting perfectly in his arms.

"You look like your mommy, Gabby," said Spencer.

Gabriella cooed at her daddy while Maeve who took a picture of her husband and youngest daughter smiled at her husband.

"Even though she looks like me, she does have your curls," said Maeve.

"I know," said Spencer.

"Should we call your teammates?" asked Maeve.

"We should," said Spencer as he grabbed his cell phone and dialed Garcia's number.

"Is everything OK?" asked Garcia.

"Yes, but before I explain why I called, I need you to patch in the rest of the team because I have some news," said Spencer firmly.

"Just give me a few seconds," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Meanwhile, in Seattle, Washington Hotch, Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Rossi were discussing the profile when Hotch's phone rang causing him to see that it was Garcia causing him to put his phone on speaker.

"Have you found out the connection of the victims?" asked Hotch.

"I didn't get to do that yet because Reid called me and asked me to patch you guys in, so here he is," said Garcia.

"Hi guys," said Spencer.

Hotch, JJ, Emily, Rossi, and Morgan noticed the tiredness in Spencer's voice.

"Is everything OK?" asked Hotch.

"Everything is going great because an hour ago Maeve gave birth to Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid. She looks just like her mother while being six pounds and seven ounces while being 20 inches long. Both Maeve and Gabriella are doing great, and Maeve just sent you guys a picture of Gabriella. So I highly suggest that you guys check your phones," said Spencer.

At that moment everyone's phones started to vibrate causing Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, JJ, and Emily to see a picture of a red headed and blue eyed baby girl laying in a bassinet.

"She's gorgeous, Spence," said JJ.

"I know," said Spencer.

"Your right about Gabriella looking just like Maeve," said Emily.

"Congratulations, Reid," said Hotch.

"Congratulations, kiddo," said Rossi.

"Congratulations, pretty boy," said Morgan.

"I know that you guys can't abandon this case, so please catch this unsub and get some rest before you guys come over and meet Gabriella," said Spencer.

"Even though I'm in my lair right now, does that mean that I can't come to the hospital and visit?" asked Garcia.

"I rather have you guys come visit all at once. So why don't you wait until after the case is solved and the rest of the team is back home," said Spencer.

"Will you send pictures?" asked Emily.

"I will, but I have to go now because Maeve's father just arrived with Stephanie and Josie," said Spencer before hanging up just as Detective Ryan came into the room.

"Why are you guys looking at your phones and smiling?" asked Detective Ryan.

"We have another teammate who is currently on a sabbatical to focus on things at home and his wife just gave birth to their second child an hour ago. So he wanted us to see a picture of his second daughter and let us know that his wife and daughter are doing OK," said Hotch before looking at his teammates, "I know that you guys are wanting to drop everything and head back to DC to meet Gabriella, but Reid's right that we need to find our current unsub before we go home and meet Gabriella," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Meanwhile in Washington DC Jocelyn's eyes went wide when she saw her mommy holding a baby.

"Mama?" asked Jocelyn.

"Mommy gave birth to your baby sister," said Maeve.

Jocelyn grinned at her daddy.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

Stephanie handed her 11-month-old niece to her brother.

"Jocelyn, I want you to meet your baby sister Gabriella," said Spencer.

"Gab?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer and Maeve smiled at each other while Stephanie took her newest niece from her sister-in-law and smiled at Gabriella who was staring at her.

"She looks just like you, Maeve," said Stephanie before she passed Gabriella to Mary.

Joe and Mary looked at their daughter.

"How are you feeling, princess?" asked Joe.

"I'm feeling great because I'm no longer pregnant," said Maeve.

"Should we expect another grandchild next year or in a couple of years?" asked Mary.

Spencer and Maeve locked eyes before Maeve looked at her parents.

"We're going to wait a few years because we don't want to have to change two diapers at a time," said Maeve.

Joe took Gabriella from his wife.

"Seeing Gabriella reminds me of when you were a baby," said Joe.

Stephanie looked at her big brother.

"Want me to take a picture of you and Maeve with my nieces before I do a shot that includes the grandparents?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes please, and I'll also take a picture of you with your nieces," said Spencer.

A minute later Maeve was holding Gabriella in a position that allowed her face to be seen Spencer who was sitting on his wife's hospital bed with Jocelyn on his lap before Stephanie looked at her big brother and sister-in-law.

"Smile," said Stephanie.

Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn smiled for the camera while Gabriella stared at her aunt before Stephanie took a picture before she took a picture of Spencer and Maeve smiling at their daughters with love showing on their faces.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on, that afternoon at Bennington Sanitarium in Las Vegas, Dr. Norman approached Diana.

"I ended up getting an email from your son, and because of you having a good day, I need to show you this picture right away," said Dr. Norman.

A few seconds later Diana was looking at a picture of Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, and a newborn baby girl together before seeing another picture of just Gabriella with a caption.

GABRIELLA KAITLYN REID

BORN AT 11:23 AM ON 07-15-2009

6 LBS AND SEVEN OZ AND BOTH MAEVE AND GABBY ARE DOING FINE

"My second grandchild finally arrived, and Gabriella looks just like her mother," said Diana as she teared up before she looked at her doctor, "Can I please call Spencer without the three-minute time limit?" asked Diana.

"You certainly can, but I will stay with you," said Dr. Norman.

Xxxxxxxx 

Meanwhile in Washington DC Spencer was getting himself some coffee when his cell phone rang causing him to quickly answer his phone.

"Dr. Reid," answered Spencer.

"Gabriella's beautiful, Spencer," said Diana.

Spencer smiled as he realized that his mother is lucid.

"I know," said Spencer.

"When am I going to meet my newest granddaughter?" asked Diana.

"Since its going to be awhile before Gabriella can get on a plane, are you wanting to come out to DC and visit before I go back to work?" asked Spencer.

"I'm willing to get on a plane for my granddaughters," said Diana before she became serious, "Do you know why William hasn't come to visit me for a couple of months?" asked Diana.

Spencer sighed.

"Dad has been in prison eight weeks," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Diana.

"He punched me in front of my unit chief and Maeve, so he's in prison for another four months for assaulting a federal agent," said Spencer.

"Why did your father punch you?" asked Diana.

"Are you able to stay on the phone for longer than three minutes?" asked Spencer.

"Dr. Norman told me that I can talk to you as long as I want to because I told him my worries about William not coming to visit me so I was already planning on calling you today," said Diana.

Spencer started to tell his mother about Stephanie and the appearance in court he had to make. When he was finished, his mom spoke up.

"I would have most likely scratched your father's eyes out if I witnessed him hitting you, but I'm glad that he's being punished for hitting you," said Diana.

"I know, and I'll be making sure to file a restraining order that will forbid him from seeing you, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Stephanie, and me when he gets out," said Spencer.

"How is Stephanie dealing with everything?" asked Diana.

"Even though she misses her mother, Jocelyn is doing great at cheering up her aunt," said Spencer.

"When I come and visit, I can't wait to meet Stephanie," said Diana.

"I thought that you wouldn't like my sister," stated Spencer.

"Even though she isn't my daughter, I want to form a relationship with your sister. I'm proud of you for taking in your half-sister," said Diana.

"Maeve, my in-laws, and my teammates are proud of me for deciding to take in my sister too," said Spencer just as a nurse came into the room with two trays of food, "I have to get going because Maeve's and my dinner just arrived, and I'll start making arrangements for you to come visit," said Spencer.

"Keep on sending pictures of my granddaughters, and please include a picture of your sister," said Diana.

"I promise," said Spencer.

"I love you, Spencer," said Diana.

"I love you too, mom," said Spencer before he hung up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Garcia does have to focus on the current case, so that's why I had Spencer tell Garcia to wait until the rest of the team finds their unsub. The next chapter will include the team and Diana meeting Gabriella while Jocelyn's 1st birthday celebration happens too. Godparents will be revealed in the next chapter, but Gabriella's godparents will come from Maeve's side.


	43. The Team Meets Gabriella & Jocelyn Turns 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts five days after the last chapter, so Maeve and Gabriella are out of the hospital and the team have been back from Seattle for a day.
> 
> I hope that I picked the perfect time for Diana to head to DC to meet Gabriella and Stephanie.

Spencer yawned as he checked the peephole, and a few seconds later he was letting his teammates into the house.

"Welcome back," said Spencer.

Morgan took in Spencer's appearance and noticed that Spencer's hair was messed up, had dark circles under his eyes, wearing his glasses instead of his contacts, and was wearing sweatpants and a Cal-tech t-shirt.

"You look like hell, pretty boy," said Morgan.

"Just wait until you eventually have kids of your own someday because you'll be losing sleep for the first couple of months," said Spencer causing laughter from everyone.

"Spence is right, Morgan," said JJ.

Spencer motioned everyone to sit down in the living room.

"Where's Jocelyn?" asked Emily.

"I just put her down for a nap 15 minutes ago, and before you guys ask about Maeve, Gabby and Stephanie; Maeve's currently upstairs feeding Gabby, and Joe took Stephanie to grief counseling for me," said Spencer as he thought about how Joe decided to retire so Jocelyn didn't have to go to daycare.

"Speaking of parents, is your mom going to come out here and meet Gabriella?" asked Emily.

"My mom, aunt Ethel, and uncle Gordon are going to wait until Josie's first birthday party to come out here because they want to give us some time to settle in," said Spencer just as Maeve came downstairs with Gabriella.

"Here comes the newest baby genius," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at Garcia.

"Even though Maeve and I are both geniuses in our own way, there's still a chance that Gabriella won't end up becoming a genius like Maeve, Jocelyn, and me," said Spencer just as Maeve looked at everyone.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce you guys to Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid," said Maeve.

Hotch, Rossi, JJ, Morgan, Emily, and Garcia took in the sight of the red-haired and blue-eyed baby girl.

"Awww," cooed JJ, Emily, and Garcia.

Rossi looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"Pictures do not do justice because Gabriella's more beautiful in person," said Rossi.

"We know," said Spencer before Maeve passed Gabriella over to Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

After everyone was done passing Gabriella around, JJ looked at Spencer and Maeve while Gabriella slept in her bassinet.

"Who are Gabriella's godparents?" asked JJ.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other before Maeve looked at her husband's teammates.

"While I was in the hospital, I asked my cousins Judy and Brennan to be Gabriella's godparents," said Maeve.

"I was so hoping that I could be godmother to Henry's future wife," said JJ.

Spencer shook his head as he thought about how Hotch joked about Jocelyn being Jack's future wife while JJ and Will joked about Gabriella being Henry's future wife.

"Maeve and I agreed that I would pick godparents from my side for our first child while she gets to pick godparents from her side for our second child because we both had separate personal lives before we met," said Spencer.

"Are you two going to have another child?" asked Garcia.

"With me having two babies in less than a year, we decided that we want to wait until Josie and Gabby are out of diapers to try for baby number three," said Maeve just as Joe and Stephanie came into the house.

"How was grief counseling?" asked Spencer.

"It went OK," said Stephanie.

Morgan looked at Stephanie.

"Are you settling in OK, mini-girl Reid?" asked Morgan.

Stephanie smiled a bit at the nickname that Morgan gave her.

"I'm all unpacked, and I'm glad that I have another month to adjust to living in a new city before I start attending high school that's five blocks away from here," said Stephanie before Jocelyn started babbling through the baby monitor causing Spencer to go get Jocelyn so everyone could interact with her.

Xxxxxxxx 

A week later Spencer was pushing Jocelyn on a baby swing just as a slightly older woman put a toddler who was a few months older than Jocelyn into the baby swing next to him.

"Well isn't it Dr. Reid," said a female voice.

Spencer turned his head and instantly recognized Elle Greenway.

"Elle," said Spencer as he focused on pushing his daughter's swing, "What brought you to DC?" asked Spencer.

"My husband has a conference and I decided to come down here and visit a few friends I made between cases, and when it came to my former teammates I was hoping to see you again because you tried to help me," said Elle as she blinked back tears at the sight of Spencer with his baby girl, "And I'm glad that I ran into you because I see that you got married and had a child over the past two and a half years," said Elle.

"Over 21 months I go I met young and brilliant geneticist, and instead of having just Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid, I actually have two children," said Spencer.

Elle looked at the time on her phone.

"Then where's your wife and second child? If you're still in the BAU, why aren't you at work right now?" asked Elle.

Spencer stopped pushing Jocelyn's swing causing Elle to follow suit with the swing she was pushing.

"I'm still in the BAU, but I'm on paternity leave because Maeve just gave birth to Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid two weeks ago," said Spencer before looking at the toddler who was in the swing that Elle was pushing, "How old is your son?" asked Spencer.

"Robert is 15 months old," said Elle.

Spencer removed Jocelyn from the swing.

"Josie will be turning one next week Monday," said Spencer as he looked at Elle and noticed that she looks much happier, "Have you been getting help since you left?" asked Spencer.

Elle removed Robert from the swing.

"After being self-destructive for awhile my family forced me to get help," said Elle.

Spencer smiled sadly at Elle.

"Something happened to me that caused me to be self-destructive for awhile before Hotch told me to accept his help because he didn't want to fail me like he did with you," said Spencer.

"What happened to you?" asked Elle.

Spencer instantly noticed that Jocelyn was falling asleep in his arms causing him to make his decision.

"I'm not going to tell you what happened to me in public, but I'm willing to tell you at my house because its nap time for Jocelyn," said Spencer.

Elle noticed that her son was falling asleep too.

"Robert can sleep in Gabriella's crib because Gabby is using a bassinet right now," said Spencer.

"Thanks," said Elle.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered his house with Jocelyn on his hip before letting Elle and Robert in the house just as Spencer saw Maeve on the couch reading a book.

"Maeve, I would like to introduce you to my former teammate Elle Greenway," said Spencer.

Maeve smiled at Elle.

"Spencer has told me about you," said Maeve.

"Where's Gabby?" asked Spencer quietly.

Maeve pointed at the nearby bassinet.

"She's asleep in her bassinet over there, and Stephanie decided to go ride her bike around the neighborhood," said Maeve.

"Stephanie?" asked Elle.

"In April I found out that I had a former step-mother and a 14-year-old half-sister, and Tanya approached us because she was dying from a brain tumor and wanted Maeve and me to have custody of Stephanie because Tanya took Stephanie away from my father when Stephanie was four. Tanya died over two months ago, and we've had guardianship over Stephanie ever since," said Spencer.

Elle thought about how she learned about Spencer's parents after the Fisher King case.

"Even though your former step-mother is dead, I have to say good for her for getting Stephanie away from your father," said Elle.

Maeve looked at the sleeping toddler in Elle's arms.

"Your son can go into Gabriella's crib," said Maeve.

"Spencer already told me I can put him there," said Elle as she decided to look into the bassinet and smiled at the sight of the sleeping two-week-old baby, "If Gabriella has red hair, I can tell that she has your hair, Maeve," said Elle.

"I use to have red hair like that when I was a little girl before my hair darkened into an auburn shade," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Elle were sitting in the library when Spencer looked at Elle as he reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his one-year medallion and tossed it to Elle.

"You became an addict after I left?" asked Elle.

"I got addicted to Dilaudid because I was abducted and tortured by an unsub who was suffering from DID in Atlanta, Georgia in February of 2007," said Spencer as he started to explain what happened to him while he was abducted and tortured, how he rescued himself, his struggles for the first couple of months before Hotch forced him to get professional help.

Xxxxxxxx 

When he was finished explaining everything Elle wiped a tear and looked at him.

"I'm glad that you've been sober for over two years and that Hotch didn't fail you like he did with me, but have to admit that you really surprise me because you can be a bad ass when you need to be," said Elle.

Spencer nodded as he laughed.

"The night I rescued myself, I really surprised Hotch and the rest of the team by pulling Hotch into a hug before Hotch got out of his shock and quickly hugged me back," said Spencer.

Elle laughed a bit.

"I know that your not a fan of hugging people, but I wish that I could have seen Hotch's face when you pulled him into that hug," said Elle.

"Hotch knew that I needed that reassuring hug, but I know that he was relieved when I started to act like my old self again," said Spencer.

"How are Gideon and the rest of the team?" asked Elle.

Spencer sighed sadly.

"Gideon left a few weeks before I turned 26, and I've only seen him once because he decided to check up on me and was pleased to find out that I got married and started a family. Hotch and Haley ended up getting a divorce, so Hotch tries to see Jack every weekend while joking that Jack will be my future son-in-law. David Rossi came out of retirement and took Gideon's place. Emily Prentiss took your place, and she's Josie's godmother. JJ has a finance and an eight-month-old son named Henry, and Garcia and I are godparents. Garcia is dating another technical analyst and Morgan's still Morgan while being Josie's godfather," said Spencer.

"I'm glad that most of you are doing great," said Elle.

"Meeting Maeve was a huge reason why my PTSD symptoms didn't come fully back after Gideon left," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Less than a week later on August 3rd, Spencer carried a crying Gabriella into his and Maeve's bedroom, and a few seconds later Maeve woke up to Gabriella's crying.

"She's hungry?" asked Maeve as she sat up in bed.

"I just changed her diaper when she started crying," said Spencer.

Maeve unbuttoned the first few buttons of Spencer's old short-sleeved dress shirt that she was wearing before she took Gabriella from her husband and started to nurse her youngest daughter.

"Happy birthday, Maeve," said Spencer as he gave his wife a kiss.

"Thank you, Spencer," said Maeve.

"Speaking of birthdays, I just can't believe that Jocelyn is finally a year old," sighed Spencer as he ran a gentle hand through Gabriella's red curls.

"Me too, but Jocelyn is one of my most favorite birthday presents," said Maeve.

"At least we decided to hold of Jocelyn's birthday party until Saturday because my teammates left for Milwaukee yesterday and mom, aunt Ethel, and uncle Gordon aren't arriving until Friday," said Spencer.

"As soon as Gabriella's full, would you like to burp her?" asked Maeve.

"Sure, and after Gabby's dressed we can see if Josie's awake," said Spencer.

"And after Josie's awake we can start making breakfast before we wake up Stephanie," said Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Spencer and Maeve smiled as they watched Jocelyn wake up, and as soon as Jocelyn saw her parents, she showed off all the baby teeth that have already sprouted.

"Mama. Dada," said Jocelyn as she scrambled to her feet and hung onto the railings of her crib.

"Happy birthday, Josie Posie," said Spencer as he lifted his one-year-old daughter out of her crib and carried her to the changing table so he could change Jocelyn's diaper.

"Dada?" asked Jocelyn.

"You turn one today," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her oldest daughter.

"Its also my birthday too, Josie," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Jocelyn and Gabriella were either in their high chair or baby seat while Spencer and Maeve started making breakfast together, and when they were almost done making pancakes, scrambled eggs, and shredded hash browns, a fully Stephanie came into the kitchen.

"The smell of breakfast cooking woke me up," said Stephanie.

"Breakfast will be done in two minutes," said Maeve.

Jocelyn threw a cheerio at her aunt causing Stephanie to laugh at her niece.

"Happy birthday, Jocelyn," said Stephanie before she looked at her sister-in-law, "Happy birthday, Maeve," said Stephanie.

"Thank you, Stephanie," said Maeve.

"Are you happy that your firstborn daughter was born on your birthday?" asked Stephanie.

Maeve nodded.

"Giving birth to Josie on my birthday tops all of the birthday presents I received in the past 27 years," said Maeve.

A few minutes later the Reid family was eating breakfast while Gabriella watched in her baby seat before Spencer passed Maeve a small box.

"Here's your birthday present," said Spencer.

Maeve opened up the small box and her eyes went wide when she saw a prepaid package for a day at the spa.

"Your mother is going with you because Joe and I thought that you two deserve a mother/daughter day at the spa while Joe, Stephanie, and I take care of Josie and Gabby," said Spencer.

"Thank you, Spencer," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Maeve who was laying on her stomach on a massage table looked over at her mom who was also getting a massage.

"I can't believe that dad and Spencer decided to send us here," said Maeve.

"You just gave birth to Gabriella nearly three weeks ago, and I think its sweet that our husbands decided that we need some mother/daughter time," said Mary before looking at her daughter, "Before you met Spencer, I was worried that you were going to be way too focused on your career instead of settling down and starting a family of your own," said Mary.

Maeve thought about a conversation she had with Hotch when he once brought Jack over for a play date with Jocelyn.

"Aaron once told me that he was worried about Spencer becoming a workaholic like him while telling me that meeting me has helped his self-confidence improve while he makes less risky decisions in the field," said Maeve before she decided to focus on the massage that she was being given.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer took a picture of Jocelyn who was covered up in icing from the cupcake that he and Maeve gave her before he sent the picture to his teammates.

Xxxxxxxx 

Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, WI, Emily's cell phone vibrated causing her to see a picture of Jocelyn from Spencer that made her laugh.

EVEN THOUGH JOSIE'S BIRTHDAY PARTY ISN'T UNTIL SATURDAY, MAEVE AND I DECIDED TO GIVE JOSIE A CUPCAKE. SO I THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD APPRECIATE A PICTURE OF JOSIE ENJOYING A CUPCAKE. ~ SR

Morgan looked at Emily.

"Did you get a picture too?" asked Morgan.

"I did, and I can't believe that Jocelyn's a year old," sighed Emily.

"Me too," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Four days later Spencer pulled his mom into a hug

"I'm glad that you decided to come out here for Jocelyn's birthday party while you meet your newest granddaughter," said Spencer as let go of his mother and gestured to his father-in-law, "I hope you remember my father-in-law Joseph Donovan," said Spencer before he greeted his aunt and uncle.

Diana studied Joe.

"I do," said Diana before she looked at her son, "Since the last time I have seen you, I can tell that you did put on a few pounds," said Diana.

"I've been on leave since Stephanie's mother died because my sister needed me while I was home for the last couple of months of Maeve's second pregnancy," said Spencer.

Ethel looked at her nephew.

"You really need a haircut, Spencer," said Ethel.

"I know, but Maeve likes my hair the way it is," said Spencer.

"Can you please take me to your house so I can see Jocelyn while meeting my newest granddaughter and your sister before you take me to the hospital that I'm staying in until I go back to Vegas on Sunday?" asked Diana.

Spencer looped arms with his mother.

"I certainly can, mom," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Diana smiled as Jocelyn toddled over to her.

"Nana," said Jocelyn.

Diana instantly lifted up her one-year-old granddaughter.

"Happy belated birthday, Jocelyn," said Diana.

Jocelyn started to babble at her grandma Diana while saying words that she mastered before Ethel and Gordon took a turn of getting to hold their great-niece.

"Where's Gabriella?" asked Diana.

Spencer heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Here comes Maeve with Gabby," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Diana started to tear up a bit as Maeve came forward with Gabriella.

"Diana, I want you to meet your three-week-old granddaughter Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid," said Maeve.

Diana eagerly accepted her youngest granddaughter from her daughter-in-law and took in a wide-awake Gabriella's sight.

"Spencer's right about Gabriella looking a lot like you, Maeve," said Diana.

"I know," said Maeve.

Gabriella cooed at her grandma Diana before Diana looked at her son.

"Where's Stephanie?" asked Diana.

Spencer looked at his wife who looked at Diana.

"Stephanie cooped herself up in the library because she's nervous about meeting you," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his wife.

"I'll go talk to Stephanie," said Spencer.

Diana passed her youngest granddaughter over to her brother.

"Since my brother and Ethel deserve a turn to hold their newest great-niece, I'll come with you," said Diana.

"Are you sure, mom?" asked Spencer.

"I want to reassure your half-sister that I'll love her as if she's my daughter," said Diana.

Spencer looped arms with his mom.

"Let's go," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer entered the library while his mother waited outside.

"There's no need to be nervous about meeting my mom because she's very excited about meeting you," said Spencer.

"I thought that she would resent me?" asked Stephanie.

Diana chose that moment to enter the library.

"I would never resent you, Stephanie," said Diana as she sat next to Stephanie on the couch, "After I had Spencer, I didn't want to mess with perfection," said Diana as she hugged the 14-year-old girl.

Stephanie looked at Diana.

"You look prettier in person," said Stephanie.

"Thank you, Stephanie. And when it comes to your eyes and hair color, you look like Spencer," said Diana before she and Stephanie got started talking about books.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next afternoon Spencer was lighting up the lone birthday candle on Jocelyn's small cake before Maeve started to sing "Happy Birthday" causing everyone to follow suit.

"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Jocelyn. Happy birthday to you," sang everyone.

Spencer and Maeve exchanged glances before they blew out the lone candle together before Maeve removed the candle, and a few minutes later everyone was laughing as they watched Jocelyn cover herself up with her small cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here's a heads up in an upcoming chapter that there will be another "I did not see that coming" moment because I'm having a certain guest star coming back. Only one more chapter that doesn't deal with any episodes until I get to the last two episodes of season four before I start on season 5.


	44. Stephanie's First Day of High School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter that doesn't deal with episodes for awhile, and I hope that everyone approves the surprise character for this chapter.

Spencer exited Gabriella's nursery with a sleeping Gabriella in his arms just as he noticed that there was a light showing through the gap that was between the closed door of Stephanie's bedroom and the hallway floor.

"Are you still awake Stephanie?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah," said Stephanie.

"Can I please come in?" asked Spencer.

"Sure," said Stephanie.

Spencer balanced Gabriella in his arms as he opened up Stephanie's door, and a few seconds later he was watching Stephanie sitting up in her bed while reading a book.

"Are you having trouble falling asleep because of tomorrow?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Stephanie.

Spencer slightly chuckled as he sat down at the foot of Stephanie's bed as he continued to hold his sleeping youngest daughter.

"It was like that for me the night before my first day of high school, my first day at Cal-tech, and my first day at the BAU," said Spencer.

Stephanie grinned.

"The BAU?" asked Stephanie.

"I just turned 22-years-old and I was extremely nervous about being the youngest FBI agent ever, but luckily Hotch decided to pick me up from my old apartment and drive me to the BAU himself while giving me a pep talk," said Spencer before looking at Gabriella who was still in his arms as he slowly stood up, "I should get Gabriella into her bassinet, so you should try and get some sleep because you need to be well rested for your first day of high school," said Spencer.

Stephanie closed her book and placed it on her nightstand before she gave her brother a hug while being careful not to crush her youngest niece.

"Good night, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"Good night, Stephanie," said Spencer before he left his sister's bedroom.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer looked at his sister who was wearing jeans, a pink polo shirt, while her mid-back length brown hair was pulled into a ponytail as he, Maeve, Stephanie, and Jocelyn ate pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon for breakfast while Gabriella sat in her baby swing.

"Are you still nervous after the talk we had at 11 PM last night?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie nodded.

"I just hope that I don't get bullied due to being the new girl," said Stephanie.

"There might be a few students who might have transferred from one of the private schools in the area to public school or just moved into the area just like you did," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at Stephanie.

"With you being signed up for marching band, why don't you try to make friends with other students who play the flute," said Maeve.

"I'll try, but most of my friends in junior high were in the same special education study hall as me," said Stephanie.

"That's another good place to make friends," said Spencer before everyone decided to focus on their breakfast.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Spencer pulled over by the high school and he looked at his little sister who was sitting nervously in the front seat.

"Are you ready to go inside?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie thought about how she and Spencer came to the school a week ago so she could meet her teachers before the first day while getting a tour of the school.

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Stephanie.

"I'll always have my personal phone on, and if I have a case I'll call the school and have them send you a message," said Spencer.

"OK, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"Please call me as soon as you get out of school, and I'll make sure to answer my phone," said Spencer.

"I promise, and I have my umbrella just in case it starts to rain today," said Stephanie.

A few seconds later Stephanie got out of the front seat of her brother's SUV and looked at Spencer.

"Bye, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"Bye, Stephanie," said Spencer.

As soon as Stephanie was a couple of feet away, Spencer made sure that traffic was clear before he pulled away.

Xxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Mrs. Lowell looked at her first-period algebra class.

"Before I start our first lesson, I want our newest student who has moved down here from Maine to come up here and introduce herself," said Mrs. Lowell before looking at Stephanie, "Why don't you come up here Stephanie and tell us about yourself," said Mrs. Lowell.

Stephanie nervously got up and walked to the front of the room and looked at everyone before seeing the reassuring smile that her IEP case manager Mrs. Charles who would be helping out Mrs. Lowell's first-period class gave her.

"My name is Stephanie Reid and I recently moved here from Portland, Maine to live with my half-brother, sister-in-law, and my two nieces," said Stephanie shyly.

"Why are you living with your brother instead of your parents?" asked Lucy.

Mrs. Lowell looked at her seating chart before looking at Lucy.

"That's none of your business, Lucy," scolded Mrs. Lowell.

Stephanie looked at her teacher.

"Its OK, Mrs. Lowell," said Stephanie before looking at her classmates, "My mom divorced my father when I was four while ordering him to stay away from me and not contact me at all. After my mom died last May, my 27-year-old brother who is a profiler for the FBI and my sister-in-law got custody of me," said Stephanie.

Mrs. Lowell looked at Stephanie.

"What about hobbies?" asked Mrs. Lowell.

"I play the piano and flute," said Stephanie.

"Did you sign up for band?" asked Mrs. Lowell.

"I did, and it's during second hour," said Stephanie.

Holly who was sitting in the front row looked at Stephanie.

"I also play the flute while having band during second hour, so I'll walk with you to the next class," said Holly.

Stephanie gave Holly a small smile.

"Thank you," said Stephanie before Mrs. Lowell decided to start teaching her class.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three hours later in Quantico, Virginia Spencer looked up from the consult he finished and looked at a picture of him, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Stephanie together after Gabriella's birth.

"Are you missing Jocelyn and Gabriella?" asked Emily.

Spencer smiled as he thought about his one-year-old Jocelyn and one-month-old Gabriella.

"I'm missing them, but wondering how Stephanie is handling her first day of school because she's not going to school in her comfort zone," said Spencer.

Emily laughed at Spencer's pun while she thought about the things she did when she was 15.

"As an ambassador's and diplomat's daughter it was hard having to change schools every time my parents had a new posting, but eventually she'll make friends here in DC," said Emily.

"If Stephanie ends up having trouble adjusting to her new school, would you mind talking to her?" asked Spencer before thinking about a picture that Garcia once showed him causing him to give Emily a cheeky grin as he decided to switch to Russian, "I really don't want my sister to go through that goth phase like you did in high school because of all of the sudden changes she just had to deal with," said Spencer in Russian.

Emily realized what Spencer said causing her to quickly crumple up a piece of scrap paper and threw it at Spencer who ended up ducking before it hit him causing Morgan to laugh.

At that moment Spencer yawned causing him to stand up and stretch.

"Tired?" asked Morgan.

"With Gabby waking Maeve and me up five times last night, I really need some coffee and check on Maeve and my daughters," muttered Spencer to himself as he grabbed his personal phone and stalked off to the break area.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later in Washington DC, Stephanie was eating her lunch by herself when a boy sat down across from her.

"Why are you sitting here alone?" asked Jeremy.

"I recently moved into my brother's house from Portland, Maine and I really don't know anyone here because I was focusing on helping my brother and my sister-in-law take care of my one-year-old niece and one-month-old niece. So far everyone in my classes are being nice to me, but none of them asked me to sit with them or join me here," said Stephanie.

"Even though I'm also a freshman and don't have any morning classes with you, there might be a chance that I might have an afternoon class or two with you," said Jeremy before he held out his hand, "I'm Jeremy Jacobs," said Jeremy.

Stephanie nervously shook Jeremy's hand.

"Stephanie Reid," said Stephanie.

Jeremy's eyes went wide.

"Any relation to Dr. Spencer Reid?" asked Jeremy.

"He's the half-brother who I moved in with, but how do you know who my brother is?" asked Stephanie.

"He and his team saved my cousin nearly two years ago, but my parents ended up in prison for hurting my cousin while I went into foster care because my aunt and uncle didn't want to take me in," said Jeremy.

"My mom died last May, and before she died, she asked Spencer to take me in," said Stephanie.

"What about your father?" asked Jeremy.

"I haven't seen him since I was four, and he's in prison for physically assaulting my brother in front of my sister-in-law and Spencer's unit chief," said Stephanie as she looked at her schedule, "What class do you have for sixth hour?" asked Stephanie.

"I have biology with Mr. Evans," said Jeremy.

Stephanie grinned causing Jeremy's stomach to flutter.

"Me too," said Stephanie.

"After we're done eating lunch, let's walk to class together," said Jeremy.

"OK," said Stephanie.

Xxxxxxxx 

At 3:20 PM Spencer's cell phone rang causing Spencer to quickly answer his phone when he saw that it was Stephanie.

"Hi Stephanie," said Spencer.

"I thought that I should let you know that I'm walking home from school right now," said Stephanie.

"How was school?" asked Spencer.

"Other than having homework for biology, algebra, American history, and English; it went well," said Stephanie.

"I'll make sure to look over your homework tonight, but what about making friends?" asked Spencer.

"I made a few friends during lunch and band, and one of my new friends said he met you before," said Stephanie.

"You have a classmate who knows who I am?" asked Spencer.

Emily and Morgan looked at Spencer.

"He says his name is Jeremy Jacobs. He's in the same grade as me, and he told me to tell you that he apologizes for not calling you about anything he needs," said Stephanie.

Spencer's face broke into a grin.

"How is he doing?" asked Spencer.

"He's doing well and he's in foster care," said Stephanie.

"I have to get back to work, but if I'm home this weekend Jeremy can come over for dinner," said Spencer.

"Since I exchanged phone numbers with him, I'll let him know," said Stephanie.

"I'll see you around 6 PM," said Spencer before hanging up.

"So Stephanie has a classmate who knows you?" asked Emily.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"Remember Jeremy Jacobs?" asked Spencer.

"I remember him," said Morgan.

"He's also a freshman at Stephanie's school, and Stephanie told me that he's one of her new friends that she exchanged numbers with," said Spencer.

"Do you think that Jeremy might become a love interest for Stephanie?" asked Emily.

"It might be possible, but I gave her strict rules when it comes to having boys over," said Spencer.

"At least having Stephanie live under your own roof will give you practice for when Jocelyn and Gabriella start noticing boys," said Morgan.

"I know," said Spencer before he got up and grabbed his completed stacks of consults and headed up to Hotch's office and knocked on the open door.

"Come in, Reid," said Hotch.

Spencer entered Hotch's office and passed Hotch his finished stack of consults.

"I finished my consults, and I thought that I should tell you about the phone call I just got from Stephanie," said Spencer.

"Did she have a good first day of school?" asked Hotch.

"She made a few friends, and one of her new friends is Jeremy Jacobs," said Spencer.

"The teenager that you bonded with while we tried to search for Katie Jacobs," said Hotch.

"Yes, and I told Stephanie that she must invite him over for dinner this weekend. I just hope that if Stephanie and Jeremy become more than friends that there won't be any problem because Stephanie's my sister while Jeremy's a cousin of a victim we saved," said Spencer.

"That case has been closed for nearly two years, so there won't be any problem," said Hotch before smiling a little bit, "Are you going to give Jeremy any of those creative threats you came up with over the past year as a warning of what you'll do if he hurts your sister?" asked Hotch.

Spencer grinned.

"I'm already planning on it," said Spencer before he started to use his eyes on Hotch, "Since there are no cases at the moment and I've completed my work, can I please go home early so I can help Maeve cook dinner and help Stephanie with her homework?" asked Spencer.

"Even though its the first day of school, she already has homework?" asked Hotch.

"She does, and I told her that every day after school homework comes first while Maeve or I look over her homework," said Spencer.

"Go home, Reid," said Hotch.

"Thank you," said Spencer as he hurried out of Hotch's office and towards his desk.

A minute later Spencer was quickly shutting down his computer before he started to pack up his messenger bag.

"Where are you off to, Reid?" asked Morgan.

"I asked Hotch if I could go home early so I can help Maeve with dinner and help Stephanie with her homework, and he gave me the all clear to head home," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer was running off to the elevators.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer entered the house and smiled as he saw Jocelyn sitting on the floor playing with some blocks, Stephanie was laying on her stomach on the living room floor with her algebra textbook open and her notebook open in front of her while Gabriella slept in her bassinet.

"Need some help with your homework, Stephanie?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn and Stephanie both turned their heads and Jocelyn grinned as she scrambled to her feet and walked over to her daddy while Stephanie looked at her brother.

"I don't need help right now, but you can look over my work when I'm finished," said Stephanie.

Spencer scooped up Jocelyn and walked over to Gabriella's bassinet and smiled at his sleeping one-month-old daughter.

"Where's Maeve?" asked Spencer.

"She's upstairs taking a nap, and I told her that I would watch my nieces while I do my homework," said Stephanie.

"Do you think you can continue watching your nieces while I get started on dinner?" asked Spencer.

"Certainly, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"Anything special you want me to make?" asked Spencer.

"Lasagna because I can take some leftovers to school tomorrow for lunch," said Stephanie.

"Lasagna it is," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was in the kitchen prepping the lasagna, and as soon as he had the lasagna in the oven he was looking over Stephanie's algebra homework before he showed her which problems she had to do again before he went to wake up Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over 40 minutes later Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, and Stephanie were eating dinner while Spencer and Maeve listened to Stephanie tell them about how her first day of high school went while Gabriella slept in her baby swing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm going to have it that Jeremy was born during September of 1994 while Stephanie was born during January of 1995. I'm not going to write about Jeremy coming over for dinner, but you can imagine Jeremy updating Spencer on how he and his cousin are doing.


	45. To Hell & And Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up changing the line "I hear that Detroit is beautiful in the spring" to "I hear that Detroit is beautiful in the fall" because of deciding that Spencer needed time off after getting infected with anthrax, being there for his half-sister as she grieved, and Gabriella being born.
> 
> As much as I want to combine To Hell, And Back, and Nameless Faceless in one chapter; I'm not going to do that.

Spencer entered the master bedroom only to find Maeve wearing a robe.

"Josie's finally asleep, and Stephanie told me in a text message that she's doing fine at Holly's house," said Spencer.

Maeve smiled as she thought about how Stephanie went over to Holly's house for a sleepover.

"Good," said Maeve as she removed her robe revealing lingerie, "I finally got the all clear from Dr. Marks yesterday, and before you ask if you should put on a condom, I'm on a birth control pill until we're ready for baby number three," said Maeve.

Spencer locked the door before he made his way to his wife.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer and Maeve were sleeping peacefully in each other's arms as they didn't even realize that their first time making love since Gabriella's birth would be their last time for the next three-and-a-half-months.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer pulled up by the school and looked at his sister.

"I hope you have a good day at school, Stephanie," said Spencer.

"I hope so too," said Stephanie as she gave her brother a kiss on the cheek before she exited her brother's SUV before opening up the backseat door and grabbed her backpack, "Hopefully I'll see you tonight," said Stephanie.

"I hope so too, but if I have a case, I'll find time to talk to you when you get out of school," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer smiled as he watched Stephanie meet up with her friends Holly, Jeremy, Erica, and Ramona before he pulled away from the school.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer was sitting at the round table when JJ showed everyone a picture of a handcuffed man.

"His name's William Hightower. He claims over the past month, he's picked 10 people off the streets of Detroit, killed them, dumped their bodies across the border in Canada," said JJ.

"Has he given up the dumpsite?" asked Emily.

"He said he'll only talk to the FBI," said JJ.

Spencer looked at JJ.

"Do we have confirmation these people are even missing?" asked Spencer.

"Two were reported missing by family months ago, but they all appear to be transients. We're having a hard time finding any information on them," said JJ.

Hotch looked at Garcia.

"Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"Like a bloodhound, sir," said Garcia as she grabbed her belongings and left the room.

"So what do we know about this guy?" asked Morgan.

"Until 2 months ago, he was a sergeant in the US Army. He did 2 tours in Iraq. Lost his left leg in a roadside ambush. He was discharged with a purple heart and a commendation for valor," said Hotch as he noticed everyone raise their eyebrows.

"And the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are requesting our help?" asked Spencer.

"They don't have a lot of choice," said Hotch.

"He manages to get away with 10 murders, why crash the guard post?" asked JJ.

"Could be an attempted suicide. And maybe he was trying to take as many people with him as he could," said Emily.

"It may also be a case of post-traumatic stress disorder," said Rossi.

"I don't know," said Hotch.

"Do we think he's legit?" asked Morgan.

"I think it's too many bodies to take chances," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer had Maeve on the phone.

"I'm leaving for a few days," said Spencer.

"Where are you off to this time?" asked Maeve.

"The Royal Canadian Mounted Police asked for our help," said Spencer.

"So your going to Canada?" asked a shocked Maeve.

"Most likely too because Detroit has been mentioned too," said Spencer.

"Just let me know where your officially going," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at a picture of Jocelyn and Gabriella together on his desk.

"I will, but are Josie and Gabby awake?" asked Spencer.

"Both girls are asleep, and I was just folding a basket of laundry when you called," said Maeve.

"When it comes to growing in another tooth, I don't blame her for wanting some extra sleep," said Spencer.

Maeve yawned.

"I really appreciate you being on Jocelyn duty last night so I could get some sleep in-between Gabriella's feedings. Hopefully in another month Gabriella will be sleeping through the night for us," said Maeve.

"I hope so too, but I think you should take advantage of sleeping if both Josie and Gabby are asleep at the same time," said Spencer.

"I'm going to take your suggestion, and please stay safe," said Maeve.

"I promise to stay safe, and I love you," said Spencer.

"I love you too," said Maeve before she hung up.

Xxxxxxxx 

JJ looked at the information they had on the victims.

"He documented them all in detail. Names, photos, dates, and locations where he took them," said JJ.

Morgan looked at the information they had on William Hightower.

"Military background. He's bound to be organized," said Morgan.

"He definitely doesn't have a type," said Rossi.

Spencer crossed his arms.

"The only consistency is that they were all abducted in the same area," said Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"Yeah, what do we know about that?" asked Emily.

"It's called the Cass Corridor," said Spencer as he stood up and pointed at the map that was on the small table, "It's right here. It has an extremely high concentration of drug trafficking, prostitution, and homeless people," said Spencer as he sat back down.

"All high-risk behavior," said Rossi.

"So, for this guy, maybe it's more about opportunity than victimology," said Emily.

Hotch looked at Morgan and Emily.

"Morgan and Prentiss, when we land, I want you to head straight to Detroit. See if you hear anything in the Whisper Stream. I want to make sure we have a crime before we get too deeply into this," said Hotch.

"I hear Detroit is beautiful in the fall," deadpanned Emily.

Morgan laughed.

"The rest of us will meet with the legal attache before with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police," said Hotch.

"Actually, sir, the officer in charge said that his team was part of a fellowship the B. A. to train police forces in profiling," said JJ.

Rossi chuckled.

"That was the first one we ever did," said Rossi as he picked up a file, "Jeff Bedwell," read Rossi.

"You know him?" asked JJ.

"Yeah," said Rossi.

"Is he any good?" asked Morgan.

"He better be. I trained him," said Rossi.

Spencer sent Maeve a quick text.

I'LL BE GOING TO ONTARIO, CANADA. ~ SR

A minute later Spencer's phone vibrated causing Spencer to smile when he saw a picture of 13-month-old Jocelyn showing Gabriella her teddy bear.

"A picture of Jocelyn and Gabriella?" asked Hotch.

"Yep," said Spencer.

"How is Stephanie adjusting to her new school?" asked Hotch.

"She's enjoying her classes, and she already made a few friends in her classes," said Spencer.

"That's great," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

"Dave," said Jeff as he shook hands with Rossi.

"Jeff, how you been?" asked Rossi.

"You mean besides having serial killers trying to take out our border agents?" asked Jeff.

Rossi gestured to to his teammates.

"Jeff Bedwell, Agents Aaron Hotchner, Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau," said Rossi.

"Thanks for being here," said Jeff before he started to lead Spencer, Hotch, JJ, and Rossi to the work area he set up, "I've got a victim board and timelines set up on monitors in the conference room. Anything you need, you've got the run of the place," said Jeff.

"We appreciate it," said Hotch.

Jeff entered the room that he set up for everyone.

"Don't thank me. Thank the unsub. He's the one that put you all in charge," said Jeff.

Rossi looked at the monitor that contained pictures of the known missing victims.

"I see you paid attention in class," said Rossi.

"I need to go talk to Garcia, see if she had any luck locating the family members," said JJ.

Spencer looked at the monitor.

"And check records for multiple border crosses, see if we get any hits for the days the victims went missing," said Hotch.

"Got it," said JJ.

Spencer looked back at Jeff.

"You believe that he killed all these people?" asked Spencer.

"Fits the profile," said Jeff.

"How so?" asked Rossi.

"He got a recent physical trauma. Could be a stressor. Wide disparity of victims. No bodies. Possible border cross. Two entirely different terrains. To pull that off, you'd have to be smart, you'd have to be organized, mobile, physical," said Jeff.

"Military background gives you all that," said Rossi.

"Exactly," said Jeff.

Spencer looked at the pictures of the victims.

"It appears as though he clusters his victims into men, then women, and then back to men again," said Spencer.

"What does that tell you?" asked Jeff.

"At the moment, nothing," said Hotch.

"Has he contacted family?" asked Rossi.

"Refuses a lawyer, too," said Jeff.

"He's in interrogation?" asked Hotch.

"Waiting for us," said Jeff.

Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi exchanged glances.

"This guy's US. Army. He demanded to talk to the FBI. He's not gonna want to talk to anyone but the person he thinks is in charge," said Rossi.

"Of course. I'll take you to him," said Jeff.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at the conference table as he listened to the voicemail that William Hightower had.

"William, are you there? Something bad is happening. It's dark. I don't know where he's taking me," said William's sister through the phone.

"After that, the signal cuts out," said Hotch.

"This is the same night she left her mom's house?" asked Spencer.

"Hightower called in an army favor. They triangulated the call to a cell tower in Cada just over the border in Port Huron," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at Jeff.

"It explains why he crossed into your jurisdiction," said Rossi.

"It's also a surefire way to get the FBI involved. He knew we'd investigate an American citizen being held on multiple murder charges," said Spencer.

"And you believe him?" asked Jeff.

"I do," said Hotch just as his cell phone rang causing him to see a call from Garcia, "Go ahead, Garcia," said Hotch.

"Good news and bad news. I've got IDs on multiple border crosses for the dates in question. Trouble is, I've got hundreds, and as far as I can tell, if your license doesn't ping for any prior felonies, you're pretty much gonna pass go and collect 200 Canadian dollars," said Garcia.

"She's right. Busiest cross in North America. Lot of commercial traffic, trucks mostly. Stop and searches would cause too many delays," said Jeff.

"So he's got virtually free passage," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at a map of Canada.

"And once he crosses, there's nothing but woods to hide whatever he's doing," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer entered the conference room just as JJ got off the phone.

"How's it going?" asked Spencer as he sat down.

JJ rubbed her forehead.

"The majority of the people on the street aren't even from Detroit. We don't have last names on most of them. No hometowns. Unless there's a missing persons report on file somewhere, it's almost impossible," said JJ.

Spencer looked at the file that he read.

"Most of these people's families probably gave up on seeing them long ago," said Spencer.

"A mother would never give up," said JJ as she pressed a key on the laptop, Can you hand me William Hightower's arrest report?" asked JJ.

Spencer handed JJ the report, and a few seconds later his cell phone rang causing him to see that it was Garcia.

"Yeah, Garcia?" asked Spencer.

"Sherlock, it's Watson. I think I've got something," said Garcia just as Rossi entered the room.

"What do you have?" asked Spencer.

"I checked Detroit crime reports over the last month because Derek and Emily astutely thought there might be some sorts of assaults or disturbances having to do with our unsub," said Garcia.

"And?" asked Spencer.

"Well, it's tres weird, but on 5 of the abduction nights, Detroit PD reports a break-in or a robbery at some type of medical facility," said Garcia.

"What types of medical facility?" asked Rossi.

"We got a hospital, blood bank, medical supply company, the Red Cross-," said Garcia.

"What is he doing, stealing narcotics?" asked Spencer.

"That's just it. He isn't some drugstore cowboy. The stuff he took is, like, anesthesia and sterilizing equipment and syringes. Negative on the narcota," said Garcia.

"Garcia, where were these places located? Putnam Street, St. Antoine, East Hancock, Martin Luther King Boulevard," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"Those are all in the Cass Corridor," said Spencer.

"Do you have a list of what else he stole?" asked Rossi.

"Uh, IV infusion pump, units of o-negative blood, chest tubes, o-silk sutures, Elastoplast," said Garcia.

"Garcia, thanks a lot," said Spencer before he hung up and looked at Rossi, "You don't just randomly know how took a line up to an infusion pump," said Spencer.

"Or that o-neg is the only safe blood type for any victim," said Rossi.

"I'll tell Hotch we think we know what he's doing with them," said Spencer as he got up and left the room.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi were standing in front of the RCMP members.

"We believe the man we're looking for is a sexual sadist," started Rossi.

"What this means is that for him, the torture becomes a substitute for the sex act," said Spencer.

"The fact that he's stealing medical equipment like sterilizing agents and anesthesia tells us he may be performing experiments or surgeries on his victims," said Hotch.

"We believe this unsub gets gratification from his ability to keep his victims alive in order to endure more torture," said Spencer.

"The choice of items stolen is extremely specific, which makes us believe he's got a medical background," said Hotch.

"This unsub is extremely smart and obviously organized. He's managed to abduct very different victims with very different abilities, all with no witnesses," said Spencer.

"Now, we're coordinating with the police and our agents on the ground in Detroit," said Hotch.

"We've also asked Sergeant Hightower to act as a guide on the streets in Detroit while he's in our custody," said Rossi.

"That's it. Any questions, you find me or one of the agents," said Jeff.

While RCMP members left the room, William started to get up before he saw his mother.

"What's she doing here?" asked William.

"Well, we've notified all the family members we can locate," said Hotch.

"You have no right," said William angrily.

"It's her daughter," said Rossi.

"No, it's one thing to... To believe Lee is lost on the streets. I don't want her to know that there's a killer out there. We know how this is gonna end," said William.

"No, we don't," said Hotch.

"Look, everything I have done is to find the truth so I can spare her. I don't want her living off hope," said William.

Jeff leaned forward.

"There are worse things," said Jeff.

William turned towards Jeff.

"You're wrong. Bad news stops us for a while, but then you move on. Hope is paralyzing," snapped William before he realized that his mother was behind him.

"You did a stupid thing," said Maxine.

"Yes, ma'am," said William.

"Come here," said Maxine as she pulled her son into a hug before noticing the screen that contained a lot of faces, "All these people are missing?" asked Maxine.

"We believe so," said JJ.

"You have any suspects?" asked Maxine.

"No. But we have a strategy to try to catch him. And William is helping," said Rossi.

Maxine rested a hand on her daughter's picture.

"My daughter- there's a chance she- she might still be alive?" asked Maxine.

"It's possible," said Hotch.

"Do you know what he's doing to them?" asked Maxine.

"It's difficult to say," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Jeff sat down by Spencer, JJ, and Rossi.

"You really believe he's about to abduct someone again?" asked Jeff.

"It's coming soon- tonight, tomorrow. We know he sticks to a tight cycle," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the pictures of the missing men and women.

"The question is, why alternate victims in clusters of men and women?" asked Spencer.

"Why take the men at all?" asked JJ.

"What do you mean?" asked Jeff.

"We said he sees these people as disposable. It doesn't matter if they're male or female," said JJ.

"For a sexual sadist, male or female isn't important. The torture itself is the sex," said Rossi.

"But wouldn't it be much easier to approach a prostitute?" asked JJ.

"She's right. A prostitute will get into a car with an unsub. It's a victim he can isolate easily with no witnesses," said Spencer.

"Is Hightower's mother still here?" asked Rossi.

"She's resting in my office," said Jeff.

Rossi looked at JJ.

"JJ, see if she's willing to talk to us. I want to know everything I can about her daughter," said Rossi.

JJ nodded as she stood up.

"In the meantime, we need to figure out how he's separating his male victims from the pack," said Spencer.

"And hope that Hightower gives us an edge on the street," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer sat in front of the laptop as he listened to Maxine talk about Rossi, JJ, and Jeff.

"Lee disappeared, I begged William to find her, but it wasn't fair to him," said Maxine.

"I'm sure he wanted to find her as much as you did," said JJ.

"He'd just gotten home. He lost his leg, and he was going to physical therapy. He hadn't even processed what happened to him yet," said Maxine.

"But he found her. First time. She came home for two weeks and I had her going to meetings. I even got her onto welfare," said Maxine.

"So what happened?" asked Jeff.

"The day after the first check came, she disappeared," said Maxine.

Spencer looked up from his notebook.

"Wait, what was that date?" asked Spencer.

"The 2nd?" asked JJ.

Spencer squinted at the screen.

"What if that's it?" asked Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"What?" asked Rossi.

"Lee Hightower was abducted on the 2nd, the day after she cashed a welfare check," said Spencer.

"So?" asked Jeff.

"Look at the dates of the other abductions," said Spencer.

JJ realized what Spencer was talking about.

"All the men are abducted around the first and the 15th of the month," said JJ.

"When welfare checks are issued," said Jeff.

"What if he's not intentionally clustering the male/female? What if this is how he best isolates his victims?" asked Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"You think he has a way to get them alone based on how they cash their checks?" asked Rossi.

"And then the rest of the month he resorts to picking up prostitutes," said Spencer.

"It would explain the pattern," said Jeff.

"We need to find out where these men cash their checks," said Rossi as he pulled out his phone to call Garcia.

Spencer quickly called Morgan.

"We don't have last names. There's no way to find them," said JJ.

"Morgan, figure out how people on the streets are cashing their welfare checks," said Spencer before he hung up.

"Garcia," said Rossi.

"Sir," said Garcia.

"I need you to find out if Lee Hightower ever cashed a welfare check," said Rossi.

"OK. I'm typing my fastest," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood around the outside of an SUV with his teammates, Jeff, and William Hightower.

"They should have tried to make the cross at least an hour ago," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Jeff.

"Any word from the off-road sites?" asked Rossi

"I have agents at every known drug smuggling entry. Nothing," said Jeff.

Hotch looked at the map that was laid out on the hood of the SUV.

"This unsub's smart. Everything about his plan is well researched. I think his border crossings would be consistent," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the map.

"Are there former shipping lanes somebody could have studied in advance?" asked Spencer.

"Nothing marked," said Emily.

"Hunters might know the terrain, but it's word of mouth. Nothing documented," said Jeff.

"What about the underground railroad?" asked William.

Rossi looked at William.

"How so?" asked Rossi.

"In the Civil War, Detroit was the last stop for a slave before they escaped to freedom in Canada. They made the crossing in this area," said Jeff.

"He's right. But there aren't any historical landmarks that register the crossing points," said Jeff.

"Well, if I remember right, they built a series of Victorian homes along the river to signify safe passage. Some of those homes might still exist," said Morgan.

Rossi looked at William.

"We know your sister's cell phone registered at a tower near Port Huron. He had to be close by when he crossed the border," said Rossi while Hotch got Garcia on the phone.

"Garcia," said Hotch.

"Present," said Garcia.

"Is it possible to cross-reference Civil War maps with Victorian homes that still exist in the Port Huron area?" asked Hotch.

Garcia started typing.

"Well, I'm gonna take that question as rhetorical and..." said Garcia as she stopped typing, "Got one. Three miles south of the Blue Water Bridge," said Garcia.

"Can you send me a GPS map?" asked Hotch.

"Coming now," said Garcia.

"Thanks," said Hotch as he hung up and looked at Emily, "Prentiss, you and William come with me. The rest of you stay here. We might need to be mobile in a hurry," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

A Kevlar vest clad Spencer got out of an SUV when Hotch looked at his team as he made the decision to keep his two youngest agents with him.

"You 4 take the exterior. We'll take the house," said Hotch.

Spencer stayed with Hotch and William.

"Fought on other people's turf before. You don't walk into this situation unarmed," said William.

"I can't give you a gun, William," said Hotch.

"I got 10 years active duty," said William.

"The man we find might have killed your sister," said Hotch.

"I need answers. If I shoot him, I get nothing," said William.

"I'm sorry. Stay close. What we find might not be easy," said Hotch.

"I just need to know," said William.

Spencer quickly flanked Hotch as they led JJ and William to the house, and a minute later Hotch was opening up the door. A minute later Spencer and Hotch entered a room where a man was laying on the bed.

"Sir, are you all right?" asked Hotch.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Mason.

"Did someone do this to you?" asked Hotch.

"Get the hell out of my house," demanded Mason.

"You're Mason Turner?" asked Spencer.

"That's not your business," snapped Mason.

Spencer looked at the medical equipment before looking at Hotch.

"He's our unsub?" asked Spencer.

JJ turned on the light.

"Who the hell are you people?" asked Mason.

"You are Mason Turner?" asked JJ.

"Dr. Turner," said Mason.

William held up a picture of his sister.

"This is my sister, Lee Hightower. Has she been here?" asked William.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on," demanded Mason.

"We're with the FBI. We've been invited by the RCMP to assist in an ongoing investigation," said Hotch.

"You haven't been invited into my home. My Canadian home. Now get the hell out before I call the proper authorities," demanded Mason.

"Sir, we've been invited by the proper authorities," said Hotch just as Rossi and Jeff entered the room.

"Telephone, dial number 911," said Mason.

"911. What's your emergency?" asked the operator.

"This is Dr. Mason turner, 11712 Scott Road," said Mason.

"That won't be necessary," said Jeff.

"I want these people out of my home. They don't have any right to be here," said Mason.

"Agent Rossi, Agent Hotchner, may I have a word with you, please?" asked Jeff.

Hotch and Rossi followed Jeff out of the room.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was walking by the pig pen as he watched his teammates and Jeff talk about the shoes.

"These are... They belong to victims?" asked Jeff.

"Possibly," said Emily.

"Why just the shoes? Where are the bodies?" asked Jeff.

Spencer continued to look at the pigs as he realized what happened to the bodies.

"I don't think there's going to be any bodies, guys. Pigs are omnivores. They'll eat anything. By anything, I mean... Anything," said Spencer before joining the others.

"You can un-handcuff William, Prentiss," said Hotch.

Emily nodded as she walked away causing Spencer to look at Hotch.

"This job caused me to stop eating chili, and now I can't handle pork anymore," said Spencer.

"I second that," said Morgan.

A few minutes later Rossi approached Spencer, Hotch, and Morgan.

"Is Bedwell alright?" asked Hotch.

"He will be. He has every available cop in Ontario on the way here," said Rossi.

Morgan looked at Spencer and Hotch.

"You find anyone in the house?" asked Morgan.

"Mason Turner," said Hotch.

"Is he in custody?" asked Morgan.

"Uh, not exactly," said Hotch.

Rossi thought about what he saw in the bedroom.

"But he's not going anywhere," said Rossi.

"He's quadriplegic," said Hotch.

"Paralyzed from the neck down. JJ's in there with him right now," said Spencer.

"Well, that's a pretty good criminal defense," said Morgan.

"I'll go talk to him," said Rossi before he walked away.

Hotch looked at Morgan.

"Morgan, do you have the contact number for the Detroit detective?" asked Hotch.

"Benning? Yeah," said Morgan.

"Yeah, we're gonna need their open missings so we can make identifications on this property," said Hotch.

"Right," said Morgan before he walked away.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"I think that laptop is his sole communications device," said Hotch while Spencer nodded, "Which means data files on hard drives, records," said Hotch as he called Garcia.

Spencer listened to Hotch talk to Garcia while telling her to come out to Canada, and as soon as Hotch hung up, Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid, will you let Bedwell know that we're gonna need a warrant to examine the laptop and the hard drives," said Hotch.

"Yeah," whispered Spencer before he started to walk away.

"Reid," called out Hotch.

Spencer stopped walking and turned around.

"How long do you think it would take?" asked Hotch.

"To get a warrant?" asked Spencer.

Hotch pointed at the pigs.

"No. For the pigs to…," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the pigs.

"Depending on the size and condition of the body when it's placed in the pen, it wouldn't be quick. Why?" asked Spencer.

"That means Kelly wasn't put in there. She's still here somewhere," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded before he walked away to tell Jeff what Hotch wanted him to tell him.

Xxxxxxxx 

As backup arrived, Jeff approached Spencer and his teammates.

"Judge will sign the warrant for the laptop first thing in the morning," said Jeff.

"Our tech should just be getting there then," said Hotch.

"We got search-and-rescue units coming. They're also our emergency response team, so they'll be armed in case we come across something," said Jeff.

JJ looked at everyone.

"When this hits the press, families of missings are gonna come rushing out here. I'm gonna need some uniformed officers to assist me," said JJ.

Jeff looked at JJ.

"Come on, let's get you set up," said Jeff.

JJ quickly followed Jeff while Hotch looked at Morgan.

"Morgan, I want you to supervise the evidence collection. I don't think the techs have seen a scene like this before," said Hotch.

Emily scoffed.

"Has anyone?" asked Emily.

Rossi joined them.

"We have a picture," said Rossi as he passed a picture to Hotch, "This is Lucas Turner, Mason's brother. According to Mason, he's the unsub. Mason claims he's a victim himself," said Rossi.

"Does Mason know where Lucas would take the girl?" asked Hotch.

"Claims he has no idea," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid, Lucas is your assignment. Find his room, his things, anything that might tell us where he would go," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"On it," said Spencer.

"One more thing. Mason warned me that his brother is extremely psychotic. Says he won't go down without a fight," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Emily.

"Prentiss, have JJ get the picture and the description out to the press. When they get here, put them to work for us. Somebody's gonna notice a man that big," said Hotch.

"You got it," said Emily before she walked away.

"Dave," said Hotch as he motioned Rossi to follow him.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Mason says his brother sometimes sleeps on the couch in the living room or disappears for days at a time," said Spencer.

"He doesn't have a room?" asked Hotch.

"Not according to Mason," said Spencer.

"Keep looking around. They've lived here their whole lives. There's got to be something here that gives us an idea of who he is," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"I might end up making an appointment with Dr. Moss after this case and attend a movie," said Spencer quietly as he fiddled with his medallion that was in his pocket.

"Based on this crime scene, I'm already planning that everyone including me talk to a Bureau psychologist," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer donned some latex free gloves before he started to look around the barn before he saw clothing hanging up in the loft. 10 seconds later Spencer was climbing the ladder that allowed him access to the loft. Spencer moved hair out of his eyes before he headed over to the drawings that Lucas hung on the wall that contained an eye on all of them before he saw an unmade bed. A few seconds later Spencer was pulling a picture off of the wall.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was looking at more pictures when he heard Hotch calling him.

"Reid," called out Hotch.

"Up here," called out Spencer as he walked over to the railing and looked down at Hotch, "Hey, I found out where he sleeps," said Spencer.

"So Mason was lying?" asked Hotch.

"I find it hard to believe he didn't know his brother was living in the barn," deadpanned Spencer.

"Anything up there that's gonna help us find him?" asked Hotch.

"No, nothing yet. I will say this, I doubt that he's psychotic," said Spencer.

"Why is that?" asked Hotch.

"There's a collection of drawings up here that suggest autism or moderate mental retardation. Now, retardation and psychosis in the exact same subject is exceedingly rare. It's more likely he doesn't fully understand the acts that he's committed," said Spencer.

"Anything to suggest a violent nature?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at the drawing that he was holding.

"Nothing in the drawings. They do suggest someone's been watching him. He's very childlike. I think that when we find him, he's gonna be scared and probably confused," said Spencer.

"You think he'll fight?" asked Hotch.

"Uh, yeah, I don't know, maybe," said Spencer.

As Hotch started to walk away, Spencer quickly called Hotch back.

"Hey, Hotch," called out Spencer.

Hotch stopped walking and turned around.

"Do you ever get the feeling that a case isn't going to end well?" asked Spencer.

"Reid, keep looking. This girl needs us," said Hotch firmly before he walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing outside with Hotch when Rossi joined them.

"They were doing experiments," said Rossi.

"Spinal regeneration?" asked Spencer.

"Probably. He was definitely trying to fix himself," said Rossi.

"Stem cell harvesting? The equipment's far too unsophisticated. There's no way it would have ever worked," said Spencer as he rested his hands in his pockets.

Rossi looked at Hotch.

"You were a prosecutor, Hotch. Could you convict this guy? A quadriplegic who clearly never touched any of the victims?" asked Rossi.

"I don't know. We need to concentrate on Kelly. We can't worry about the other stuff right now," said Hotch before he walked away.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"He might get away with this," said Rossi.

Spencer looked towards William.

"I know, and an hour ago I told Hotch that I was planning on making an emergency appointment with my therapist, and he told me that he's planning on having everyone see a psychologist after this case," said Spencer.

"I agree, and Garcia should be included too," said Rossi.

"At least Maeve will help me get through the nightmares I'll most likely be doing with," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer ran into a room as he heard Garcia call Rossi, and a few seconds later he heard Kelly on the phone.

"Oh, my god, you have to help me. I'm somewhere in the woods being held by a man named Lucas…." said Kelly.

"Kel-kelly?" shouted Lucas over the phone.

"And he's-oh, my god! -," cried Kelly.

"That's mine!" shouted Lucas.

"Help me!" cried Kelly just as the phone disconnected.

"The phone's disconnected," said Garcia.

"Garcia, can you find the signal?" asked Hotch.

"No, I-wait," said Garcia as she typed, "Yes. I'm hooked into the system. I should be able to- got it. It's just west of here, less than half a mile," said Garcia.

"That's all you can tell?" asked Rossi.

"It's in the woods. There aren't any reference points," said Garcia.

"Get the coordinates to my GPS and let Morgan and Prentiss know in the field," said Hotch before he looked at Spencer and Rossi, "Dave, Reid, let's go," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer hiked through the woods with his teammates and the search party before Hotch stopped walking and looked around.

"This is where the signal came from," said Hotch.

"There's nothing here," said Morgan.

"Kelly! Kelly!" called out Emily.

"Kelly!" called out Morgan and Hotch.

"Kelly!" called out Rossi.

"We're in exactly the right spot. All right, everybody split up," ordered Hotch.

"Kelly!" called out Emily.

"Kelly!" called out Hotch.

Spencer quickly noticed an eye carved into a tree.

"Kelly!" called out Emily.

Spencer quickly noticed another tree that contained an eye.

"Kelly!" called out Morgan.

Spencer noticed a third eye carved into another tree while everyone else called out Kelly's name.

"Guys!" shouted Spencer as he started to brush away dead leaves causing himself to find a trapdoor for a bunker.

Hotch and Rossi quickly joined Spencer who waited for Hotch's permission to open the trapdoor.

"Go ahead," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly pulled the trapdoor up

"Kelly Shane?" asked Hotch.

"Down here!" shouted Kelly.

"Don't make any sudden moves when they come down, OK?" asked Kelly.

"I'm bad. I'm bad," cried Lucas.

"Lucas turner, this is the FBI. Just put your hands up, OK?" asked Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was flinching as he heard gunshots happen in the bunker.

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch looked at his tired teammates as they buckled up for their flight home.

"We all have tomorrow off, and when I talked to Strauss earlier, she agreed with me that we'll all be talking to a Bureau psychologist about what we witnessed at that farm," said Hotch before looking at Garcia, "Your talking to one to," said Hotch.

Spencer, JJ, Emily, Rossi, Morgan and Garcia nodded in agreement.

"Since we have a few hours before we're back in Quantico, get some sleep," said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was asleep on the couch.

Xxxxxxxx 

A couple of hours later Spencer entered the master bedroom to find his and Maeve's bed empty only for him to head over to Gabriella's nursery to find Maeve nursing Gabriella.

"Hey," said Spencer tiredly as he gave Maeve and Gabriella each a kiss.

"Welcome home," said Maeve.

"Thanks," said Spencer before looking at his wife, "Within the next few days I'll be having a therapy session with a Bureau psychologist because of what my teammates and I witnessed in Canada," said Spencer.

"That bad?" asked Maeve.

"Very and other than napping for a few hours during the flight home and the hour long drive home, I have today off," said Spencer.

"Why don't you sleep in and Stephanie can walk to school tomorrow morning," said Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"First I'm going to take a shower because I smell like a barn and pigs, and I don't think I can ever handle eating pork again," shuddered Spencer before he headed back to the master bedroom.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half hour later a freshly showered Spencer was fast asleep in bed with Maeve as he didn't know what was going on in Hotch's apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Nameless Faceless will be the next chapter.


	46. Nameless Faceless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts four hours after the last chapter.

Spencer groaned as he woke up to his cell phone ringing causing Maeve to wake up.

"Dr. Reid," answered Spencer groggily.

"Even though we all have today off, I got a call from the police in DC saying its urgent. We have to take this case because there are no other teams available," said JJ.

"OK," said Spencer as he slipped on his glasses.

"I can be by your place in a little bit and pick you up," said JJ.

"That would be great, JJ," said Spencer.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes," said JJ before she hung up.

Spencer got out of bed and started grabbing clothing out of the closet.

"A case?" asked Maeve.

"It's a local one, but there are no other teams available. So hopefully after this case, I'll get a few days off," said Spencer as he started to get dressed.

"Since I was up with Gabriella an hour ago, I'll quickly fix you some breakfast before I start making breakfast for Stephanie and Jocelyn," said Maeve as she got out of bed.

"Coffee too," said Spencer.

Maeve softly chuckled as she left the master bedroom.

Xxxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer was giving Maeve a quick kiss before he left the house and got into JJ's car with his breakfast.

Xxxxxxxx 

Detective Walker smiled when he saw Spencer's wedding band.

"I see that you got married since the last time I worked with you," said Detective Walker.

"This December will be two years, and before you ask if I have any children yet, I have a 13-month-old daughter and a baby girl who will be two-months-old next week," said Spencer.

"I've read the announcement of your daughters' births in the newspaper last year and this year, so I was about to congratulate you on the new baby," said Detective Walker.

"Luckily my wife allowed me to stay sleeping during the four hours that I was home because she knew that I had very little sleep in Canada," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through a file when Emily, Morgan, and Rossi entered the apartment.

"Oh, you guys are already here," said JJ as she gestured to Detective Walker, "You guys remember Detective Walker?" asked JJ.

Detective Walker shook Emily's, Morgan's, and Rossi's hands.

"Thanks for being here. I understand none of you are working on much rest," said Detective Walker.

Rossi looked at the covered up victim.

"Who's the victim?" asked Rossi.

"His name is Nelson Martinez. From what we can figure, he answered his door, was forced into the apartment at gunpoint And then shot in the chest. It was all pretty sloppy," said Detective Walker.

"No disrespect, but I don't understand why you need us here," said Morgan.

"2 days ago, a local doctor named Tom Barton found a note addressed to him at the hospital. It said the person was planning to kill his son. If Dr. Barton tried to keep his boy hidden, one person would die every day in his place," said Detective Walker.

"And you think this is connected?" asked Emily.

"The note is signed LC," said Spencer.

"Yesterday we had another victim. Multiple gunshots outside the apartment. The shooter wrote LC in white chalk next to the body," said Detective Walker as he uncovered the body to show the chalk writing.

"Now, unless Dr. Barton puts his son in harm's way, we're gonna keep having a victim a day," said Spencer.

"Where's Barton now?" asked Rossi.

"He's at home. He doesn't know about this victim yet," said JJ.

Emily looked at JJ.

"Where's Hotch?" asked Emily.

"He's not answering his cell. I assume it's on vibrate. He'll get the message when he wakes up," said JJ.

"Try him again. He can meet us at Barton's house," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Emily looked at Dr. Barton.

"Dr. Barton, where is your son right now?" asked Emily.

"Um, I asked him to stay up in his room," said Dr. Barton.

"And what did you tell him?" asked JJ.

Dr. Barton cleared his throat.

"I told him that there was a threat against me at the hospital. I told him the police didn't take it seriously But that they wanted me to stay here for a few days and that I wanted to have him with me," said Dr. Barton.

"And Jeffrey's mother?" asked Rossi.

"She died when he was 10. Breast cancer. Would someone really hurt Jeffrey?" asked Dr. Barton.

"Two people are dead already. Whoever sent that note is obviously serious," said Rossi.

"And if I don't let Jeffrey out of the house, then another person's gonna die?" asked Dr. Barton.

"Right now we have to assume that he will keep killing," said Morgan.

"My son is 15 years old. I understand. I cannot put him in danger," said Dr. Barton.

Spencer instantly thought about his 14-year-old half-sister who was walking to school at the moment.

"We are not asking you to. And even if you were willing, we couldn't send him to school knowing he would endanger every student in the building," said Emily.

"What we need to do now is go over everything we know, piece together how this person fits into your life," said Rossi.

"Well, I.. I... I can't think of anyone who would want to kill Jeffrey," said Dr. Barton.

"Whoever wrote that note was putting you on notice... This is personal. He wants you to remember who he is, and until that happens, he hasn't accomplished what he set out to do," said Emily.

"I know you've been asked this before, but, please, think again... do you know anyone with the initials LC?" asked Morgan.

Dr. Barton sighed.

"I've looked everywhere... Day planner, emails, patient lists. There's no one," said Dr. Barton.

"Have you noticed anyone who might have been watching you, either at the hospital or here in the neighborhood?" asked Emily.

"I...I'm sorry," said Dr. Barton.

"Both the victims he's killed have been Hispanic men in their 40s. Have you had a patient recently that fits the description?" asked Detective Walker.

"I'm a trauma surgeon in DC I have endless patients, all demographics," said Dr. Barton.

"We're gonna need records of all your recent surgeries," said Rossi.

Dr. Barton nodded.

"Of course," said Dr. Barton.

"I'll call Garcia," said JJ before she walked away.

"I...I don't understand. If he's mad at me, why not just kill me?" asked Dr. Barton.

A few seconds later Dr. Barton's phone rang causing Spencer, Morgan, Rossi, and Detective Walker listen to Dr. Barton talk to his son on the phone causing Morgan to find Jeffery missing. As soon as Dr. Barton hung up, JJ, Morgan, and Rossi left for Jeffery's school. 

Xxxxxxxx 

A few minutes later Spencer had Garcia on the phone.

"This guy's a trauma surgeon Working a major metropolitan area. We are talking thousands of surgeries," said Garcia.

"Confine it to the last six months," said Spencer.

Garcia sighed.

"That's still hundreds," said Garcia.

"I know," said Spencer tiredly.

"OK, do you want biological information or full medical charts?" asked Garcia.

"Can you get the full medical charts?" asked Spencer.

"You know, for a smart boy, You still ask a lot of dumb questions. You'll have them in seconds," said Garcia.

"Hey, Garcia," said Spencer.

"Yes, my love?" asked Garcia.

"Has Hotch checked in with you?" asked Spencer.

"He's not with you?" asked a surprised Garcia.

"He's probably on his way. Uh, thanks for everything. Bye," said Spencer as he hung up and looked at Emily and Dr. Barton, "She's going to email the files. We'll print them out from here," said Spencer.

"I could have my office send over the files," said Dr. Barton.

"No, no, trust us, this is faster," said Emily as she walked away with Dr. Barton following her.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer grabbed a pen and file.

"We need to dig through your life and try to figure out why this is happening," said Spencer as the printer started to beep.

"Let's start with the most recent cases first, something set this guy off, and odds are it's in your files," said Emily.

Spencer looked at the papers in front of him.

"Let's concentrate on the note. For starters, we know that he's male," said Spencer.

Dr. Barton looked at Spencer.

"How can you be sure?" asked Dr. Barton.

"Women tend to add adjectives and very specific details to their notes. This has none of those," said Emily.

"Males are also more direct. First sentence..."I plan to kill your son."" recited Spencer.

"And their notes tend to be more about themselves than the person they're writing to. "I watched you every day." "I will watch you lose everything."" recited Emily.

"We know he surveilled you and your son, which means he either has enough money to be away from a regular job or he's currently unemployed," said Spencer.

"He's most likely a father. He's clearly grieving. He's taken great measures to make sure you feel his pain," said Emily.

"Let's start with cases involving teenagers killed, but also anyone with a strong family presence. Just because your son is 15, that doesn't necessarily mean that his child is the same age," said Spencer.

"Have you had a lot of cases like this, where someone taunts you with what they're gonna do?" asked Dr. Barton.

"A few," said Emily.

"And how did they end?" asked Dr. Barton.

Spencer and Emily both chose to stay silent before Dr. Barton saw the looks on Spencer's and Emily's faces.

Please," pleaded Dr. Barton.

"Suicide by cop seems to be an effective way for them to make their point while ending their suffering all at once," said Spencer as he thought about the two kill shots he had to do.

Dr. Barton looked at the clock before pointing at it.

"Jeffrey is leaving school in five hours. There's no way we can get through all these patients in this time," said Dr. Barton.

"Well, now, we've narrowed it down already," said Emily.

"And we still have 100 left," said Dr. Barton as he let records fall onto his coffee table, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be callous, but when you work in the ER, you don't remember names. You operate and you move on," said Dr. Barton.

"He's right. There are too many files here for us to profile in such a short period of time," said Emily as she stood up, "Um, I can get to Hotch's and get back here in half an hour," said Emily.

"Who's that?" asked Dr. Barton.

"He's our supervisor. We weren't supposed to work today. We're having trouble getting a hold of him," said Spencer.

"But we need more eyes," said Emily as she looked at her watch and walked away.

"The note doesn't say that he'll kill Jeffrey today, it says, "if not today, tomorrow or the next day." Let's say he gets home safe. How long will you all be around to make sure he's OK?" asked Dr. Barton.

"Let's just get through today," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer's cell phone rang causing Spencer to see that it was Emily.

"Hey," said Spencer.

"Hotch's missing," said Emily.

Spencer's eyes went wide behind his glasses.

"What?" asked Spencer.

"His car is in the parking lot," said Emily.

"What...what are you talking about?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Barton looked at Spencer.

"What's going on? Is this about Jeffrey?" asked Dr. Barton.

Spencer looked at Dr. Barton.

"No, no, it's unrelated," said Spencer.

"We only have a few hours left here," said Dr. Barton.

"I'm really sorry, I have to take this phone call, OK?" asked Spencer firmly.

"What could be more important than my son right now?" asked a yelling Dr. Barton.

"I assure you, this will take one second. Please, I promise," pleaded Spencer.

Dr. Barton dropped the files on the table.

"Fine," said Dr. Barton before he walked away.

Emily decided to let Spencer know what she sees.

"There's a huge hole in the wall. Probably a .44, but there's no blood or tissue spray around it," said Emily.

"Any idea how he got out?" asked Spencer.

"If he was shot, there are no drag marks. But a body could have been wrapped in something," said Emily.

"And Bureau techs are on the way?" asked Spencer.

"Any second," said Emily.

"All right, um, write down everything you see and we'll profile from your notes when you get back," said Spencer.

"How's Dr. Barton?" asked Emily.

Spencer looked where Dr. Barton was pacing.

"It's a huge list of cases to go through with him," said Spencer.

"OK, don't worry about here. I've got this. Just stay focused," said Emily.

"All right. You, too," said Spencer before he hung up, "Uh, Dr. Barton?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Barton came back into the living room.

"Sorry about that. Agent Prentiss has been called away on an emergency," said Spencer.

"You gotta be kidding me," said Dr. Barton.

"I'm confident that the two of us can do this together right now. All right? We know he's been killing Hispanic males as surrogates. Did you separate the case files?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah," said Dr. Barton.

"All right, how many of the surgeries fit the criteria?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Barton picked up his list.

"Um, 82," said Dr. Barton.

"All right. Now let me ask you this. On how many of those dates did you operate on somebody else as well?" asked Spencer.

"75," said Dr. Barton.

"Did any of those patients die on the table?" asked Spencer.

"10. Um, no, wait. 11," said Dr. Barton as he took a seat next to Spencer.

"11. That's where we start. This whole thing is about choice. He's forcing you to play God with your son because the last time you had a choice, your decision devastated him," said Spencer.

"I'm a doctor. I save people," said Dr. Barton.

"It doesn't matter to him. All that matters to him is that you had an alternative and you didn't take it. Now, how many of those surgeries involve patients under 20?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Barton looked at his notes.

"Uh...6. We get a lot of shootings, mostly gang-related," said Dr. Barton.

"Has a gang member or family member ever threatened you?" asked Spencer.

"No, uh, at first when you lose someone it's mostly confusion and devastation. The anger comes later," said Dr. Barton.

"All right, we have six dates where you operated on a Hispanic male on the same night a patient under 20 died. What I'm gonna do is I'm gonna read the names and dates off to you, and you tell me anything you can remember, OK?" asked Spencer.

"OK," said Dr. Barton.

"All right, let's start with January 22nd. Tyler Hayes, multiple gunshot wounds," said Spencer.

Dr. Barton shook his head.

"February 13th, Brian Douglas, a hit-and-run victim, lacerated aorta," said Spencer.

"No," said Dr. Barton.

"March 15th, Devon Marks, Heroin overdose," said Spencer.

Dr. Barton shook his head.

"Angela Harris, another car accident, single vehicle, bleeding into her brain," said Spencer.

"I...this is no use. I would remember if I was threatened," said Dr. Baton.

"Did any of them ask you about your family?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Barton shook his head as he looked at the clock.

"We have time," said Spencer.

"OK," said Dr. Barton.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer's phone vibrated causing Spencer to see a text from Emily.

AS SOON AS YOU AND THE REST OF THE TEAM FIND WHO'S TARGETING DR. BARTON AND JEFFERY, COME TO ST. SEBASTIAN HOSPITAL BECAUSE GEORGE FOYET WENT AFTER HOTCH. ~ EP

"I don't understand. These surgeries are all hours apart. I didn't have to choose between patients. If he's punishing me for my choices, none of these fit," said Dr. Barton.

"All right, look at the note again and compare against the wording on the charts. A lot of times an unsub will unconsciously mirror the wording of situations," said Spencer.

Dr. Barton studied the note, and after a minute of silence, Spencer looked at Dr. Barton.

"You remember something?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, I don't know. It was right after New Year's. There was a car accident. One of the victims was Hispanic," said Dr. Barton.

Spencer started searching through papers.

"New Year's…," said Spencer as he found what he was looking for, "Um... January 3rd, there was a 2-car collision, you operated on a Hector Ledezma. That was your only surgery that night," said Spencer.

"That's because I didn't operate on the boy. They told me he's breathing," said Dr. Barton as he explained the conversation.

As soon as Dr. Barton was done talking, Spencer called Garcia.

"Garcia, I need you to find a patient in the system named Jason Meyers. He was admitted January 3rd, on life support," said Spencer.

Spencer heard typing over the phone.

"Oh, no," said Garcia.

"What?" asked Spencer.

"He was taken off the ventilator and declared legally dead three days ago," said Garcia.

Spencer became alert.

"Who's his father?" asked Spencer.

Spencer heard more typing.

"Yeah, uh, Patrick Meyers, age 45," said Garcia.

"Get a photo into the school immediately. I think he's our unsub," ordered Spencer.

"OK. Yeah. It's on its way," said Garcia before she hung up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was jotting down notes when he heard Dr. Barton clear his throat as he pulled on his suit jacket.

"Where are you going?" asked Spencer.

"The note says not to deviate from my routine, and I always pick up Jeffrey on my days off," said Dr. Barton.

"I'm gonna come with you," said Spencer as he closed his file and stood up just as his phone rang causing him to see a call from Emily, "Yeah," answered Spencer.

"LC from the unsub's note. It stands for "living children."" said Emily.

Spencer berated himself as he thought how his medical files now said LC.

"Are you sure?" asked Spencer.

"It's administrative. It's when they're afraid a patient's gonna go on life support and they don't have a DNR order," said Emily.

The wheels in Spencer's brain started to turn causing Emily to get concerned at Spencer's silence.

"Reid?" asked Emily.

"What if the unsub was trying to tell Dr. Barton that he is actually the target And that he's gonna leave his son without a father?" asked Spencer as he heard the door open causing him to get up and start running, "Barton!" shouted Spencer.

Spencer made it to the door just as he saw Patrick Meyers fire a gun causing him to push Dr. Barton out of the way just as he felt a bullet go through his left leg.

"Uhh!" shouted Spencer as he and Dr. Barton hit the grass while his phone landed a couple of feet away from him.

A few seconds later Spencer was applying pressure to his left leg as he looked at Dr. Barton behind him..

"Are you hit?" asked Spencer.

"No," said Dr. Barton.

Spencer looked at his revolver.

"Get my gun. My gun," said Spencer.

Dr. Barton reached for Spencer's revolver.

"Get away from him! Get away from him," cried Patrick.

Dr. Barton grabbed Spencer's revolver and passed it to Spencer before he hid behind Spencer.

"Whatever you do, stay down," ordered Spencer as he used his right hand and pointed his revolver at Patrick.

"Don't protect him," cried Patrick.

Spencer blocked out the pain that he was feeling as he looked at Patrick.

"Drop the gun!" ordered Spencer.

"He killed my son!" cried Patrick as he walked closer to Spencer and Dr. Barton.

"He did not kill your son. Your son was killed in a car accident," said Spencer.

"Stand up!" ordered Patrick.

Spencer looked at Patrick.

"I'm gonna ask you again, I do not want to shoot you, please drop the gun," ordered Spencer.

"Stand up, you coward!" ordered Patrick.

"Mr. Meyers, listen to me. All right, it's over. Dr. Barton did not kill your son. Your son was killed by a car. And this is not what he would want. OK? So drop the gun. Please," pleaded Spencer as he heard sirens, "Don't do it," pleaded Spencer.

"I'm sorry," cried Patrick as he got ready to shoot his revolver causing Spencer to quickly shoot Patrick Meyers in the thoracic cavity.

As soon as Patrick Meyers fell to the ground, Dr. Barton got up and went to check Spencer's leg.

"I'm fine. Go to him. Go to him," said Spencer as he started to apply pressure to his leg.

Dr. Barton quickly made his way to Patrick Meyers.

"Kick his gun away. Make sure his gun's not near him," said Spencer.

Dr. Barton quickly moved the gun away before he rolled over Patrick.

"No...no, don't touch me. Oh, I want to die. Oh, don't touch me," cried Patrick.

Spencer grimaced in pain as he continued to apply pressure to his own wound.

"I need to stop the bleeding, OK?" asked Dr. Barton as used his suit jacket to apply pressure.

"Let me die," pleaded Patrick.

Spencer saw flashing lights.

"The medics are almost here. Can you keep him stabilized?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, I think so. Hold on, hold on, they're right here," said Dr. Barton as an ambulance and police cars arrived, "Help is coming, all right? Hold on, hold on. We need a backboard and a C-collar," ordered Dr. Barton.

"Coming right up," said a paramedic as he hurried over.

Dr. Barton looked at a paramedic.

"Put pressure on this right here. Call ahead to the ER, tell them they got a GSW to the thoracic cavity and have him redlined to the OR stat," said Dr. Barton as he got up and ran over to Spencer.

Dr. Barton quickly examined Spencer's wound without touching it.

"Looks like it went clean through," said Dr. Barton.

"You might have just saved his life," said Spencer.

Dr. Barton gestured to Spencer's leg.

"Keep pressure on this, OK?" asked Dr. Barton just as JJ, Morgan, and Rossi came running over.

Spencer saw Jeffery coming towards them.

"I'm good, I'm fine. Go to your son. I'm good. I'm fine. Go," said Spencer.

Dr. Barton ran over to his son.

"Jeffrey," said Dr. Barton.

JJ noticed the bullet wound in Spencer's left leg.

"You OK?" asked JJ.

"Yeah, fine," said Spencer.

Morgan grabbed Spencer's revolver.

"We'll get you to a hospital," said Morgan.

Spencer groaned in pain as he continued to apply pressure.

"Maeve will be there for me as soon as she's notified, but you need to find Emily. Call Emily," ordered Spencer.

"Where is she?" asked Rossi.

"Something's happened to Hotch," said Spencer.

After JJ, Morgan, and Rossi ran off, Dr. Barton looked at Spencer as a paramedic took care of Spencer's gunshot wound as they waited for another ambulance.

"There's no way that I'm letting you go to the hospital alone, so I'm riding with you," said Dr. Barton.

"Fine," said Spencer as another ambulance showed up.

Jeffery looked at his father.

"I'm coming too," said Jeffery.

A few minutes later Spencer was being loaded onto a gurney and Spencer looked at the paramedics.

"I want to go to St. Sebastian Hospital because that's where my teammates are going," said Spencer firmly.

"OK," said a paramedic.

"Any allergies we need to know about?" asked another paramedic.

"I'm severely allergic to Beta-Lactams, latex, and narcotics," said Spencer.

The paramedic quickly jotted down what Spencer said.

"Good to know," said another paramedic.

A few minutes later Spencer was in the back of an ambulance when Dr. Barton who was sitting on a bench with his son looked at Spencer.

"Do you have any kids, Dr. Reid?" asked Dr. Barton.

"A 13-month-old daughter and I have a baby girl who will be two-months-old next week, and my wife and I have custody of my 14-year-old half-sister," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

15 hours later Spencer woke up to a steady beeping, and a few seconds later he felt his glasses get slipped onto his nose. As soon as his vision was clear, he saw a red-eyed Maeve smile at him.

"Maeve," croaked Spencer.

Maeve pressed the call button before she helped her husband drink some water, and as soon as Spencer was sitting up, he noticed that his left leg was in traction.

"The last thing I remember was that I got shot and I ended up needing surgery to repair some muscles," said Spencer.

Maeve nodded as she started to explain the damage that the bullet did. When Maeve was finished, Spencer looked at his wife.

"How long have I've been asleep?" asked Spencer.

"Nearly 12 hours, but I'm glad that you were able to give your gray matter some much-needed rest," said Maeve before tears fell down her face, "After what happened in May, I thought that you promised me that you'll be more careful?" asked Maeve as tears fell down her face.

At that moment a nurse came into the room.

"I see that you're awake, Dr. Reid," said Nurse Beatrice as she started to ask Spencer certain questions as she checked Spencer's vitals.

A few minutes later the nurse left the room allowing Spencer to answer his wife's question.

"I was left alone at Dr. Barton's house with no backup," said Spencer.

"You had no backup with you?" asked a male voice.

Spencer turned his head and his mouth opened in shock when he saw Hotch.

"I thought that I would end up in a different room," said Spencer.

"At first I didn't want any company, but when a nurse told me that you've been shot, I was willing to share a room with you because I wanted to see that you were OK myself. I'm already on planning on calling out the rest of the team for not telling me what happened to you because your my agent and I had a right to know that you were shot," said Hotch.

Spencer gave Hotch his puppy dog eyed look.

"Please don't be hard on the team," said Spencer.

Hotch groaned while Maeve giggled.

"Before I make my decision on whether I need to be hard on them or not, I want to know how were you guys split up before you guys started searching for me?" asked Hotch.

"Emily and I stayed at Dr. Barton's house while JJ, Morgan, and Rossi went to the school to guard Dr. Barton's son Jeffery. When Emily and I realized we needed more help, Emily volunteered to go to your apartment before she ended up calling both Garcia and me to tell me about the crime scene in your apartment. Emily told me not to tell the others because we all needed to focus on the current case, but she needed to let me know that she wasn't coming back. A few hours later Emily found out the LC connection causing me to realize that Dr. Barton was the target. Everything happened so fast because Dr. Barton was trying to leave the house and luckily I made it outside and pushed Dr. Barton away causing me to take the bullet that was for Dr. Barton. I tried talking Patrick down, but before Patrick could shoot me again, I ended up shooting Patrick Meyers in the thoracic cavity before I told Dr. Barton to save Patrick's life," said Spencer.

Maeve hugged her husband while Hotch softened up a bit before looking at Spencer.

"You saved Dr. Barton's, the unsub's, and your own life, which I'm proud of you for. I promise that I won't be hard on the team, but when Strauss reads your report, she might do something because your latest injury could have been preventable if you had back up," said Hotch.

"I know, and the hard part about getting shot in the leg is that I won't be able to carry my daughters around for a few months," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"When your surgeon told me that you'll be getting around on crutches and eventually a cane until January, I'm already planning that we rent a wheelchair so you always don't have to rely on your crutches," said Maeve.

Spencer nodded in agreement.

"And Josie and Gabriella can easily ride on my lap while you, Stephanie, or your parents push me," said Spencer.

"Exactly," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at Maeve.

"Can Josie, Gabby, and Stephanie come visit me?" asked Spencer.

"They can come after lunch, and I called the school and let them know that Stephanie won't be coming in for the rest of the week," said Maeve.

Spencer took in his wife's appearance.

"Since you've been here all night, I want you to go home until after lunch," said Spencer.

"You win," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his wife.

"Can you please bring me back some Jell-o?" asked Spencer.

"Mom's already making Jell-o for you," said Maeve.

"I love your mom, Maeve," said Spencer.

Maeve laughed before she gave her husband a kiss causing Spencer's heart monitor to beep, and as soon as Maeve broke out of the kiss, Nurse Beatrice entered the room.

"Why was your heart monitor beeping?" asked Nurse Beatrice.

Spencer blushed a bit.

"My wife gave me a kiss," said Spencer.

Nurse Beatrice looked at Maeve.

"You should probably refrain from kissing your husband so he doesn't re-injure his leg," said Nurse Beatrice.

"Yes, ma'am," said Maeve before looking at her husband, "Please behave while I'm gone," said Maeve.

"Yes, ma'am," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Maeve left the room allowing Spencer to look at Hotch.

"Other than knowing that George Foyet attacked you in your apartment, what happened to you?" asked Spencer.

"George Foyet stabbed me nine times in my abdomen and Haley and Jack are in Witness Protection because of threatening them," said Hotch.

Spencer grimaced before someone came into the room with breakfast for both Spencer and Hotch.

"Eat up boys," said Nurse Beatrice.

A few seconds later Spencer and Hotch were eating their breakfast while Spencer decided to tell Hotch about how Jocelyn and Gabriella were doing.

Xxxxxxxx 

Four hours later Spencer's face lit up when he saw Jocelyn walk into his and Hotch's hospital room as she held her grandfather's and Stephanie's hands before he saw Maeve and Mary come into the room with Gabriella while pulling a rolling suitcase.

"I brought you books you've been hoping to read and your laptop," said Maeve.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked up and her eyes went wide when she saw her daddy in a hospital bed.

"Dada!" exclaimed Jocelyn before she turned her head and her eyes went wide when she saw Hotch, "Papa!" exclaimed Jocelyn.

Spencer burst out laughing at the look on Hotch's face causing Hotch to give Jocelyn a tiny smile.

"Hello, Jocelyn," said Hotch before he looked at Spencer's in-laws and Stephanie, "Joe, Mary, and Stephanie," said Hotch.

Maeve looked at Hotch.

"Did Spencer stay out of trouble while I was gone?" asked Maeve.

Hotch nodded.

"Other than us eating breakfast, talking about Jocelyn and Gabriella, and talking about anything other than work, Reid's been behaving for the nurses," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Jocelyn before looking at Gabriella's car seat.

"I really need to hold my daughters," said Spencer.

Stephanie settled her oldest niece onto the right side of her brother's hospital bed before she looked at her brother's leg that was in traction causing Spencer to see the look on his sister's face.

"I'm sorry if the news about me getting shot scared you, Stephanie," said Spencer as Maeve positioned Gabriella in his arms.

"You told me that being an FBI agent will cause you to be in constant danger, but I'm glad that you're going to be OK," said Stephanie.

"I also hope that you're not upset about having to do more around the house and help take care of your nieces more than you usually do," said Spencer.

Stephanie looked at her brother.

"I don't mind stepping up at home more, but maybe you can give me a raise in my allowance as a thank you?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer chuckled.

"We'll see," said Spencer.

Mary looked at her son-in-law.

"Joe and I agreed that we're moving into the guest bedroom to help you guys out around the house and taking care of the girls until your able to walk on your own two feet, Spencer," said Mary.

"I'm sorry to take you two away from your home because of me being disabled for the next few months," said Spencer.

Joe looked at his son-in-law.

"Shit happens, but I'm looking forward to being there for my granddaughters 24/7," said Joe.

Spencer held back his laughter at his father-in-law's "Forrest Gump" reference before Jocelyn looked up at her grandpa.

"Shit," said the 13-month-old girl causing Spencer, Maeve, Joe, Mary, Hotch, and Stephanie to exchange horrified glances.


	47. Hospital Stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts 90 minutes later so the nurses sent Maeve, Stephanie, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Joe, and Mary headed home because visitors are only allowed for 30 minutes every four hours because of Hotch's condition (My grandma who use to work in a hospital told me that there are times family members and friends are sometimes given a time limit to visit a loved one of friend depending on the condition the patient is in). I have it that the team doesn't know that Spencer is at the same hospital as Hotch because they thought that he was taken to the closest hospital while Maeve forgot to tell her husband's teammates where her husband is because she was worrying over Spencer while being sleep deprived due to Gabriella. Also the morning after Spencer got shot: JJ, Emily, Garcia, Emily, and Rossi had to report to the BAU to work on the reports from the case in Canada and the one on McLean, Virginia. So they don't visit until after work.

Spencer looked over at Hotch's bed.

"Are you awake, Hotch?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Hotch.

"Since the team hasn't contacted either Maeve or me to find out which hospital I'm in, do you think they'll be shocked when they find out that we're sharing a hospital room?" asked Spencer.

"They'll be shocked, and like I told you before, I'm going to be calling them out for not telling me about you getting shot while telling Prentiss that she should have had Morgan, JJ, or Rossi to head over to Dr. Barton's and help you protect Dr. Barton," said Hotch.

"When Emily told me that she wasn't coming back, one of my first thoughts was asking Morgan or Rossi to come over to Dr. Barton's and help me, but she told me not to tell the others what was going on and focus on the case. I shouldn't have listened to her because listening to her orders caused my left knee to get damaged," said Spencer.

"Don't beat yourself up over what happened because you made sure that no one died yesterday, and I have a feeling that you'll be earning an FBI Star for yesterday's events. Yes your knee is paying the price, but what matters is that your alive while you have a good outcome of walking again with a minimal limp," said Hotch.

"I'm glad that Strauss told me on the phone earlier that the FBI will be paying for anything to make my recovery at home easier so Maeve and I don't have to pay for everything that isn't covered by insurance out of pocket," said Spencer.

"What did you do to make her have a soft spot for you?" asked Hotch.

"I don't know if it's because of me working under her since I helped your team's closure rate rise when I joined the BAU, but I guess she developed a soft spot for me because of me being the closest in age to her oldest," said Spencer.

At that moment Spencer's cell phone rang causing Spencer to grab his phone and saw that it was Bennington Sanitarium calling causing him to stiffen.

"Dr. Reid," answered Spencer.

"Its Dr. Norman, Dr. Reid," said Dr. Norman.

"Is my mom OK?" asked Spencer before he turned his head towards Hotch who had a concerned look on his face.

"She is, but on October 8th I'll be flying out to Washington DC for a conference that will be happening between the 9th and 11th. So I was thinking about bringing your mom out with me for she can be out there for your birthday and spend time with her granddaughters," said Dr. Norman.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"I would love to have my mom out here for my birthday, but it's a good thing you called because I was planning on calling you today because I'm currently in the hospital," said Spencer.

"What happened?" asked Dr. Norman.

"I was protecting a potential target, and I ended up getting shot above my left knee when I pushed the doctor out of the line of fire. I had surgery to repair some muscles yesterday, and the reason why I'm going to be in the hospital for a while is that I'm in traction to keep my knee still," said Spencer.

"Do you know what the prognosis is?" asked Dr. Norman.

"Other than having another surgery planned for October 16th to remove the screw that was put in, my doctor believes that I'll be walking on my own two feet again in about four months if I follow my physical therapist's orders," said Spencer.

"Well I hope you get better soon, Dr. Reid," said Dr. Norman.

"I hope so too because I want to be able to carry Jocelyn and Gabriella again while I get to spend the next couple of years giving my daughters and any other children that I have with Maeve piggyback rides," said Spencer.

"Your daughters will be good motivation for you to recover, but before I hang up, would you like to talk to your mother for a few minutes?" asked Dr. Norman.

"Is she having a good day?" asked Spencer.

"She is, but she sensed that something was wrong with you yesterday. So hearing your voice will put her at ease a bit," said Dr. Norman.

"Please put her on," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer heard his mother's voice.

"Spencer?" asked Diana.

"Hi mom," said Spencer.

"Are you OK, baby? Don't lie to me because a mother knows," said Diana.

Spencer shook his head.

"I'm going to be in the hospital for two weeks because I got shot above my left knee, and the reason why I'm in the hospital for that long is that my leg's in traction," said Spencer.

"Oh baby," cried Diana.

"Other than needing crutches and a wheelchair to get around for the next couple of months and needing surgery again next month to remove a pin that was put in yesterday, I'm going to be OK, mom," said Spencer.

"I'm glad that you're going to be OK, but I'm not happy about you working a dangerous job," said Diana.

"I know what I signed up for, but I'm happy with how my life is right now," said Spencer.

"You've been happier since you met Maeve, ended up with in-laws who raised a wonderful daughter, and gave me some grandchildren. So I'm hoping that Maeve, your in-laws, Stephanie, and your team takes good care of you, Spencer," said Diana.

"Joe and Mary are already planning on moving in for the next couple of months to help out with Jocelyn, Gabriella, Stephanie, and me," said Spencer.

"I'm glad that they're moving in to help you and Maeve out, and hopefully I'll get to know your mother-in-law much better in the near future," said Diana as she thought about the covert mission that she, Dr. Norman, and her brother Gordon were doing.

"Before you have to hang up, I have to tell you what Jocelyn said over an hour ago when Maeve and my in-laws brought Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Stephanie here to visit me," said Spencer as he started to recount the conversation that caused Jocelyn to curse for the first time.

When Spencer was finished Diana was laughing.

"A child's first curse word is always the most memorable," said Diana.

"I know, but I know that I'll be reading to Jocelyn and Gabriella a lot while I'm on medical leave," said Spencer.

"Reading to my precious granddaughters will be one of the best ways to spend your medical leave. With how tired you're sounding, I'm going to let you get some rest," said Diana.

"Depending on how I feel, I'll call you again tomorrow," said Spencer.

"I love you, Spencer," said Diana.

"I love you too, mom," said Spencer before hanging up.

A few seconds later Spencer was placing his phone on his bedside table when Hotch looked at him.

"Everything OK with your mom?" asked Hotch.

"Apparently she sensed that something was wrong yesterday, and I know that you heard my side of the conversation," said Spencer.

"How did she take the news?" asked Hotch.

"She was crying a little bit, but she's glad that I have Maeve, Stephanie, and my in-laws to take care of me when I'm out of here. At least I cheered her up when I told her about Jocelyn saying her first curse word," said Spencer.

"That moment was cute and funny," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"I know that you are going to be missing Jack a lot, but until Foyet is caught, your always welcome to come over and spend some time with Jocelyn and Gabriella," said Spencer.

"I'll think about taking your offer," said Hotch.

Spencer took a few deep breaths causing Hotch to look at Spencer with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you OK, Reid?" asked Hotch.

"Dealing with some pain right now," said Spencer before looking at the stack of DVDs that was on his bedside table, "I feel like watching one of the movies that Stephanie packed for me on my laptop since I can't go to the movie I want to go to, but I know that I should call my sponsor since he gave me his personal number. But for now watching a comedy will be the best medicine," said Spencer.

"What movies do you have?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch in shock.

"I didn't think that you would want to watch a movie with me," said Spencer.

"I don't have anything to distract me like you do, so why don't you name some the movies you have so we can have a nurse put it in the DVD player," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the stacked up DVDs and grinned at the first DVD.

"Some of the movies I have are "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", "Zoom", "Night at the Museum", and "Underdog"," said Spencer.

"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," said Hotch.

Spencer shot his boss a grin as he quickly pushed the call button, and a minute later a different nurse came into the room.

"Anything you need, Spencer?" asked Nurse Grace as she started to check Spencer's vitals.

"Can you please put "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" into the DVD player?" asked Spencer.

"I sure can," said Nurse Grace as she walked to the bedside table and found the DVD, "Would you like some popcorn and juice?" asked Nurse Grace.

"Yes please," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Nurse Grace.

"Am I able to eat popcorn too?" asked Hotch.

Grace quickly grabbed Hotch's charts and looked at them before looking at Hotch.

"I believe that you can eat some popcorn too, and I assume that you want your bed positioned so you can watch the movie too?" asked Nurse Grace.

"Yes," said Hotch.

10 minutes later Spencer and Hotch were watching "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" as they snacked on popcorn and drank juice.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three hours later Hotch's nurse Matilda came into the room and looked at Hotch.

"There are five visitors who are here to see you, Agent Hotchner," said Nurse Matilda.

Spencer who was happily eating one of the containers of Jello that his nurse brought him looked at Hotch.

"I wonder if it's our team," said Spencer.

Hotch nodded in agreement.

"Let them in," said Hotch.

A minute later Morgan's, JJ's, Emily's, and Rossi's eyes went wide when they saw Spencer in the hospital bed next to Hotch.

"Reid," said Morgan.

"Dad's not happy with you guys," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked JJ.

"You guys didn't tell him that I got shot," said Spencer.

"Oh sweet cheeks," cried Garcia as she hurried over to Spencer.

Spencer accepted a hug from Garcia.

"Other than needing crutches for a couple of months, I'm going to be fine, Garcia," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Morgan, JJ, Rossi, and Emily.

"Were you four ever going to tell me that Reid got shot? I thought that Reid headed home to help Maeve take care of Jocelyn and Gabriella and help Stephanie with her homework, but my thoughts were wrong when a nurse came in here and asked me if I'm willing to share a hospital room with Reid because his doctor saw that I'm listed as his secondary medical power of attorney," said Hotch.

"We were going to tell you when we got here, but we didn't know that Reid would end up in this hospital," said Rossi.

"I asked the paramedics to bring me here, and you guys didn't even contact me today and Maeve told me that you guys didn't contact her to see where I am," said Spencer.

"Other than Maeve letting me know that you were still in surgery when I called her, you could have called any of us today," said JJ.

"I know, but Maeve was upset over yesterday's events and I didn't want to be babied by you guys because I'm almost 28, happily married, have two daughters, while fostering my half-sister. So being fretted over by Maeve, Stephanie, my mother-in-law, and the nurses assigned to me are enough," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Emily.

"Reid told me about yesterday's case and that you went to my apartment to find me, but Reid's shooting could have been preventable if you asked either Morgan, Rossi or JJ head over to Dr. Barton's house to help Reid. Maeve told me what was done during surgery, so its a good thing that Reid's going to be able to walk again within the next couple of months," said Hotch.

Morgan rubbed his head and looked at Emily.

"Hotch is right that you should have called one of us to go help Reid. I don't know how Maeve is going to handle having to deal with Reid not being able to walk for awhile, driving a 14-year-old around, while having to deal with a toddler and a barely two-month-old baby," said Morgan.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"I'm sorry about how yesterday has gone. I should have called someone and ask them to help you out, and I'm wanting to help you out any way I can to make it up to you," said Emily.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"Joe and Mary are already planning on moving into my house for the next few months so Maeve doesn't have to do everything on her own," said Spencer.

"Where is Maeve?" asked JJ.

"She's at home because she had her half-hour long visit about four hours ago and won't be coming to visit me until 7:30 so I can give Josie and Gabby each a kiss goodnight," said Spencer before smiling a little bit, "But I did get to hold Josie and Gabby nearly four hours ago when Maeve brought Josie, Gabby, and Stephanie here to see me," said Spencer.

"I got to hold Jocelyn and Gabriella too," said Hotch.

Garcia looked at Spencer's bandaged up knee.

"So how severe is your gunshot wound?" asked Garcia.

Spencer started to explain what was done in surgery and the upcoming surgery he has, and when he was finished Garcia looked at Spencer.

"What about getting to carry those beautiful baby girls of yours around?" asked Garcia.

"Maeve talked about getting a wheelchair so I always don't have to rely on my crutches at home or in public, and Josie and Gabby can easily ride on my lap or arms while someone pushes me," said Spencer.

"Is there any other equipment that your planning on getting?" asked Rossi.

"A shower chair," said Spencer before looking at Morgan, "When it comes to Maeve and me buying one of your properties, do you think it would be OK if there's a stair lift installed in the house until I don't need crutches anymore?" asked Spencer.

"Not at all because safely getting up and down the stairs is more important than getting up and down the stairs on your bottom," said Morgan.

"Speaking from experience?" asked Spencer.

"I had to stop playing football because of injuring my knee, and the doctor who fixed my knee told me to go up and down the stairs on my bottom," said Morgan.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"I heard that stair lifts are expensive," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"I know, but this morning Strauss called me and told me that you told her what happened. She told me that the FBI will pay for anything I need to make my recovery at home easier because she told me that yesterday's shooting could have been preventable," said Spencer.

"What about getting to and from work since its going to be a couple of months before you can drive?" asked Emily.

"Maeve told me that there's no way I'm going to handle taking the train, so I was hoping that one of you guys would be willing to carpool with me," said Spencer.

Garcia looked at Spencer.

"I might be the best choice to carpool with you because there might be times that you'll have to stay behind from cases due to doctor appointments and physical therapist appointments," said Garcia.

Morgan looked at the full container of Jello that was on Spencer's bedside table.

"Are you going to eat that?" asked Morgan.

Spencer glared at Morgan.

"Don't you dare touch my Jello," said Spencer firmly.

Garcia looked at Spencer.

"When I stop by tomorrow, I'll bring you some Jello," said Garcia.

"Thank you, and Mary is making me some Jello," grinned Spencer.

"I'm glad that you'll have Maeve, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary outside of work to help you out," said Garcia.

"Me too," said Spencer just as a nurse came into the room.

"Your 30 minutes are up," said Nurse Matilda before looking at Spencer and Hotch, "You two should look through the menus and decide on what you two gentlemen want for dinner," said Nurse Matilda.

20 minutes later Spencer and Hotch were both eating their dinner in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Next chapter will involve a time jump to Spencer's 28th birthday, so Spencer and Hotch will both be out of the hospital.
> 
> The covert mission that Diana, Dr. Norman, and uncle Gordon are having will be revealed in the next chapter and I think that many of you will approve what I have planned. So feel free and take a guess what I have planned.
> 
> Before I found out that I partially torn my Achilles tendon last year and ended up sporting an Aircast that allowed me a lot of freedom without having to use crutches, I was given crutches and the nurse who was showing me how to use crutches told me not to go up and down the stairs on my crutches.


	48. Spencer Turns 28 & Haunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name of Spencer's orthopedic doctor has the same last name of the doctor who made it possible for me to walk, run, and dance after I was born with severe bilateral clubbed feet that caused me to wear casts that went halfway up my thighs for the first seven months of my life. Sometimes I wonder what my first orthopedic specialist who use to call me his little princess would say (I don't know if he's still alive because its been nearly 24 years since he did surgery on my feet) if he found out that I ended up tearing the hard work he did on my left Achilles tendon when he lengthened all the tendons and rearranged the bones surrounding my feet and ankles when I was six-months-old.
> 
> This chapter starts on October 9th of 2009, and I'm not going to go in depth for Spencer's birthday presents. So imagine Spencer getting new books, gift cards for coffee shops and book shops, but I think that you guys will love Diana's gift to her son.

Spencer sat on the exam table while Maeve sat on a nearby chair when Dr. Trader came into the room.

"I heard that it's your birthday today. So happy birthday, Spencer," said Dr. Trader.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

"So what are you doing to celebrate your birthday?" asked Dr. Trader.

"We're having a barbecue at my house this evening," said Spencer.

"Sounds like fun and did any family come out here for your birthday?" asked Dr. Trader.

"My mom flew out to DC," said Spencer.

Dr. Trader started to examine Spencer's knee, and when he was finished, he looked at Spencer.

"Your knee is recovering well, and I'm clearing you for desk work and traveling by plane," said Dr. Trader.

"I know that I'm stationed bound if I fly out anywhere before next week Friday," said Spencer.

"Correct, and after I remove the pins next week, no field work until your physical therapist and myself clear you for full duty. When it comes to staying in hotels, I prefer you have one of your teammates share a hotel room with you," said Dr. Trader.

"My unit chief already told me that I won't be having a hotel room to myself for awhile, but how long am I not allowed to travel after having surgery next week?" asked Spencer.

"Two weeks," said Dr. Trader before looking at Spencer and Maeve, "Since I've met your daughters two times when I came to check on you in the hospital, mind if I see a picture of your little girls?" asked Dr. Trader.

Maeve pulled out her phone and a few seconds later Dr. Trader smiled at the picture of Spencer on the couch with his bad leg up while 14-month-old Jocelyn sat on his right side while the nearly three-month-old baby girl laid in her father's arms.

"Like I said before, those two baby girls are going to motivate you to walk for them again," said Dr. Trader.

"I know," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer was sitting on one of the lounge chairs in his backyard as he accepted a hug from his mom.

"Happy birthday, Spencer," said Diana.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Diana looked at her son's braced knee.

"How did your doctor appointment go?" asked Diana.

"Dr. Trader's pleased with the recovery, and hopefully after I have surgery next week, I'll start physical therapy," said Spencer.

Diana looked at her son.

"That's good, but I'm hoping that the next couple of months causes you to gain some much-needed weight," said Diana.

Maeve looked at her mother-in-law.

"I'm hoping so too because my mom made it her personal mission to put some much-needed weight on Spencer for the next couple of months," said Maeve.

Diana laughed while Spencer blushed before looking around.

"Where are Jocelyn and Gabriella?" asked Diana.

"They're upstairs taking a nap, and Stephanie's upstairs supervising them," said Spencer just as Hotch came into the backyard with Rossi, "I didn't think that you would be coming today," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at his youngest agent.

"I wouldn't miss celebrating your birthday," said Hotch before looking at Diana, "How are you doing, Diana?" asked Hotch.

"Other than being upset about my son getting shot, I'm doing OK since I'm happy about getting to celebrate my baby's 28th birthday today," said Diana.

"Mom," groaned a red-faced Spencer.

Maeve giggled while Diana looked at her son.

"Even though I gave birth to you 28 years ago today, you'll always be my baby to me," said Diana before looking at Hotch, "So who's eyes will I have to scratch out for not protecting my son?" asked Diana.

Spencer groaned.

"Mom, I really don't want you to threaten my teammates about scratching their eyes out today. And I already told you that I was following the oath I made when I was sworn in as an FBI agent, and the doctor I took the bullet for already thanked me for saving me while apologizing to me for getting hurt," said Spencer just as he heard a familiar voice.

"Dada," said Jocelyn before her eyes went wide when she saw her grandma Diana, "Nana D," said Jocelyn as she ran to her grandma.

Diana eagerly scooped up her 14-month-old granddaughter.

"You have gotten so big since the last time I saw you, Jocelyn Elizabeth," said Diana.

Jocelyn patted her grandma's cheek before she grinned at uncle Aaron.

"Hi," said Jocelyn.

"Hello Jocelyn," said Hotch before he looked at Diana, "Mind if I take your granddaughter?" asked Hotch.

Diana passed Jocelyn to Hotch who settled Jocelyn on his hip.

"You've been a good girl for your mommy, daddy, aunt, and grandparents?" asked Hotch.

"Yes," said Jocelyn as she started to babble away at Hotch while saying words that she mastered just as Stephanie came over with Gabriella and passed the nearly three-month-old baby girl to Diana.

"She's looking more like you every day, Maeve," said Diana.

"I know, but I'm happy that Gabriella has her daddy's curls," said Maeve as she ran a hand through her husband's hair.

A few minutes later JJ, Will, Henry, Morgan, Emily, and Garcia arrived for the barbecue before Joe and Mary announced that dinner was done.

Xxxxxxxx 

After everyone was done eating, Garcia looked at Diana.

"Mrs. Reid, would you like to give your son your gift to him first?" asked Garcia.

Diana shook her head.

"I believe that my gift for my baby will be his favorite, so I want to go last," said Diana.

"OK," said Garcia as she passed Spencer her gift.

A minute later Spencer was grinning at the cookies that Garcia got him.

"Thank you, Garcia," said Spencer.

Jocelyn eyed the cookies and quickly made the sign for cookie causing everyone to laugh while Spencer handed his 14-month-old daughter a cookie.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Spencer opened up his gifts from Maeve, his teammates, in-laws, and Stephanie: Diana looked at her son.

"Happy birthday, Spencer," said Diana.

Spencer opened up the envelope and his eyes went wide when he saw a pamphlet for a Sanitarium in Alexandria, Virginia and some paperwork that uncle Gordon signed and a letter from his mom.

Two months ago Dr. Norman told me about a new sanitarium opening up in Alexandria, Virginia and I asked him if I can move closer to you as my way to get you and my precious granddaughters to visit me more often. He instantly agreed, so Dr. Norman and Gordon helped me pack everything up. So instead of flying back to Vegas this weekend, I'm staying because I've been moved into my new hospital room since yesterday.

Spencer looked at his mom as tears fell down his face.

"If Maeve didn't put my crutches so far away from me, I would get up and hug you," choked Spencer.

Diana walked over to Spencer and hugged her son.

"Are you happy with my decision?" asked Diana.

"Very," said Spencer.

Jocelyn toddled over to her daddy and noticed the tears falling down her daddy's face.

"Dada sad?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer leaned forward and lifted Jocelyn up and settled the 14-month-old toddler onto his good knee.

"They're happy tears, Josie Posie," said Spencer before he kissed Jocelyn's head.

"What did you read that caused you to release happy tears?" asked Maeve.

Spencer looked at everyone who had curious looks on their faces.

"I can see why mom insisted on going last because you know what they say about saving the best for last," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"What did she give you?" asked Maeve.

"Mom decided to transfer to the new sanitarium in Alexandria, Virginia yesterday so she can be closer to Jocelyn, Gabriella, and me," said Spencer before looking at his mom, "With all the sacrifices I had to make to follow my dreams, are you sure that you can handle all of the sacrifices you had to make to move closer to me when I made the choice to commit you in the first place?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, you committed me to Bennington Sanitarium against my will, but you were doing what's best for me out of love because I couldn't rely on you taking care of me for the rest of my life because you needed to finish college, pick a career that I sometimes disapprove, and start a family of your own," said Diana before smiling at Jocelyn who was still on her daddy's lap and Gabriella who was in her aunt Stephanie's arms, "So I made these sacrifices out of love because I want to see you, my daughter-in-law, granddaughters on a weekly basis and every big holiday that you and Maeve will be celebrating with my granddaughters instead of relying on photos or either of us flying across the country to visit each other," said Diana as she pulled her son into a hug as she made sure to avoid squishing her oldest granddaughter.

"I love you, mom," said Spencer.

"I love you too, Spencer," said Diana.

"I wuv you, Dada. I wuv you, Nana," said Jocelyn causing everyone to laugh.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three days later Maeve was holding her husband's messenger bag and go bag while Spencer stood beside his wife with his crutches supporting him as they waited for Morgan to come pick up Spencer.

"Are you sure that you don't want to take your wheelchair along?" asked Maeve.

"I'm sure because I don't want to rely on Morgan lugging my wheelchair around when I'm not using it," said Spencer.

Maeve shook her head.

"Men," muttered Maeve just as Morgan pulled into the driveway.

A minute later Morgan approached Spencer and Maeve and looked at Spencer while Maeve placed Spencer's bags in Morgan's truck.

"Ready for your first day back at work after being on medical leave for a month?" asked Morgan.

"Technically I was only on medical leave for 34 days this time," said Spencer before smiling a little bit, "As much as I enjoyed spending the past two weeks out of the hospital at home with my wife, sister, and daughters; I'm happy to return to work for partial duty," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer swung himself into Garcia's lair causing Garcia to look at Spencer.

"Sit down for a few minutes," said Garcia as she grabbed a rolling chair and held it in place.

Spencer slowly swung himself to the chair and moved the crutch that he had in his left hand before he slowly sat down in the chair in the way that he was instructed to do for.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

Garcia looked at Spencer's braced knee.

"Does it hurt?" asked Garcia.

"It really only hurts when I think about it, which is pretty much all the time. But luckily everyone at home has done a good job distracting me," said Spencer as he curiously opened the tin that was right by him.

Garcia quickly looked at Spencer.

"No, no, no," said Garcia as she wheeled her own chair over to Spencer and grabbed the tin, "Get away, you. These are for Hotch," said Garcia as she closed the container.

Spencer pouted at Garcia.

"I get shot in the leg and I don't get any cookies. You know he's gonna hate the attention," said Spencer.

"It's cookies, not cake," said Garcia as she handed Spencer a bowl of suckers, "And I already gave you cookies for your birthday on Friday," said Garcia.

Spencer quickly grabbed a sucker as he thought about his first day back at work after Hankel.

"He's probably gonna pretend like nothing happened, anyway," said Spencer as he started to unwrap his sucker.

"Well, it doesn't mean we have to," said Garcia.

Spencer placed the sucker in his mouth.

"I think maybe we should," said Spencer.

"I don't roll that way," said Garcia.

"I've been thinking about it? The entire time I've known Hotch, I don't think I've ever seen him blink," said Spencer.

"I know. It's weird," said Garcia.

"Classic alpha male behavior," said Spencer as he placed his sucker in his mouth again.

"Do you think he stared down Foyet?" asked Garcia.

Spencer thought about how staring at Hankel's revolver as the Raphael personality played Russian roulette with him helped save his life.

"Maybe. If it would save his life," said Spencer.

"Do you think he stared the whole time, like with each stab?" asked Garcia as she mimicked stabbing.

"I have no idea," said Spencer.

"Is he OK?" asked Garcia.

Spencer closed his eyes as he thought about if he was in Hotch's footsteps of being tortured by Foyet before he would have had to send his mom, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Stephanie away if Foyet decided to target him instead.

"I wouldn't be, but... I'm a blinker," said Spencer.

At that moment JJ entered Garcia's lair and looked at Spencer.

"Spence, there you are. Grab your go bag," said JJ.

Spencer looked at JJ.

"What's going on?" asked Spencer.

"Turn on the news," said JJ.

Garcia quickly wheeled over to her computers.

"Which one?" asked Garcia.

"It doesn't matter," said JJ.

A few seconds later Spencer, Garcia, and JJ were watching the news.

"Just after 8:00 this morning, 40-year-old Darrin Call, a lifelong resident of Louisville, assaulted customers at the pharmacy on the corner of Main and Truxton Avenue. Eyewitnesses saw him walking east on Main Street minutes after the attack. He has not been seen since then," said a female reporter.

"We're going to Louisville," said JJ as she clapped Spencer on the shoulder walked out of Garcia's lair.

Spencer quickly waved at Garcia before he grabbed his crutches and used his crutches to hoist himself up before he swung himself out of Garcia's lair where JJ was waiting for him.

"Don't sell yourself short because I remember about you not blinking while you played Russian roulette with Hankel," said JJ.

"I know, and while Hotch and I were roommates in the hospital, I made sure to tell him about my experience with Hankel causing him to open up with me," said Spencer.

"Well hopefully your talk with him helped," said JJ before looking at Spencer's braced up knee, "How is your knee?" asked JJ.

"There's some pain, but other than taking ibuprofen during breakfast this morning, Maeve made sure to pack ibuprofen, ice packs, and a microwavable heating pad that Mary made for me to use," said Spencer.

"What about your wheelchair?" asked JJ.

"I left it at home," said Spencer.

"None of us would have judged you if you brought your wheelchair along to use because I can imagine your arms getting tired from all of the crutch walking that you're going to be doing," said JJ as they approached the elevators where Morgan and Rossi were waiting.

"I have your bags," said Morgan as he held up Spencer's messenger gab and go bag.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on the couch in the with his crutches nearby him while JJ looked at Spencer, Rossi, and Morgan.

"So our point person in Louisville is Lieutenant Kevin Mitchell," said JJ just as Hotch and Emily joined them.

"Good morning," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at Hotch.

"Good to see you," said Rossi.

"You, too," said Hotch.

Garcia who was already video chatting with them looked at Hotch.

"You look well, sir," said Garcia.

"Thank you," said Hotch.

Hotch sat down next to JJ and looked at Spencer who was on the couch with his bad knee resting in a bent position on the couch while his crutches were near him.

"Welcome back, Reid," said Hotch.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

"Remember that your station bound for this case and if we end up staying overnight you'll be having a roommate to assist you. And if we're still in Kentucky on Thursday, you'll be sent back to DC so you don't miss your surgery on Friday morning," said Hotch.

"I understand, sir, and welcome back," said Spencer.

"Thank you," said Hotch before looking at JJ, "Any other attacks?" asked Hotch.

"Um, no, not yet," said JJ.

"Call's proven hard to track. He's never had a driver's license, So he's most likely still on foot," said Spencer.

"Or public transportation," said JJ.

"He's not gonna take the bus. His face is everywhere," said Emily.

"Has anyone found a stressor?" asked Hotch.

"He just lost his job. He's worked at a factory since 1990. Made appliances since forever and not a single promotion," said Garcia.

"That's a long time to be bitter," muttered Morgan.

"Or he doesn't care," said Spencer.

"Not if he's got a family to feed," said JJ.

"Actually, he's of the hermit variety. As far as I can tell, he's got no one. No wife, no kids, no parents," said Garcia.

"Nothing to live for," said Morgan.

"So why hasn't he killed himself yet? Sprees usually end in suicide. If he's got nothing to live for, why hasn't he ended it?" asked Hotch.

"Because he isn't finished yet. We know he has displaced anger. He took it out on the first victim," said Spencer.

"Well, the stock boy represents someone. We need to know who. Is he military?" asked Hotch.

"Negative," answered Garcia.

"Well, he's lashing out for a reason. This guy's got anger, endless targets, and a gun, and he's just getting started," said Hotch.

A few minutes later everyone was given the clear to move around the jet causing Rossi to look at Spencer.

"Do you need anything?" asked Rossi.

"Some coffee would be great, and I really appreciate you guys for offering to get me anything I need so I can stay seated," said Spencer as Rossi got up to fix Spencer his coffee.

"We just don't want you to get hurt again, and we're all feeling guilty about you having to deal with Patrick Meyers on your own that day. So to make it up to you, we're all your personal servants for the next couple of months," said Emily.

Spencer laughed at Emily's joke before Rossi looked at Spencer.

"When it comes to Maeve having to pick up all of your slack at home, I hope that your planning on doing something big when you and Maeve celebrate your two year wedding anniversary in December," said Rossi.

"I already made reservations for a room at the bed and breakfast that we spent part of our honeymoon in," said Spencer.

"Good," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Lieutenant Mitchell walked over to Spencer and JJ.

"I'm Lieutenant Kevin Mitchell and you two must be from the BAU," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

JJ nodded as she shook hands with Lieutenant Mitchell.

"I'm Agent Jareau and this is Dr. Reid," said JJ.

"Hi," said Spencer.

Lieutenant Mitchell noticed Spencer's braced knee.

"If you don't mind me asking, but what happened to you?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

"I got shot while protecting a potential target, and today is my first day back on light duty," said Spencer.

"If you need anything like coffee and snacks, just let any of my officers or me know so you don't have to get up," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was propped up on his crutches while Lieutenant Mitchell looked at his officers.

"All right. We've got checkpoints at the state line On both I-64 and I-65 and within a 20-mile radius of downtown. We think he's still on foot," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

"It's been just under three hours with an average walking speed of 2.5 miles per hour, which rounds up to an approximate eight-mile radius," said Spencer before he swung himself over to a table and slowly sat down in a chair.

Lieutenant Mitchell pointed at a map.

"Now, we've concentrated here. First responders started a hard-target search of businesses and residences within that eight miles. You're gonna join 'em. You know what he looks like. Go find him," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

As soon as everyone walked away, Lieutenant Mitchell looked at Spencer and JJ while JJ started to set up a laptop in front of Spencer.

"We dug up all we could on Darrin Call. Even went to his apartment. Didn't find much," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

"We've got agents over there now. Don't worry, we'll fill it in," said JJ while another officer wheeled over a TV that was showing video fed of Darrin to make everything easier for Spencer.

"What's your strategy?" asked Lieutenant Call.

"We try to figure out where he's headed next," said Spencer.

"Huh. You got a crystal ball?" asked a joking Lieutenant Mitchell.

Spencer turned his head and looked at the security footage that was playing.

"Most spree killers are outwardly aggressive. We've studied call's behavior, and he's defensive," said Spencer.

"First victim…," said JJ as she zoomed in for Spencer's sake, "stock boy," said JJ.

Lieutenant Mitchell walked over to the TV while Spencer looked at the laptop.

"Boy, there's nothing defensive about that," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

"Actually, there is. Call doesn't react until he's touched," said JJ.

Lieutenant Mitchell turned around and looked at JJ.

"And that's what set him off?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

"Happens every time. Contact, then stab, contact, stab," said JJ as they watched the footage.

"So you're saying he didn't mean to hurt these people," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

"He didn't go in there with a weapon," said Spencer.

"Well, now he's got 2. I just put his face all over the news. People are gonna stop him themselves," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

"How soon can we have a press conference?" asked JJ.

"The camera crews are out front," answered Lieutenant Mitchell.

"Great. Let me call Hotch," said JJ as she walked away.

"Who's that?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell

"Our supervisor. He's at the crime scene already," said Spencer.

Lieutenant Mitchell focused on the video footage.

"What is it about this kid?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

"That's what we need to figure out," said Spencer just as his cell phone vibrated causing the 28-year-old genius to see a text message from Maeve.

HOW ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU TAKING IT EASY RIGHT NOW? ~ MR

A few seconds later Spencer chuckled typed a reply.

I ARRIVED IN LOUISVILLE ABOUT AN HOUR AGO, AND I'M CURRENTLY SITTING DOWN IN A LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY POLICE DEPARTMENT. ~ SR

"Who was that?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

"My wife wanted to check on me because this is my first time away from her since I got out of the hospital," said Spencer.

"How long have you've been married?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

"This December I'll be married for two years," said Spencer.

"Any little ones yet?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

Spencer beamed.

"Other than my 14-year-old half sister living with my wife and me, I have a 14-month-old daughter and a baby girl who will be three-months-old on Thursday, and they're huge motivations for my recovery because I want to run around with them while giving them piggyback rides," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at the table JJ as he listened to Garcia on the phone.

"May 1st, 1975, a six-year-old Darrin Call was found roaming in the middle of nowhere and was picked up And was in state care for the first few months," said Garcia.

"Did he tell the cops what happened?" asked JJ.

"No. Because he didn't talk, not for over a year. And once he started talking, He only knew his life as Darrin Call," said Garcia.

JJ rubbed her eyes.

"That's awful," said JJ.

"So is this. Little Darrin was never claimed," said Garcia.

"Maybe he wasn't from the area. There wasn't a thriving missing children's network in 1975," said JJ just as Emily, Morgan, Hotch, and Rossi joined Spencer, JJ, and Lieutenant Mitchell.

"Call is wearing Cipolla's clothing," said Emily.

"You think he's lucid?" asked Spencer.

"No. Mostly likely he's just freaked out," said Emily.

"Either way, we should update the public," said Morgan.

"You should be there, too," said JJ.

Lieutenant Mitchell looked at the whiteboard.

"What is this?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell as he gestured to the board.

"Call's timeline," answered JJ.

"He left Louisville? Three times. Always came back to the same 10-block radius," said JJ.

"Why?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

"Victims are often drawn to the scene of their first trauma. Part of him wanted to escape, The other part probably struggled to find answers," answered Spencer.

"Was he hospitalized?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

"Uh, 1985 for two years," answered JJ.

"Yeah. And again in '95 for a few months, both at the state facility in Fayette County," said Garcia.

"You know he doesn't drive. You think he'd walk all the way out there?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

"He's desperate. He'll find a way," said Rossi.

"Well, then I'll tell the sheriff in Fayette," said Lieutenant Mitchell before he and JJ walked away.

"When did he start the prescriptions, Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"In 1977, and it looks like he tried them all. I've got a list. Alphabetically, Alprazolam, Clonazepam, Diazepam…," said Garcia.

"Just send it," said Hotch.

"Yes, sir," said Garcia.

"His doctor weaned him off the prescription for a reason. Now, that's a big risk, so the reward must have been greater," said Morgan.

"He needs the truth," said Emily.

"He took his file. He's got some answers," said Rossi.

Spencer used his good leg to pivot the chair he was sitting in.

"And a head start," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at a picture of Darrin.

"Well, we need to catch up," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

"Records from child services has him extremely physically abused. No signs of physical assault," said JJ.

"That's a miracle," said Garcia through the phone.

"Either way, the trauma was debilitating," said Spencer.

"Was he running from an abusive home or an abduction?" asked Rossi.

"Wouldn't there be a paper trail if it were a kidnapping?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

"Garcia, look for unsolved missing children's cases from the 1970s," said Hotch.

"Now, there was a case in Hollow Creek. Kids were dead, though. Found them in pieces," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

"When was this?" asked Hotch.

"'75. Nobody talks about it 'cause they never found the guy. You think Call walked away from there?" asked Lieutenant Mitchell.

"It's possible. Garcia, send me everything," said Hotch.

"Done," said Garcia.

Hotch looked at Lieutenant Mitchell.

"Can you find the case file?" asked Hotch.

"I'll do what I can," said Lieutenant Mitchell before he walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

Lieutenant Mitchell brought over a few boxes.

"Is there a suspect list?" asked JJ.

"It's in here somewhere," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

Spencer read the report he was reading off the laptop that JJ set up for him.

"He was known as the Hollow Creek Killer. 3 bodies were found, some never identified," said Spencer.

JJ's eyes went wide.

"Oh, god, he used lime to dispose…," said JJ.

Spencer quickly noticed something.

"There's a survivor," said Spencer.

"Call?" asked Rossi.

"No, a 12-year-old boy named Tommy Phillips. Parents said he'd been missing for 2 weeks, came back a different kid," read Spencer.

"Of course he did," said Rossi.

"Let's see. The family left Louisville after Tommy told police where to find the bodies. He also said the suspect was a white man in his 30s and drove a red pickup truck," said Spencer.

Hotch put his phone to his ear.

"We need to find Tommy," said Hotch.

"He'd be 46 now. His parents probably changed his name and got as far away as possible," said Rossi.

"Garcia can find him," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at Hotch.

"Don't get your hopes up," said Rossi.

Spencer and JJ exchanged glances.

"Garcia, everything you can find on a Tommy Phillips," said Hotch.

"The victims had cuts," read Spencer.

"The stock boy's blade is what set him off in the pharmacy," said JJ as she pointed at the report, "If this is what Call's been running from, it's no wonder he's blocked it out," said JJ.

"Since he's clean now, there's no medication to block his memories and he wants answers. Where would he go?" asked Spencer.

Hotch who was looking at the whiteboard started to pace a bit.

"To what he knows," said Hotch.

"He doesn't know anything. That's the problem," said Lieutenant Mitchell.

"He's beginning to. 1975, Sterner Orphanage. It's where he became Darrin Call," said Hotch as he gestured to the whiteboard.

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch was standing near Spencer when he looked at his teammates.

"So what do we know?" asked Hotch.

"There were only four suspects in the Hollow Creek case and they're all dead," said Rossi.

"The kids were taken in 1973, '74, and '75," said Emily.

"And all on the way home from school," said Spencer.

"Different school districts," said JJ.

"He waited for them to be alone," said Hotch.

"That takes patience. He must have had time off in the afternoons," said Emily.

"He lived or worked near the schools," said Hotch.

"That's a lot of doors to knock on," said Morgan.

"You think Call's going back there?" asked Rossi.

"I think there's a good chance," said Hotch.

JJ sighed.

"I'll tell Mitchell," said JJ as she walked away.

"Where's the secondary location? He needed seclusion to do what he did," said Morgan just as Hotch answered the landline phone.

"Go ahead, Garcia. You're on speaker," said Hotch.

"I found Tommy. He goes by James Thomas Anderson now," said Garcia.

"Is he local?" asked Emily.

"One county over. Address and bio are coming...now," said Garcia.

"Thanks, Garcia," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Rossi, Emily, JJ, and Morgan were sitting at the conference table while a standing Hotch read a file.

"His own kid? No wonder he was never claimed," said Rossi.

Spencer slowly swung himself over to the table.

"How did the father explain his son just disappeared?" asked Spencer.

"Could have said he ran away," said Morgan.

Spencer gently sat himself down.

"The mother would have reported him missing," said JJ.

"Maybe he said the boy died," said Emily.

"She'd want a funeral," said JJ.

"What if there wasn't one?" asked Hotch before looking at Morgan, "Morgan, call Garcia. Ask her to check death records From 1969 to 1975," said Hotch.

"For who?" asked Morgan.

"For the mother," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Morgan came over to Spencer, Hotch, JJ, Emily, and Rossi.

"Guys," said Morgan.

"OK, so Doris Jarvis was married to Bill Jarvis. He owned a machine shop just outside the city," said Garcia.

"That could be the secondary location," said Spencer.

"It closed in 1980. He hasn't done anything since. I guess he laid low. He had a red pickup until 1976 when he bought a black one. I know that because that's what he was driving when he was arrested for DUIs. He was locked up from '77 to '80, and I'm sending his picture now," said Garcia.

The laptop in front of Spencer quickly beeped causing Spencer to pull up a picture that everyone looked at before Emily voiced their opinions.

"And that could certainly be Darrin Call's father," said Emily.

"Where's Jarvis now?" asked Hotch.

"In the same house. 1457 Hitchens Avenue," answered Garcia.

"Let's go," said Hotch.

As soon as Hotch, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi walked away, Spencer looked at JJ.

"Even though I really started participating in more raids four years ago, I'm going to miss the action in the field," said Spencer.

"Eventually you'll be walking again without crutches, Spence," said JJ.

"I know," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer swung himself off the elevator and he smiled when he saw Maeve who was holding a car seat that held a sleeping Gabriella while Jocelyn was perched on her aunt Stephanie's hip.

"Dada!" said Jocelyn.

"Yes Dada's home, Josie," said Spencer as he swung himself over to his wife, daughters, and baby sister.

Jocelyn looked at her daddy's teammates.

"Hi," said Jocelyn as she waved at JJ, Emily, Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi.

As soon as Spencer approached his wife, Maeve gently kissed her husband.

"When you told me that you were coming home, I thought that I should pick you up," said Maeve.

"I appreciate you coming to pick me up, Maeve," said Spencer.

"Why don't you sit down because your arms must be tired," said Maeve.

A minute later Spencer was sitting in his wheelchair before he looked at his oldest daughter.

"Does Josie Posie want to sit on my lap?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn grinned at her daddy causing everyone to smile while Hotch's lips quivered up a little bit.

"Yes," said Jocelyn.

A few seconds later the 14-month-old toddler was sitting on her daddy's good knee before Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Since I done my report during the flight home, am I able to head home now?" asked Spencer.

"Go ahead, and I can pick you up tomorrow morning," said Hotch.

Maeve looked at her sister-in-law.

"You want to carry Gabriella and Spencer's crutches or push your brother's wheelchair?" asked Maeve.

"I'll carry Gabriella and Spencer's crutches," said Stephanie.

Two minutes later Spencer was in the elevator with Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Stephanie.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Maeve was helping her husband get comfortable in bed before both Spencer and Maeve fell asleep while knowing that Gabriella was going to wake them up in a few hours.


	49. Reckoner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spencer won't be lying about his clearance to travel in this chapter because of the changes I made, so I'm sorry that Emily won't say "Naughty boy" this time while Spencer and Garcia are showing more maturity than showing the rivalry they showed in Reckoner so there's not a lot of humor between Spencer and Garcia like there was in the episode because Spencer knew in advance that he's grounded from flying because of the events in the beginning of this chapter.

A hospital gown-clad Spencer was sitting up in his hospital bed when Maeve looked at her husband.

"After this surgery, I hope that neither of us will be in a hospital bed for a few years unless I give birth to our third child," said Maeve.

"I hope so too, and speaking of our third child, when would you like to have our third child?" asked Spencer.

"I want to wait until I'm 29 to conceive our third child because Jocelyn will three-years-old and will be starting preschool while Gabriella will be two and most likely potty trained by then," said Maeve.

"I'm OK with waiting that long," said Spencer just as a nurse and Dr. Trader entered his cubicle.

"Are you ready to be having no more screws in your knee, Spencer?" asked Dr. Trader.

"Ready," said Spencer as he leaned towards Maeve and gave her a kiss, "I love you, Maeve," said Spencer.

"I love you too, Spencer," said Maeve as she removed her husband's glasses, "I'll keep these safe," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer was laying on the operating table as he felt a mask containing general anesthesia as he counted down from 100 with the anesthesiologist before his world went black.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer woke up to find a blurry Maeve reading one of their Sherlock Holmes books out loud, and after listening for a minute he decided to let Maeve know that he's awake.

"Maeve," croaked Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer felt ice cubes being placed into his mouth before Maeve slipped his glasses onto the bridge of his nose.

"Welcome back, Spencer," said Maeve.

As soon as Spencer felt moisture in his mouth he looked at his wife.

"Are the pins and screws out?" asked Spencer.

"They are," said Maeve as she grabbed a small baggie that contained some cleaned up screws and pins, "Dr. Trader thought that you might like to keep them," said Maeve.

Spencer chuckled before his stomach growled causing Spencer to look at his wife.

"Can I please have some jello?" asked Spencer.

Maeve laughed as she shook her head.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was sitting up in his and Maeve's bed with his bad knee elevated on some pillows when there was a knock on the closed door.

"Come on in," said Spencer.

A few seconds later the door opened causing Spencer's face lit up when he saw his mother holding a stack of books.

"What are you doing here mom?" asked Spencer.

Diana walked over to her son's and daughter-in-law's bed.

"Since my baby had surgery yesterday, I wanted to come visit you because your on bed rest until Monday," said Diana before looking at her son who was wearing plaid pajama pants with a brace over his left knee, a Cal-tech sweatshirt, while his wore his glasses instead of his contacts, "Other than talking to you on the phone yesterday evening, how are you feeling?" asked Diana.

"I'm feeling OK, but I'm glad that I'm one step closer to being able to walk again because I start physical therapy after next week," said Spencer.

"Good," said Diana.

"I'm feeling a bit bored because I read all the books that Maeve brought in here for me, Stephanie went to the library with a few friends, Josie and Gabby are taking a nap, and Maeve's helping her parents with cooking dinner," said Spencer.

"That's why I'm here, so do you mind if I join you in your bed and read to you?" asked Diana.

"It does seem a bit creepy for you to lay in bed with your 28-year-old son," said Spencer.

"I know, but reading to you in bed was one of our favorite past times. So I want to do this like old times," said Diana.

Spencer grinned as he patted the open space on the right side of the bed.

"Up, up," said Spencer.

A minute later Diana was sitting up in her son's bed while Spencer laid his head on his mother's left shoulder before Spencer saw the assortment of books that his mother brought.

"Pick one," said Diana.

Spencer smiled at the titles before noticing a familiar title that his 10-year-old self-picked nearly 18 years ago.

"That one," said Spencer as he tapped the book.

"Proust. Beautiful choice," said Diana as she opened up the book and started to read out loud, ""The smell of the madeleine unleashing the flood of memory. For a long time, I used to go to bed early. Sometimes, when I had put out my candle, my eyes would close so quickly that I had not even time to say to myself, I'm falling asleep," read Diana.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three days later Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates when Hotch and Rossi entered the room.

"What have we got?" asked Hotch as both he and Rossi sat down.

"Ben Vanderwaal was killed in Commack, Long Island, last night, shot at close range, once in the heart, once in the head, .22 caliber shell," started JJ.

"They found hair and blood traces From Ben Vanderwaal's wife Heather," said Morgan.

"But not Heather?" asked Rossi.

"No, she's still missing, presumed dead. The caliber and placement of the bullets match that of two previous victims. The first, Rita Haslat. Eight months ago she went missing from her home in New Jersey. Four weeks later, she was found in a trash bin," said JJ.

Emily pointed at a picture.

"She went from that to this in under three weeks? She's totally emaciated," said Emily.

"Ligature marks on her wrists and ankles indicate she was constrained," said Spencer.

"One in the heart, one in the head- same as Vanderwaal," said Morgan.

"Sounds more like an execution," said Hotch.

"Then why cut off Wanderwaal's hands postmortem?" asked Spencer.

"What about the third victim?" asked Rossi.

"Bill Levington. His appearance was certainly altered," said JJ.

"His genitals were missing," said Emily.

"Though the method of mutilation is different in each crime, clearly there's a signature. The question is, what? Wheels-up in 20 minutes," said Hotch before he looked at Spencer, "You already know your staying here and working with Garcia during this case," said Hotch.

"I know," said Spencer before looking at Rossi, "I know that your not happy that you can't sit out of this case because of me not being cleared to travel right now, but I'll make it up to you," said Spencer.

"How?" asked Rossi.

"I'm not telling you, but you'll find out when you get back," said Spencer.

Garcia looked at Spencer.

"I already have everything set up in my bat cave so you can be comfortable while your my hostage during this case," said Garcia.

Morgan chuckled while Spencer grabbed his crutches and quickly stood up by using his good leg before he positioned his crutches underneath his armpits before looking at Morgan who was gathering his file for him.

"You really didn't have to stay here the entire time," said Spencer.

"I know, but I wanted to make sure that you don't fall down," said Morgan.

Spencer started to swing himself to the door.

"Even though I'm grounded from flying for two weeks, the upside about being grounded is going home to Maeve, Josie, Gabby, and Stephanie every night," said Spencer before Hotch approached him.

"Remember how irritated Garcia was when I grounded Gideon from traveling after he ended up on crutches a few years ago?" asked Hotch quietly.

Spencer laughed at the memory.

"Yes and you got Garcia flowers while Gideon got her an MP3 player," said Spencer.

"Even though Garcia hasn't forgiven me for that time, she's kind enough to let you work in her office with her during this case. So I highly suggest that you don't irritate her at all because I requisitioned a coffee maker, microwave, and a mini-fridge for her office so she doesn't have to do everything for you," said Hotch.

"I promise," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was fiddling with one of Garcia's toys when Garcia got JJ on the phone.

"Garcia," said JJ.

Garcia grabbed the toy causing Spencer to look at Garcia.

"We've been getting to know Heather Vanderwaal. I can't tell you her favorite Beatle, but I can tell you she was living la vida unhappy," said Garcia.

"What did you find?" asked JJ.

Spencer looked at one of Garcia's computers.

"Her ex-husband took her daughter Allison out of school mid-term. After that, Heather cut a check for $5,000 to a place called Lewis, Bell, & Peters six days ago," said Spencer.

"Law firm?" asked JJ.

"Family law," said Garcia.

"Thanks," said JJ before she hung up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Meanwhile, at Lincoln High School, Stephanie was eating lunch with Jeremy, Ramona, Erica, and Holly when Jeremy looked at Stephanie.

"Even though you told us that your brother did well during surgery on Friday, how is he doing?" asked Jeremy.

"He went back to work today, but he's on desk duty for the next two weeks before he is cleared to travel again while working his way to becoming a field agent again," said Stephanie.

Erica looked at Stephanie.

"When I broke my ankle earlier this year while competing on my old school in Seattle gymnastics team, it sucked that I had to pull myself from the gymnastics team for the remainder of the season," said Erica before grinning a bit, "But one of the best parts of spending almost two months on crutches was all that crutch walking helped my upper arms gain more muscles," said Erica.

Stephanie smiled at Erica as she thought how they bonded over having Asperger's syndrome while also being a few of the new girls who recently moved to Washington DC over the summer.

"Even though Spencer has been out of the hospital for nearly a month, I've noticed that Spencer is already dealing with the changes you mentioned causing me to think if I'll become an auntie again next year because of seeing the way my sister-in-law is looking at my brother," said Stephanie.

Ramona who was in band with Stephanie and Holly looked at Stephanie.

"If I was already in college and your brother wasn't married, I would have asked him out myself," said Ramona causing some laughter from Holly, Erica, and Stephanie while Jeremy shook his head.

"I don't know why I choose to sit with you girls during lunch," mumbled Jeremy to himself.

Holly looked at Jeremy.

"You choose to sit with us because you have a crush on Stephanie," said Holly.

Stephanie looked at Jeremy.

"You really have a crush on me?" asked Stephanie.

Jeremy shook his head while Stephanie smirked.

"You do because I noticed that your pupils dilate and your posture changes every time we're together, and my brother told me that he has suspicions about you having a crush on me," said Stephanie.

Jeremy shook his head as he thought about the time that Spencer questioned him while his cousin was missing.

"Has Spencer been teaching you to profile people?" asked Jeremy.

"He did so adjusting to my new school in a new city can be easy on me," said Stephanie before studying Ramona for a bit, "Even though I'm in study hall with Holly and Erica and found out that we have some similar interests when it comes to music, books, and movies; I know that you wanted to become friends with me because you have a family member with autism?" asked Stephanie.

Ramona nodded.

"You remind me a lot of my older sister Edith who also has Asperger's syndrome currently attending her first year at Virginia Tech, and I would like to become a special education teacher someday because of my sister," said Ramona.

Jeremy looked at Stephanie.

"I do have a crush on you, and I've been working my nerve on asking you if you would want to go with me to see "Where the Wild Things Are" this Friday because I loved that book when I was a kid," said Jeremy.

"Its a date," said Stephanie.

Holly, Ramona, and Erica all grinned at each other.

"Finally," said Holly.

Xxxxxxxx 

A minute later at the BAU Spencer's cell phone vibrated causing the 28-year-old genius to see a text message from Stephanie.

JEREMY ASKED ME TO GO SEE "WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE" WITH HIM ON FRIDAY AND I SAID YES. SO CAN I PLEASE GO ON A DATE WITH JEREMY? ~ SR

Spencer scowled a bit.

"What?" asked Garcia.

"Jeremy Jacobs just asked Stephanie out on a date this Friday and she said yes, so I'm gonna have to give Jeremy the big brother talk," said Spencer.

"I can also warn him that if he breaks your baby sister's heart, I'll mess with his online world," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer and Garcia were sitting next to each other as they started to video chat with the rest of the team when Hotch looked at Detective Gill Hardesty.

"These two are Dr. Reid and our technical analyst Penelope Garcia," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the Detective.

"Usually I would be traveling with the rest of the team, but last month I got shot above my left knee causing me to have surgery to repair the damage. Last week Friday I ended up having pin removal surgery and my doctor doesn't want me to fly for two weeks, so I'm working this case from Quantico and most likely from my office at home," said Spencer.

"That sucks," said Detective Hardesty.

"Ending up on crutches for a couple of months is no fun, but the good part about being grounded from flying is getting to go home to my wife and children every night," said Spencer.

"How many children?" asked Detective Hardesty.

"A 14-month-old little girl, a three-month-old baby girl, and my wife and I are foster parents to my 14-year-old half-sister," said Spencer before Morgan became serious.

"The removal of the hands is as specific as Rita Haslat's condition was when she was found," said Morgan.

"Just as specific as the removal of Bill Levington's genitals," said Emily.

"There's a message in the mutilations the unsub wants us to know," said Hotch.

Spencer and Garcia looked at each other.

"We got something here that might help us with-," said Garcia before she and Spencer got to see everyone from the laptop that was in front of their teammates, "Bill Levington was involved in a serial rape case, all involving minors, and it never went to trial," said Garcia.

"Rita Haslat?" asked Hotch.

Garcia looked at Spencer.

"Reid," said Garcia.

"A former social worker, a former attained said former status when she was fired from the DCFS for gross negligence. In one of her cases, a seven-year-old boy starved to death," said Spencer sadly.

Garcia squeezed Spencer's arm in comfort.

"Which explains why Haslat was so emaciated when she was found," said Emily.

"If all the victims were indicated in crimes against children, then we've found a connection," said Morgan.

"One of the unsubs has access to the crimes of the victims and probably works in the justice system. Garcia and Reid?" asked Hotch.

"On it," said Spencer and Garcia in unison before they looked at each other and laughed.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was wheeling himself out of the master bathroom in his wheelchair just as his work phone rang causing him to quickly wheel over to his nightstand and grab his phone and answer it without checking the caller ID.

"Reid here," answered Spencer.

"Hotch told me that you went home at 5 to spend the evening with your family, so I hope I didn't wake you up," said Rossi.

"I've been awake for five minutes, so what's up?" asked Spencer.

"My friend Ray needs your help with a crossword puzzle question," said Rossi.

"OK," said Spencer.

"Crossword question. 10 letters. Crater creator," said Ray.

"10 letters. Crater creator. Arctangent," answered Spencer.

"Did you get that?" asked Rossi.

"Damn, he's smart," said Ray.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

"Make sure to give my honorary granddaughters a kiss from their Papa Dave," said Rossi.

"I will give them each a kiss as soon as they're out of their cribs," said Spencer just as he heard Jocelyn through the baby monitor.

"Dada. Dada. Dada. Dada," chanted Jocelyn through the baby monitor.

"I have to get going because Jocelyn's awake and chanting 'Dada' through the baby monitor, so I have to go check on Josie Posie before I get back in bed with my wife. I'll see you tomorrow morning when Garcia and I video conference with you and the rest of the team," said Spencer.

"Good night, Reid," said Rossi before he hung up.

A few seconds later Spencer was wheeling himself out of the master bedroom towards Jocelyn's nursery, and a few seconds later Spencer was looking at Jocelyn who was standing up in her crib.

"Dada!" exclaimed Jocelyn.

"What are you doing up young lady?" asked Spencer.

"Read," said Jocelyn as she made a sign for a book.

Spencer shook his head as he wheeled himself to Jocelyn's bookcase and grabbed one of Jocelyn's books before he wheeled back to Jocelyn's crib and started to read his daughter back to sleep.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer and Garcia were video chatting with Rossi.

"I've concentrated on the last three cases. They've left the freshest e-prints," said Garcia.

"Great," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the computer that he was using.

"Not really. Over 100,000 cases pass through Long Island court," said Spencer.

"Who had eyes on those files?" asked Rossi.

"Literally hundreds and hundreds of people," said Garcia.

"Change track. Focus on the enforcer. Mob-related murder trials on long island the last 10 years. We're looking for a hit-man," said Rossi.

"Hey, there are 93 mob trials in the last 10 years," said Garcia.

"Put aside any trials that resulted in a conviction. Weed out mistrials and arraignments," instructed Rossi.

Spencer quickly did some typing.

"Uh, 19," said Spencer.

"Were any of those on trial suspected of being hit-men or enforcers?" asked Rossi.

"Three," answered Garcia just as her computer beeped, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, this totally slipped the net. Tony Mecacci his case was judged a mistrial, but check out his suspected victim," said Garcia as she sent Rossi a picture.

".22 caliber, right?" asked Rossi.

"Bull's-eye," said Garcia.

"Cross-match our profile of the planner against all those connected with this trial," said Rossi.

Spencer quickly pulled up some information.

"Let's see-prosecuting lawyer Garrett Daniels, Judge Boyd Schuller, criminal defense lawyer Paul-," said Spencer.

"Wait, wait. Did you say Judge Schuller?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah, here's a photo," said Spencer as he quickly sent Rossi a picture before he heard Hotch's voice.

"What's wrong?" asked Hotch as he noticed a look on Rossi's face, "Do you know him?" asked Hotch

"No. but I knew his wife. 2 years ago she was driving home from work and she was killed by a drunk driver," said Rossi.

"That could be the tragedy," said Spencer.

"She was the love of his life, that's for sure," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the information that Garcia was reading.

"12 months ago, Judge Schuller took a leave of absence due to health issues," said Garcia.

"He was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He has 6 months to live," said Spencer as he thought about his former step-mother dying from terminal cancer and how there are times during the night that Stephanie would cry in her sleep.

"And that's when the killing started," said Garcia.

"You don't seriously think judge-," said Detective Hardesty.

"Judge Schuller is the planner. Yes, I do," said Rossi.

"Fits the profile," said JJ.

Spencer quickly sent a picture of Tony Mecacci to his teammates.

"And Tony Mecacci is most likely Bosola the enforcer. What have you got on Bosola?" asked Rossi.

"Uh, he went off the grid after his last trial," said Garcia.

"JJ, put out a statewide APB and release Mecacci's photo to the media," said Hotch.

"Judge Schuller's a highly-respected man. We can't just walk in there and accuse him of serial murder," said Detective Hardesty.

"Then I'll go to the attorney general and petition the chief justice if I have to," said Hotch.

Spencer and Garcia watched Rossi stand up.

"And maybe not," said Rossi.

"I believe you're looking for me," said Judge Schuller.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was using his crutches to help himself lean over Garcia's shoulder a bit as he read the information that Garcia pulled up.

"Oh-oh, we've got gobs of two-way traffic going on, which means someone is trying to bounce us out," said Garcia.

"Ok, Bosola didn't come cheap, so Judge Schuller had to have made some pretty substantial transactions," said Emily.

"Got wire transfers to a Cayman Island bank and that's where the trace ends," said Garcia.

"How many, how much?" asked Emily.

"June, he debits numerations of $9, 999 every few days, total of four, he takes a break for a few weeks until he makes his final transaction for the same magic number," said Garcia.

"Anything less than $10,000 keeps the IRS off your trail," said Spencer.

"I know that, too," said Garcia.

"So, the final payment must be for proof of death. That makes $50,000 the price of a kill," said Emily.

"He did that three times over a period of 12 months, but two days ago, he raided his account for $100,000 all in one hit," said Garcia.

"He also closed all his accounts and handed his entire estate over to a victims support group," said Spencer just as everything that was pulled up disappeared.

"Someone who isn't suffering from too many brainiacs in the high-tech kitchen just bounced us out," said Garcia.

"Good job," said Emily.

Spencer slowly righted himself on his crutches while he looked at Garcia who was signing off from the video chat.

"I thought that you were excited about having me work in here with you on cases I can't travel while my knee continues to recover?" asked Spencer.

"I am because you being stuck here with me gives me one less member of my family to worry about during cases, and your doing much better than the time that Gideon worked in here with me when he was on crutches," said Garcia before laughing a bit, "When it comes to your in-laws moving in to help you and Maeve out at home until your off these crutches, I just wonder how your Joe and Stephanie are handling living in a household full of scientific geniuses?" asked Garcia.

"If Josie and Gabby are awake, he'll play with his granddaughters while Stephanie is willing to join in and ask questions because of taking biology at the moment," said Spencer before looking at Garcia, "Do you think Rossi will love coming home to find out that I completed his stack of consults as a way to make up to him about having to join the rest of the team while I can't travel at the moment?" asked Spencer.

Garcia looked at the stack of completed paperwork that was on the table in her office.

"He'll love it," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Rossi stepped out of his office and looked at Spencer who was sitting at his desk with his bad leg elevated working on his paperwork.

"Reid?" asked Rossi.

Spencer looked up from his paperwork.

"Yes?" asked Spencer.

"You did all of my consults as your way to make it up to me?" asked Rossi.

"I did," said Spencer.

"Thank you, and if Maeve or your in-laws aren't picking you up this evening, I'll give you a ride home," said Rossi.

Morgan looked at his own huge stack of consults before he looked at Spencer who was packing up his messenger bag.

"You didn't think about completing my paperwork?" asked Morgan.

"You always add some of your consults to my stack of consults. Ever since getting home from the hospital last month, Rossi has taken it upon himself to precook meals and store them in Maeve's and my freezer so Maeve, Mary, Joe, Stephanie, and I don't have to spend a lot of time preparing meals," said Spencer before looking at Rossi, "I'll take your offer to give me a ride home because I told Maeve and my in-laws that I'll get a ride from one of you so they don't have to travel all the way down here to get me," said Spencer.

"Are you ready?" asked Rossi.

"Yes," said Spencer as he quickly grabbed his crutches and a few seconds later Spencer was propping his crutches underneath his armpits while Rossi grabbed Spencer's messenger bag.

Two minutes later Spencer and Rossi were getting into the elevator before Spencer looked at Rossi.

"Maeve wants you to come over for dinner because Josie and Gabby can cheer you up," said Spencer.

"Spending time with my honorary granddaughters seems like the best medicine for me right now," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Rossi was sitting on the couch with Jocelyn who was sitting between her daddy and Rossi while Rossi held Gabriella.


	50. First Date, Hopeless, and Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that I'm a bit ahead of the timeline when it comes to the episode happening around October 14th, but in this universe this chapter starts on October 23rd because of the 34 day time jump between Nameless Faceless and Haunted while having it that Jack was born 10 days after Spencer's birthday.
> 
> When it comes to Spencer mentioning a team of physical therapists, I decided that he would have three physical therapists to work with because I ended up working with three different physical therapists when I was recovering from a partially torn Achilles tendon since I always couldn't see the same physical therapist two times a week.

Spencer who was sitting in his armchair with Jocelyn sitting on his right side while he held Gabriella in one arm looked at Jeremy who was wearing khaki pants and a light blue button-down shirt.

"Even though I'm happy that its you who asked my baby sister out on her first date, I should warn you that if you break my sister's heart; my team's technical analyst will make sure to mess with your social media pages and I will use what I've witnessed as an FBI agent to get away with murder while using my PhD in chemistry to hide your body," said Spencer.

Jeremy visibly gulped.

"I promise that I won't break your sister's heart, Dr. Reid," said Jeremy.

Xxxxxxxx 

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Maeve was braiding Stephanie's hair into two French braids as she looked at her sister-in-law who was wearing skinny jeans, a "Dr. Who" t-shirt, a jean jacket, and a pair of converse sneakers.

"Are you nervous about your first date?" asked Maeve.

"A little bit because all the times I've hung out with Jeremy outside of school for the past two months; Holly, Erica, and Ramona were with us," said Stephanie.

"I was a bit nervous about my first date with Spencer too," said Maeve.

"Speaking of Spencer, how bad do you think my brother is going to scare Jeremy with his big brother talk?" asked Stephanie.

Maeve laughed.

"He might do a good job scaring Jeremy," said Maeve before laughing at a memory, "Earlier this year Spencer and I attended his high school reunion, and he ended up scaring his past bullies by telling them how many people he killed while he also told them that he made possible suspects or unsubs sobbing by the time he left the interrogation room," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Jeremy looked at Stephanie as they waited for their turn to get snacks and drinks.

"Do you want to get separate containers of popcorn or share a container?" asked Jeremy.

"Separate containers and sodas because H1N1 is still going around right now," said Stephanie.

"Good point," said Jeremy.

Stephanie looked at the candy that was available.

"What's your favorite candy to get at the movies?" asked Stephanie.

"Chocolate covered cookie dough," said Jeremy.

Stephanie grinned.

"Mine too," said Stephanie.

Xxxxxxxx 

15 minutes later Stephanie and Jeremy were sitting next to each other in the back of the movie theater watching previews before "Where the Wild Things Are" started before Jeremy started to hesitantly grab Stephanie's hand before Stephanie smiled at him.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer looked at Stephanie as he, Maeve, Stephanie, Jocelyn, Mary, and Joe ate breakfast.

"How did your date go last night?" asked Spencer.

"It went well and we talked about taking Jocelyn to the aquarium on our next date," said Stephanie.

Jocelyn grinned as she lifted up her sticky maple syrup covered hands into the air.

"Emo," said Jocelyn causing everyone to laugh.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer was helping Rossi with a consult when Rossi looked at Spencer.

"Are you ever going to tell me what Jocelyn and Gabriella are dressing up for Halloween as this Saturday?" asked Rossi.

"I'm under orders not to tell anyone, but my costume will include me wearing overalls," said Spencer.

"So your still taking your daughters trick or treating despite your knee?" asked Rossi.

"When it comes to Jocelyn being too young to eat a lot of candy, we're only going to be going around two blocks. It's also important that I start using my crutches more because my doctor has talked to me about the possibility of starting to put weight on my bad leg in about two weeks," said Spencer.

"That's great," said Rossi.

"I know," said Spencer just as JJ entered Rossi's office.

"We have a case in DC," said JJ before looking at Spencer, "We're going to be driving to DC since Hotch got the paperwork from your doctor about being cleared to visit crime scenes," said JJ.

Spencer carefully got up from Rossi's couch and hitched his crutches underneath his arms.

"At least there's a chance that I won't be missing physical therapy today," said Spencer.

"Talk with Aaron first before you decide to cancel the appointment," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer swung himself towards an SUV where Morgan was holding the front passenger seat door open for him while Emily was already sitting in the backseat before looking at Hotch.

"I have physical therapy today at 12:45, so should I keep the appointment or cancel it" said Spencer.

"Keep the appointment and don't cancel any other appointments you have scheduled for this week," said Hotch.

"OK," said Spencer as he accepted Morgan's help to get himself settled into the front seat of the SUV before texting his father-in-law.

EVEN THOUGH I'M WORKING ON A LOCAL CASE RIGHT NOW, I'VE BEEN TOLD TO KEEP TODAY'S PHYSICAL THERAPY APPOINTMENT. ~ SR

A minute later Joe replied.

OK AND I'LL SEE YOU AT 11:30, AND A NEIGHBOR WILL BE WATCHING JOCELYN AND GABRIELLA FOR ME WHILE I TAKE YOU TO PHYSICAL THERAPY. ~ JD

Xxxxxxxx 

As soon as Morgan pulled up by the crime scene, Spencer slowly got out of the SUV before he hitched his crutches underneath his arms and swung towards his teammates.

"Detective Andrews? Hi. Jennifer Jareau. These are agents Rossi, Morgan, Hotchner, Prentiss, and Dr. Reid," said JJ.

"Thanks for getting here so fast," said Detective Andrews.

"What can you tell us?" asked Rossi.

"Looks like one of the victims was attacked when he got out of his car. Meaning whoever did this probably used his keys to get inside and surprise the other victims," said Detective Andrews as he led everyone towards the house while Spencer waited.

"Who found the bodies?" asked Morgan.

Spencer swung himself towards his teammates.

"The cleaning woman. She's giving her statement now," said Detective Andrews.

Hotch looked at the stairs that led to the house before making his decision.

"Dave, would you, Morgan, and Prentiss go inside. We'll cover out here," said Hotch.

Spencer inwardly shook his head as he thought about Hotch keeping him outside so he didn't have to go up a few stairs.

"I know you're all used to this, but, uh, it's a hell of a sight in there," said Detective Andrews causing everyone to exchange glances.

A few minutes later Hotch was crouching down by a car when JJ looked at Detective Andrews.

"The neighbors see anything?" asked JJ.

"Oh, you know, the patrol cars are even doubled in this area because of the vandalism- nothing," said Detective Andrews.

Spencer who was balancing himself on his crutches while keeping his left leg off the ground looked at Detective Andrews.

"The unsub would have to be extremely fast and efficient," said Spencer.

"Look at this. There's a pool of blood here and then drops as the victim moves toward the door. How big was the victim?" asked Hotch.

"6'1", 6'2" why?" asked Detective Andrews.

"Well, if he was strong enough to move under his own power, you'd expect signs of a struggle," said Hotch as he stood up to his full height, "And if not, there would most likely be drag marks," said Hotch.

"He was carried," said JJ.

"That's a lot of dead weight for one person to move alone," said Hotch.

Spencer lifted up the crutch that was in his right hand and used it to point at the porch.

"There's no pool of blood on the porch, which means they didn't have to set him down to open the door," said Spencer before he hitched his right crutch back underneath his arms.

"I hope that I'm not overstepping any boundaries, but why are you on crutches?" asked Detective Andrews.

"I got shot above the left knee last month and I ended up having surgery to repair the damage that the bullet caused," said Spencer.

"Hopefully you'll be walking on your own two feet soon," said Detective Andrews.

"I won't be getting around unassisted until January, but my wife is pleased that getting shot caused me to stop being stubborn when it comes to accepting help," said Spencer.

"You did fine getting out of the SUV and closing the door on your own," pointed out Detective Andrews.

Spencer chuckled a bit.

"I've always been so clumsy that my mom ended up giving me the nickname 'crash', but I hoping that all this hobbling around on crutches and torture sessions with my team of physical therapists will help my balance improve," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on a nearby ledge rubbing his left knee as he looked at the pictures that JJ was showing everyone.

"September 3rd, 15 luxury cars had their windows smashed. September 14th, a new upscale clothing boutique was vandalized. September 24th, two different restaurants, both catering to a wealthy clientele, had their front windows smashed and their interiors torn apart, and finally, October 1st, a newly renovated town-home was ransacked before the family could move in," said JJ.

"So they went from attacking public property to a private residence, but no victim?" asked Emily.

Hotch accepted the remote from JJ.

"The question is, what makes them move from that…," said Hotch as he showed a picture from the latest crime scene, "to this?" asked Hotch.

"The vandalism targets were all symbols of the neighborhood's changing makeup and economy. Maybe there's something specific about these victims that set the unsubs off," said Morgan.

"I've spoken to the victims' family members. They've agreed to come in and help however they can," said JJ.

"Garcia, check social networking sites. See if these unsubs have coordinated these attacks online," instructed Hotch.

"If they dare tweet, I shall flush them out like a bird dog, sir," said Garcia.

Spencer moved his crutches and quickly settled them underneath his armpits.

"We need to be asking how these unsubs manage to not stand out in this neighborhood," said Rossi.

Spencer swung himself towards a map as he talked.

"Each of these crime scene locations are a representation of new wealth and status," said Spencer as he removed his left hand from a crutch and pointed at a map, "but the area surrounding the crime scenes Are still populated by long-time residents who are slowly being pushed out," said Spencer.

"That's a lot of disenfranchised people who are all part of the neighborhood makeup," said Morgan while Spencer swung himself back to his spot, "Most likely these unsubs don't stand out because they're probably local themselves," said Morgan.

Spencer gingerly sat down.

"I don't know. I'm with Rossi. I mean, anger I get, but this much violence? We're looking at at least 3 men With an incredible amount of rage. Where do you hide that?" asked Emily.

A few seconds later Spencer's cell phone vibrated causing Spencer to see a text from Joe.

I JUST GOT PAST SECURITY TO COME UP TO THE SIXTH FLOOR TAKE YOU TO PHYSICAL THERAPY. ~ JD

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Joe's on his way up to pick me up for physical therapy," said Spencer as he got himself positioned on his crutches again.

"You can take the afternoon off," said Hotch.

"Are you sure?" asked Spencer.

"We're going to be interviewing the victims' families, so you should spend the rest of the day with your daughters after therapy," said Hotch.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow morning then," said Spencer as he swung himself towards the door.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour and a half later Spencer who was wearing swim trunks and one of his FBI t-shirts was gently easing himself into a heated swimming pool before his father-in-law and his physical therapist who were both wearing swim trunks and t-shirts approached him so they could help steady him in the water.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was up front with Hotch while JJ and Morgan sat in the backseat when Hotch pulled up at the latest crime scene. A few seconds later Spencer was shifting himself out of the SUV before he settled his crutches underneath his armpits and swung himself towards the crime scene.

"Did anybody see anything?" asked Hotch.

"It's in the middle of the damn parking lot," said Detective Andrews.

"What about the security cam?" asked JJ.

"It's only on the door," said Detective Andrews as he pointed at a door.

Morgan noticed a crying woman.

"Who's the lady over there?" asked Morgan.

"Manager. She discovered the bodies when she came by to open up for the breakfast crowd," said Detective Andrews.

"I'll go talk to her," said JJ before she walked away.

Spencer looked at the two bodies.

"Any idea who the victims are?" asked Spencer.

"Judging by the driver's license, one of them is a waitress here. It says Jessica Miller, and the other one's probably Doug Taylor," said Detective Andrews.

"You can't tell for sure?" asked Morgan before he crouched down to look at one of the bodies.

"Honestly, you can't make an ID by looking at them," said Detective Andrews.

Morgan removed a white sheet and looked at the head.

"Hotch," said Morgan.

Hotch quickly checked the other body.

"They're definitely getting bolder. These kills were in public," said Spencer.

"If this is supposed to be about symbolism, it's not anymore. This is a blue-collar restaurant, the victim is a waitress," said Morgan.

"There's no ideology behind this. It's about violence and power," said Hotch.

Detective Andrews looked at the crushed up beer cans.

"They actually sat here and drank beer after the murders," said Detective Andrews.

"They're telling us that they don't care," said Morgan while JJ approached them.

"They're like those outlaws that ride into town and let you know the only way to stop them is by killing them," said Spencer.

"If that's what they want, I know plenty of cops who'd be happy to oblige," said an angry Detective Andrews.

"Detective, we need to keep our heads," said Hotch.

"Meaning what?" asked Detective Andrews.

"Meaning that this level of nihilism, this randomness, it can have a mirror impact," said Hotch.

"Are you warning me not to go after some kind of revenge?" asked Detective Andrews.

"All I'm saying is this level of brutality is almost like a challenge from the unsubs, trying to drag everyone down to their level. And it's a natural reaction," said Hotch.

"I'm just doing my job," said Detective Andrews.

Hotch stared at Detective Andrews for 10 seconds before he looked at Spencer, JJ, and Morgan.

"Let's head back. We've got our profile," said Hotch.

20 seconds later Spencer was in the front passenger seat, and as soon as Spencer was buckled in, Hotch looked at him.

"Good?" asked Hotch.

"Yes," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "Even though its pretty rare for me to be riding shotgun when there are more than two people in an SUV, I know that I should cherish automatically getting the front seat until my knee is healed," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was sitting at the round table with his crutches by him when JJ looked at her teammates.

"I talked to the beat cops. They're getting word out to local businesses to keep an eye out for anyone who seems agitated by the news of last night's riot," said JJ.

"By now, Andrews has to know that none of those kids are the unsubs," said Rossi.

"Then he's bound to beef up police presence in the Southeast. We should be there, too. The faster we can react, the more we can help," said Hotch.

"Do you think the unsubs know about the riot?" asked Garcia.

"Front page news. I don't know how they can't," said Rossi.

Garcia looked at Spencer.

"And if the profile's right?" asked Garcia.

"Their reaction's gonna be quick and it's gonna be brutal," said Spencer.

"Basically, it's like knowing that lightning is gonna strike but not being able to pinpoint where," said Emily as she pointed at the map.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few days later Spencer who was wearing jeans, a Cal-tech sweatshirt, and had a Mickey Mouse wizard's hat on his head swung himself on his crutches over to his mother who was waiting at the front desk with a nurse.

"Happy Halloween, mom," said Spencer.

"Happy Halloween to you too, Spencer," said Diana as Spencer approached her, "You're getting better on those crutches, Spencer," said Diana as she gave her son a gentle hug.

"I know, but are you ready to go to the park with Jocelyn, Stephanie, Joe, and me?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, but where are Maeve, Mary, and Gabriella?" asked Diana.

"Maeve and Mary are currently at the mall with Gabriella, and Joe's with us because I can't drive yet," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

20 minutes later Diana was laughing as she watched a laughing Spencer sit on one end of the teeter-totter with his crutches right in front of him use his good leg to bounce himself into the air causing Stephanie who was on the other end of the teeter totter with her arms wrapped around a laughing Jocelyn use her legs to bounce herself into the air.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that night Spencer who was dressed up as a scarecrow stood on the sidewalk with his crutches underneath his arms while Maeve who was dressed up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Stephanie who was dressed up as Dorthy took Jocelyn who was dressed up as the Good Witch of the North and Gabriella who was dressed up as the cowardly lion to the front door of a house in their neighborhood.


	51. Cradle to Grave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts two days after the last chapter and I couldn't help myself with one of the non episode scenes for this chapter because of the TV show "The Big Bang Theory" that I occasionally watch with my stepfather when it comes to Spencer's first line in the episode "Cradle to Grave".
> 
> I'm sorry that there's no Jocelyn in this chapter, but I thought that Gabriella needed a moment to shine.
> 
> Spencer might be a bit OOC in this chapter, but he did use the word moron in the episode.

Maeve was walking past the library when she heard her husband cursing in a bunch of foreign languages before hearing the rubber tips of Spencer's crutches repeatably hitting the floor. A few seconds later Maeve entered the library where she found Spencer sitting behind the desk and glaring at the screen of the desktop computer while her husband continued lightly bang one of his crutches on the floor.

"What are you reading that is causing you to swear in foreign languages while abusing one of your crutches?" asked Maeve.

"You remember my friend Raj Koothrappali who's an astrophysicist at Cal-tech?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded as she thought about the weekend they spent in Pasadena before Henry was born causing her to meet Raj Koothrappali, Sheldon Cooper, Howard Walowitz, and Leonard Hofstadter when Spencer wanted to go to Cal-tech to show off Jocelyn to some of his former professors who were still working at Cal-tech.

"Yes," said Maeve.

"He just called me and told me to check out a blog that someone posted about Carl Sagan and told me that he wants my opinion on it, and I just checked out the blog and it pissed me off. Other than wanting to beat George Foyet with my crutches, I'm so wanting to beat up the moron who created this blog with my crutches," grumbled Spencer as he started to rant about the replies he had read while he continued to lightly pound one of his crutches against the floor.

Maeve shook her head as she thought about how rare it was to see her husband angry before she walked towards her husband and looked at the computer and saw the title "What Would Carl Sagan Do?".

"This is so wrong," said Maeve as she quickly grabbed her husband's crutches and leaned them against a bookshelf far away from Spencer.

"I need those to get around," said Spencer.

"I know, but because of you wanting to beat someone up with your crutches, I'm taking them away until tomorrow morning," said Maeve just as Stephanie passed the library, "Stephanie, can you please go put these crutches downstairs and find Spencer's wheelchair please?" asked Maeve.

Stephanie took one glance at her brother and noticed that Spencer was fuming as he glared at the computer screen.

"He wants to beat someone up with his crutches?" asked an amused Stephanie.

"Yes," said Maeve.

Stephanie laughed as she took her brother's crutches.

"He warned Jeremy that he'll beat him up with his crutches if he didn't get me home by a certain time last week," said Stephanie before she walked away to find her brother's wheelchair.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was reading something on his Bureau issued computer when he heard Morgan's voice.

"Reid, what did I miss?" asked Morgan.

Spencer turned his chair a bit with his good leg and looked at Morgan.

"Oh, man, you're not gonna believe this. Some moron just posted a blog called "What would Carl Sagan do?" yesterday. I told Maeve that I so want to track down whoever started this blog and beat him with my crutches causing her to take away my crutches for the rest of day and forced me to use my wheelchair," grumbled Spencer.

Morgan shook his head as he thought about how Spencer was about blogs being posted about deceased geniuses and scientists before looking at his phone.

"No, Reid, the case," said Morgan.

"What's the case? What are you talking about?" asked a confused Spencer.

"These emails from Hotch," said Morgan as he started to read the titles of his emails, ""take a look at this, " "new case to review."" read Morgan.

Spencer thought about the email account that he was forced to have when he joined the BAU.

"Emails from Hotch? I didn't get any emails from Hotch, did I?" asked Spencer as he quickly checked his email, "Nothing," said Spencer.

Morgan shook his head before walking away causing Spencer to quickly text Maeve.

SEEMS LIKE I HAVE A CASE AND I'LL BE TRAVELING WITH THE TEAM THIS TIME BECAUSE OF BEING CLEARED TO TRAVEL. I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHERE I'M GOING SO I CAN CANCEL THIS AFTERNOON'S PHYSICAL THERAPY APPOINTMENT. ~ SR

A few seconds later Spencer was propping his crutches underneath his arms and quickly swung himself towards the stairs and slowly made his way up just as JJ came into view.

"I was just about to come tell you that we have a case and see if you needed help getting up the stairs," said JJ.

"Morgan told me because of the emails he got from Hotch, so I quickly sent Maeve a text before starting my way up here," said Spencer as he swung himself towards the conference room.

Xxxxxxxx 

10 minutes later JJ was showing a picture of a young woman.

"Kristie Taylor, runaway, drug addict, reported missing from Farmington, New Mexico three years ago. Yesterday, she turned up off a freeway outside of Rio Rancho," said JJ.

Spencer looked at the file that he was given.

"Sexual assault combined with ligature marks on her wrists and ankles. She was asphyxiated," said Spencer.

"Three victims in five years. All the women are connected by marks. He likes chains," said JJ.

"Definite sexual sadist. He sticks to his type. 16- to 19-year-old girls, all blonde," said Emily.

"Hangs on to them for a while, too. Look at this. Average of two years between abducting them and killing them," said Spencer.

"Low body count, long time frame. This guy's in control of his urges," said Morgan.

"Too controlled. Sadists need new victims, new ways to torture. There are a lot of guys out there who like chains. Are we sure this is the same unsub?" asked Rossi.

"Kristie Taylor's autopsy report also indicates a second connection between these victims," said JJ.

Spencer's eyes went wide as he thought about the times that Maeve was pregnant with Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"She was pregnant," said Spencer.

"She'd given birth. Very soon after, the unsub killed her," said JJ.

"How soon after?" asked Morgan.

"Minutes," said JJ quietly.

"This unsub isn't your typical sexual sadist. Captivity and assault we've seen before. What we haven't seen is this signature- the role he forces these women to fulfill before he kills them. Motherhood," said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "Even though you've been cleared to travel from your doctor, are you wanting to stay behind and attend today's physical therapy appointment?" asked Hotch.

"I want to come with you guys and I have exercises that I need to do daily for my knee, but if we're still in New Mexico on Friday, I will need to be back by 4 PM our time so I don't miss my appointment with Dr. Trader," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was at his desk sending Maeve a text message.

I'M HEADING TO NEW MEXICO. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on the ledge massaging his healing knee while Emily looked at her teammates.

"So why would a sexual sadist make women carry his children?" asked Emily.

"Gary Heidnik kept a harem in a dungeon. His goal was to create a large family as a replacement for his own broken home," said Spencer.

"Josef Fritzl kept his daughter in a cell in his own house, and they had several kids together," said Morgan.

Rossi came out of the small kitchenette with a bottle of water in his hands.

"Squalid conditions are part Of a control fantasy these men had," said Rossi.

Spencer stopped massaging his knee as he looked at his teammates.

"If he's keeping these women in a similar location, he'd need a lot of privacy," said Spencer as Hotch who was getting off the phone joined them.

"He probably built it himself. Makes him good with his hands," said Morgan.

"Why blondes, and what significance do they have to him?" asked Hotch.

"Maybe, uh, the woman who rejected him or the woman who wouldn't bear his children?" asked Emily.

"If that were true, he'd be the same age as these girls- Late teens. This unsub is too skilled for that," said Rossi.

"His own mother, then? She could be a runaway, just like these victims," said JJ.

"Which makes his compulsion psych 101- Killing his mother over and over again for giving birth to him," said Morgan.

"Yeah, but then why wait until after she gives birth? Now he has a body and a baby to get rid of," said Rossi.

Spencer instantly thought about Jocelyn and Gabriella who were currently safe at home with their grandpa Joe.

"That troubles me, too. We found the mothers but not the infants," said Hotch.

"Uh, I hate to say this, but what if the women are just a means to an end? What if the babies are really the ones he's exploiting?" asked Emily grimly.

"If Kristie Taylor just surfaced, it means he has her baby right now," said JJ.

Hotch looked at JJ.

"JJ, check with the parents. See if there are any similarities In the runaways' patterns, where the unsub's finding them," said Hotch before looking at Spencer and Emily, "Reid and Prentiss, go to the latest dump site. We need to look at victimology. How he treats these women in the final moments of their lives might tell us what he's doing to the children," said Hotch just as Spencer's cell phone vibrated causing Spencer to see a picture message from his father-in-law.

A second later Spencer was smiling a bit as he saw a picture of Jocelyn trying to give her teddy bear to Gabriella.

"What is it?" asked Emily.

"Joe just sent me a picture of Jocelyn trying to give Gabriella her teddy bear," said Spencer.

"How is Joe enjoying early retirement?" asked Rossi.

"He loves spending his retirement taking care of his granddaughters while Mary and Maeve are at work, taking advantage of my physical therapy appointments to bond with me, while he spends a majority of his free time whittling a cane for me to use within the next couple of weeks," said Spencer.

"Do you know what the cane looks like yet?" asked Emily.

Spencer shook his head.

"I'm forbidden to see the cane until its finished, but he gave me a hint that the handle will involve some type of animal," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Emily laid down a map on the trunk of a police car while Spencer leaned one of his hips against the car as he balanced on his right leg while keeping his left leg off the ground. As soon as Emily had everything laid out for Spencer, Emily looked at Spencer.

"You good?" asked Emily.

"I should be," said Spencer.

A few seconds later an officer was lifting up the crime scene tape before Emily ducked under.

"Thank you," said Emily as she walked into the desert for a bit before looking at Spencer, "There are no tire tracks. The body wasn't dumped that far from the road. This guy doesn't care about them, not enough to even hide them very well," said Emily before she made her way back to Spencer.

"That's why this doesn't make any sense. Dump sites reveal something about the unsub, you know? At the very least, a geographic familiarity, a place he knows he won't get caught," said Spencer.

"OK, so he knows this road," said Emily.

Spencer placed a finger on a map.

"Yeah, except he abducted Kristie in Farmington and then dumps her here in Rio Rancho. It's a 175-mile drive," said Spencer.

"Why drive that far just to dump a body by the side of the road?" asked Emily.

"A forensic countermeasure? Covering his tracks by sheer distance?" asked Spencer.

"So the geographical profile won't do us much good," sighed Emily.

Spencer shook his head.

"No, it will, just not with the victims. We profiled that it's the babies that he's interested in. That's where he'll reveal himself," said Spencer.

"The adoption company he sells through and whatever network of resources he uses," said Emily.

"He makes shortcuts there for convenience. No one's gonna drive 100 miles for diapers or for a public notary for legal paperwork. If the babies are in the system, they'll lead us to him," said Spencer.

"Ready to head to the station?" asked Emily.

"Yes," said Spencer as he quickly grabbed his crutches and propped them underneath his arms.

A few minutes later Spencer and Emily were heading to the police department when Emily looked at Spencer.

"Are you and Maeve planning on trying for a third child as soon as your knee is healed?" asked Emily.

Spencer shook his head.

"We're going to wait until after Gabriella turns two to try for our third child because by the time the baby's born Maeve and I will only have to deal with one baby in diapers," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer was sitting at a conference table with JJ and Rossi as he talked on the phone with Garcia.

"Ok, know this most adoption folk are like the nicest, most dedicated people in the world. There are, however, one or two skeezy ones," said Garcia.

"How skeezy?" asked Spencer.

"Super skeezy. I've got a spreadsheet from one of them expecting compensation for the baby I'm having," said Garcia just as Morgan joined them.

"Something you want to tell me, Garcia?" asked Morgan.

"Oh, that's the sad part, my prince. The genetically perfect offspring of Penelope Garcia and Derek Morgan wouldn't fetch top dollar," said Garcia sadly.

"Who does?" asked JJ tiredly.

"White babies are in higher demand than minorities. Boys are more popular than girls, at least this year, anyway. And then there's the Swedish supermodel rule," said Garcia.

"The what?" asked Emily.

"If I were to deliver a blond-haired, blue-eyed bundle of joy, I'd be set for life. I would," said Garcia.

"Garcia, did the baby's DNA turn up in New Mexico's adoption records?" asked Hotch.

"No. There are no hits on her profile. And it is a her, by the way," said Garcia.

"This unsub could still be selling babies, just not through the system," said Rossi.

"That's gonna make him a lot harder to catch," said Spencer tiredly.

Hotch noticed the tired looks on everyone's faces while thinking about the current time in DC before he made his decision.

"All right. it's late. Let's get some rest. We'll hit this fresh in the morning," said Hotch.

Spencer rubbed his eyes.

"Garcia out," said Garcia before she hung up.

At that moment Emily grabbed Spencer's crutches and got them placed for Spencer who used a chair to get himself up before he placed his crutches underneath his arms before he followed Emily, JJ, and Rossi on his crutches.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later a freshly showered and pajama-clad Spencer was doing the exercises he was told to do daily when Morgan looked at Spencer.

"Need anything before I get in the shower?" asked Morgan.

Spencer stopped doing the current exercise he was doing and looked at Morgan.

"I should be fine because the home physical therapy exercises that I'm supposed to do should take me another 15 minutes, but if I need anything I can call Rossi and ask him to come in through the door that adjoins our hotel room to his," said Spencer as he looked at the door that adjoins his and Morgan's hotel room to Rossi's.

Morgan quickly went to the door that adjoined their hotel room to Rossi's and unlocked it before knocking on the door that opened a few seconds later.

"Yes, Morgan?" asked Rossi.

"I'm about to take a shower and Reid already showered and changed into pajamas and is currently doing his exercises for his knee, so I just wanted to let you know just in case Reid needed anything while I'm in the shower," said Morgan.

"Good to know, and I think I'll keep Reid company until your out of the bathroom," said Rossi causing Morgan to step aside and let Rossi into the room before Morgan headed into the bathroom with pajama pants and a t-shirt.

A few seconds later Rossi was sitting at the foot end of Spencer's hotel bed as he looked at his youngest colleague who was currently flexing his bad knee.

"How are you doing, Reid?" asked Rossi.

"I'm doing fine because I'm not dealing with any pain right now, but there are two people that I want to track down and beat up with my crutches," said Spencer.

Rossi shook his head.

"Is Foyet one of the people you want to beat up with your crutches right now?" asked Rossi.

Spencer nodded as his growing curly brown hair bounced.

"Then who's the other person who you want to beat up with your crutches?" asked Rossi.

"A friend of mine contacted me about some moron posting a blog about Carl Sagan that I ended up disapproving causing Maeve to find me in the library swearing and abusing my crutches. After she checked out the blog herself, she took away my crutches and had me use my wheelchair for the rest of the night so I could stop abusing my crutches while I gave my arms a break from the crutches," said Spencer.

Rossi laughed.

"I really hope you watched your language around Jocelyn because I know that your language can get really colorful when you're pissed," said Rossi.

"Jocelyn and Gabriella were already asleep in their cribs when I got a phone call about the blog, and I was swearing in foreign languages instead of English because 15-months-old is a bit too young to teach Jocelyn how to speak in another language," said Spencer.

"How are you dealing with this case when it comes to babies being involved?" asked Rossi.

"I ended up asking Maeve, Mary, Joe, and Stephanie to send me a lot of pictures of Josie and Gabby," said Spencer.

"I don't blame you because I bet that everyone ended up looking at pictures of the second generation of our family," said Rossi as he looked at a picture of Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Stephanie together that Spencer had placed on the nightstand between Spencer's and Morgan's bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was sitting by his geographical profile as he looked at his teammates.

"So all the mothers were abducted and dumped in New Mexico, but he keeps the babies in Arizona," said Spencer.

"He knows the police will stop looking at the state line," said Rossi.

"The adoption agency's gonna be our best lead to the unsub," said Hotch before he looked at JJ, "Who handled the case?" asked Hotch.

"That's bombshell number two. She didn't go through an agency. She was dropped off anonymously at a church," said JJ.

Emily sighed.

"Hospitals and churches are safe havens. You can drop a baby off, no questions asked," said Emily.

"Child protection services would look for the closest relative," said Morgan.

"Another search that ends at the state line," said Spencer.

"And if CPS doesn't find one, the baby will go into foster care, which is what happened to Lisa. She was lucky. The adoption process happened within a month," said JJ.

Rossi looked at a picture of Lisa.

"So, this unsub had the opportunity to make money off this infant. He doesn't, drops it off at a church because he knows the state will take good care of it," said Rossi.

"That's awfully considerate," said Emily.

Morgan thought about the profile that Hotch had him write.

"Outside the murders, nothing about this unsub's behavior profiles like a sexual sadist... As I wrote," said Morgan.

"Yeah, Morgan's right. It's the actions of a caretaker, a mother," said Spencer.

"Could our unsub be a woman?" asked JJ.

"Uh, only a man would torture his victims this much. Men get off on this kind of violence. women don't," said Emily.

"He could be married, though, his wife being a passive participant, taking care of the moms," said Morgan.

Spencer instantly thought about Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"And the babies," said Spencer.

"All right. We need to split up. We'll give the profile to the Arizona and the New Mexico state police. Rossi, Reid, and Prentiss, I want you to head to Phoenix. Morgan, you're here with me. We'll finalize the profile," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour after giving the profile to the police in Arizona, Spencer was leaning on his crutches as he finished his geographical profile when Rossi approached him.

"What's this?" asked Rossi.

"It's the pattern I've been looking for," said Spencer as he pivoted himself on his crutches and made eye contact with Rossi, "The unsubs hid their tracks with the mothers, but they weren't so careful with the abandoned babies," said Spencer.

"Did you find more children?" asked Rossi.

"DNA-wise, no, but deductively, yes. I gathered all the records for all infants who entered into foster care in a two-week window following each mother's death," said Spencer while Rossi sat down at the table to look at the files that Spencer looked at, "Then I narrowed it down to babies that were abandoned at churches. This is where the guesswork begins. Monica's Winmar's daughter was abandoned at a Presbyterian church. Let's assume the unsub, or the wife at least is Presbyterian. That means all other unwanted children are gonna be left at the same denomination, right?" asked Spencer as he started to draw a triangle on his geographical profile, "That narrows it down to three babies left at three different Presbyterian churches all within this 20-mile radius. This is where they live," said Spencer.

Rossi looked through the files.

"These kids you deduced to- Have you looked at their files?" asked Rossi.

"No. Right now I've only been tracking churches. Why?" asked Spencer.

"Because you just uncovered another pattern," said Rossi.

Spencer realized what Rossi was telling him.

"The unsub is keeping the boys," said Spencer as he rolled his shoulders a bit as he kept his crutches underneath his arms.

"Your arms and good leg must be getting tired from spending all of this time standing, so why don't you sit down and rest your good leg for awhile while I fix you a fresh cup of coffee while I call Hotch," said Rossi as he pulled out a chair for Spencer.

"OK," said Spencer as he swung himself towards the nearest table and carefully sat down.

A few minutes later Rossi brought Spencer some coffee and a couple packets of sugar and looked at Spencer.

"The others will be here in about two hours, so why don't you use this time to do your home physical therapy exercises," said Rossi.

"I was already planning on doing those exercises," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Later on that night Spencer swung himself towards Gabriella's crib where he found the baby girl who will be turning four-months-old in about one and a half weeks laying awake in her crib while she sucked on her pacifier.

"What are you doing up, Gabriella?" asked Spencer.

Gabriella's eyes went wide at the sound of her daddy's voice as she grinned while spitting out her pacifier.

"Ah," said Gabriella as she tried to reach for her daddy.

"I wish that I could lift you out of your crib and carry you to the rocking chair in here and hold you for a bit, but I can't do it because I'll only hurt you and myself if I lose my balance," said Spencer as he made funny faces causing the nearly four-month-old baby girl to laugh just until Stephanie appeared in the doorway.

"When did you get home?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer looked at his little sister who was in her pajamas while her armpit length hair was messed up.

"Emily dropped me off five minutes ago and I came in here right away because I wanted to watch Gabby sleep for a bit only to find her awake, but what are you doing up?" asked Spencer.

"I was in the bathroom when I heard the sound of your crutches while hearing you talk softly to Gabriella," said Stephanie.

Spencer shook his head as he thought about the sound of his crutches being the reason why everyone can tell where he is or knows that he's approaching them.

"I can't wait to get off these crutches so I can be completely quiet again when I come home late at night from cases or heading to another room," said Spencer before looking at Gabriella who was still trying to reach for Spencer, "I'm wanting to hold Gabby for a bit, so can you get her out of her crib so I can hold her for a bit," said Spencer.

"Sure," said Stephanie.

10 seconds later Spencer was sitting in a rocking chair as he stared at his youngest daughter while Stephanie decided to give her half-brother a moment with his youngest daughter.


	52. Progress in Recovery & The Eyes Have It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though I didn't like it how Linda Barnes was about asking locals to fetch her coffee in Annihilator and not even thanking the officer who called her in, I believe that when it comes to Spencer currently being on crutches the officers or FBI agents who asked them to come help them wouldn't have a problem fetching Spencer coffee or anything else if Hotch, JJ, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi aren't around so Spencer doesn't get hurt again.
> 
> When it comes to eyes being involved in this chapter, I'm glad that I was too scared to dissect a cow's eye in seventh grade science class even though I had no problem being the one in my group who was brave enough cut open a pig's heart in eighth grade science class before I said "high elbows" to my two best friends causing my science teacher who died from stomach cancer over six years ago to laugh at my creativity of celebrating when it came to my hands being covered in blood.
> 
> Also the last scene can be considered 'M' rated while I reveal another reason why Spencer and Maeve have been dealing with a dry spell from sex when it comes to Spencer's knee.

Spencer was standing with his crutches hitched underneath his arms and a peach colored brace on his left knee when Spencer's physical therapist for the day Samuel looked at Spencer.

"Instead of hopping on your right foot with your crutches, I want you to move your crutches forward while moving your left foot at the same time and allow your foot to gently hit the ground before you move your good leg before you make your way around the room," said Samuel.

"OK," said Spencer.

After doing one lap around the room, Samuel motioned Spencer to stop.

"How did your knee feel?" asked Samuel.

"I had very little pain when I put weight on my bad leg," said Spencer before looking at his physical therapist, "Am I ready to bear weight on my left leg?" asked Spencer.

Samuel nodded.

"For the next couple of days I want you to wear this brace while you bear weight on your left leg, but no ditching your crutches yet," said Samuel.

Spencer grinned.

"I'm one step closer to being able to carry my daughters or a cup of coffee around again," said Spencer.

"One more thing," said Samuel.

"What?" asked Spencer.

"Your doctor thinks that you're ready to start driving again, so let's head outside to the vehicle you came in and see if you can handle driving again," said Samuel.

Spencer grinned as he made his way towards Joe who was sitting in a chair at the sheet covered exam table that Spencer was on earlier.

"I need the keys to my Volvo," said Spencer.

Joe grinned as he pulled out the keys to Spencer's Volvo.

"Going to see if you can start driving again?" asked Joe.

"Yes, so we should be back shortly," said Spencer.

"If you're cleared to drive again, I'm going to miss driving your Volvo around," said Joe.

A few minutes later Spencer was pulling out of the parking lot.

"I want you to drive around the block, Spencer," said Samuel.

"OK," said Spencer.

After driving his car around the block that contained rehab center that provides physical therapy for injured men and women who are currently in the military or works for law enforcement, Samuel grinned at Spencer.

"I officially clear you for driving, Spencer," said Samuel.

Spencer grinned and 10 minutes later Spencer was driving Joe and himself home so they could pick up Jocelyn and Gabriella from their next door neighbor who was a stay at home mother who worked from home.

xxxx

50 minutes later Spencer was standing outside of the front passenger seat of his car as he watched high school students leave the school, and a few minutes later Spencer smiled as he watched Stephanie heading towards the direction that would allow her to walk home.

"You are going the wrong way, Stephanie!" called out Spencer.

Stephanie quickly turned and her eyes went wide when she saw her brother standing with his crutches propped underneath his armpits as his left foot rested comfortably on the ground while his left knee sported a brace before Spencer started to make his way towards her.

"Your bearing weight again, Spencer," said Stephanie as she ran towards her brother and hugged him tight enough that her brother wouldn't fall down.

"Been cleared to bear weight 50 minutes ago, and I decided to pick you up from school too because I also got cleared to drive," said   
Spencer before the two half-siblings started to make their way towards Spencer's car.

"Does Maeve know?" asked Stephanie.

"I decided to surprise Maeve," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer was driving Stephanie and himself home.

xxxxxxx

Two hours later Spencer was sitting in his armchair while he read to Jocelyn just as Maeve and Mary came into the house causing Spencer to close the book and place it on the small table by him before he looked at Jocelyn.

"Look who's home," said Spencer.

Jocelyn's head went up and she grinned when she saw her mommy and grandma Mary.

"Mama. Nana," said Jocelyn as she climbed down from the armchair and ran to her mommy and grandma Mary while Spencer quickly grabbed his crutches and stood up.

Maeve quickly scooped up her 15-month-old daughter and kissed Jocelyn's cheek.

"Mommy missed you and Gabriella today," said Maeve.

"What about me?" asked Spencer as he made his way to Maeve and Mary while noticing some pizza boxes in Mary's hands.

Maeve's and Mary's eyes went wide when they saw Spencer bearing weight on his left leg as he hobbled towards them.

"Your walking," said Maeve.

"I am, but I'm still on crutches for a few more weeks," said Spencer as he reached Maeve and his mother-in-law and pecked Maeve on the lips before kissing his mother-in-law's cheek.

"I'm glad that you've been making progress, Spencer," said Mary.

"I've also been cleared to drive too," said Spencer.

"That's great, and when we go visit your mom tomorrow, you can drive," said Maeve just as Spencer's stomach growled causing her to laugh, "It's a good thing that mom and I picked up some pizza on the way home because we didn't feel like cooking," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Stephanie, Mary, and Joe were sitting around the dining room table or sitting in a high chair in Jocelyn's case eating pizza talking about their day while Gabriella watched her parents, big sister, aunt, and grandparents eat pizza for dinner.

xxxx

The next day Diana was sitting in her room reading one of her books when she heard the familiar sound of her son's crutches causing her to see her son sporting a brace on his left knee as he allowed his left foot to land on the floor before moving his right foot while Maeve came into the room next while pushing a double stroller that contained 15-month-old Jocelyn and nearly four-month-old Gabriella who were both wide awake.

"Your bearing weight on your left leg, baby," said Diana.

Spencer grinned at his mom.

"I got cleared yesterday, and I'm finally driving again too," said Spencer.

Diana quickly set down her book and made her way to her son and pulled him into a tight enough hug that she wouldn't knock down her son.

"I'm proud of you for making really good progress," said Diana as she released her son.

"I'm proud of myself too, and I'm excited about taking you on small outings throughout the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area as soon as my knee is healed," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked up at her grandma.

"Hi gramma D," said Jocelyn.

Diana grinned at her oldest granddaughter.

"You're getting close to saying grandma, Jocelyn," said Diana as she started to get Jocelyn out of her stroller, "Are you excited about having me continue reading you the book I've been reading to you since I moved out here?" asked Diana.

"Yes," said a nodding Jocelyn as her nearly shoulder length curly brown hair bounced.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were sitting together on the couch in Diana's room as they listened to Diana read to Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, and Gabriella.

xxxxx

Two days later Spencer walked into the bullpen with his crutches and smiled when he saw Hotch coming down the stairs.

"Morning Hotch," said Spencer as he made his way towards Hotch on his crutches.

Hotch instantly noticed the brace on Spencer's left thigh, knee, and leg while his foot rested comfortably on the floor.

"Your bearing weight on your left leg," said Hotch.

Spencer grinned.

"Got cleared to bear weight and drive again on Friday, and depending on how the next few days ago, I'll be bearing weight without this   
brace," said Spencer.

"I'm glad that you're making great progress," said Hotch.

"Maeve's pleased too because she presented me tickets so we can attend Dr. James Fallon's lectures in Irvine, California in next week Saturday," said Spencer just as Strauss came towards them.

"Did I hear something about attending a lecture?" asked Strauss.

"Maeve got herself and me tickets to attend a seminar that Dr. James Fallon is giving next week Saturday in California because we're both   
fans of his work and this lecture will help my career as a profiler and Maeve's career as a geneticist because we'll both be learning more about schizophrenia, mental illness, psychopaths, while getting to look at MRI scans of brains," said a grinning Spencer.

"Have you and your wife paid for plane tickets and a hotel room yet?" asked Strauss.

"Maeve already took care of all of that, and I'm suppose to request next week Friday through Sunday off because we're also going to take advantage of being away from the girls for the weekend," said Spencer.

"Why do you need all of Friday off next week?" asked Strauss.

"I have a doctor appointment and physical therapy that morning, and I'm hoping that I'll be leaving for California that afternoon with one crutch instead of two," said Spencer.

Strauss nodded.

"I'll make sure that you get reimbursed the money that your wife paid for your plane tickets and the hotel room," said Strauss.

"You don't have to do that, ma'am," said Spencer.

"You mentioned that this seminar will be good for your career as a profiler, and you'll just have to share what you learned over the weekend to your teammates and other profilers in the BAU," said Strauss just as JJ, Garcia, and Emily entered the bullpen together and their mouths opened in shock when they saw the brace on Spencer's left knee while his left foot rested comfortably on the floor.

"Your standing on both feet, Spence," said JJ.

Spencer grinned at his female teammates as he quickly made his way towards his female teammates on his crutches.

"I made enough progress that I've been cleared to bear weight on my left leg, so I'm one step closer to getting to carry my daughters or a carry a cup of coffee with my free hand," said Spencer.

Everyone laughed at the last part as they thought about Spencer's irritation about Maeve taking advantage of Spencer being on crutches to limit the amount of coffee he drinks until he's able to carry a cup of coffee on his own again.

"That's great, and I assume that you're now driving again because I saw your car in the parking garage?" asked Emily.

"I've been driving again since Friday, and it felt good to drive myself, Maeve, and the girls to Alexandria so we could visit my mom for a couple of hours on Saturday," said Spencer.

"Good visit?" asked Garcia.

Spencer beamed.

"Yes," said Spencer just as he saw Morgan and Rossi come into the bullpen causing him to quickly make his way to Morgan and Rossi who instantly saw the new hardware on his left knee while his left foot touched the ground.

"I see that someone made great progress during physical therapy on Friday," said Rossi.

Spencer nodded.

"I've also been cleared to drive too, so Maeve allowed me to drive her, Josie, and Gabby to Alexandria to visit my mom on Saturday," said Spencer.

"Good visit?" asked Rossi.

"Mom didn't have any episodes and her doctor told me that this transfer has been beneficial for my mom," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer's crutches.

"How much longer on the crutches?" asked Morgan.

"Hopefully I'll be off the crutches and walking with a cane around Thanksgiving," said Spencer just as Garcia looked at him.

"Let's go sit down at your desk so you can give your arms and legs a break from your crutches," said Garcia.

"OK," said Spencer as he quickly made his way to his desk with his crutches while Rossi looked at Hotch, Strauss, and Morgan before   
smiling.

"At least his enthusiasm on reaching a new milestone in his recovery and having a great visit with his mom over the weekend is a good   
reason to give everyone a really good reason to smile today," said Rossi as he thought about the temporary changes that are happening.

xxxx

An hour later Spencer was sitting at his desk with JJ, Emily, and Garcia nearby as he thought about the temporary changes that were happening with the team.

"So, did anyone explain why Hotch is stepping down?" asked Garcia.

"All Morgan said this morning is that it's happening. And it's business as usual," said JJ.

"So we're just supposed to move forward without any discussion?" asked Emily.

"After Foyet, I think we'd have to be ready for anything," said Spencer just as his cell phone vibrated causing the 28-year-old genius to   
smile at a picture of Jocelyn holding a book at Gabriella who was sitting on the couch with a help of a pillow.

"What is it?" asked Garcia.

"Joe just sent me a picture of the girls," said Spencer as he passed his phone to his female teammates.

Garcia looked at the picture of Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"I can't believe that Jocelyn's 15-months-old and that Gabriella's almost four-months-old," said Garcia.

"Me too, but I'm glad that my daughters won't remember about me getting shot and having to spend time on crutches as they get older unless they ask about all the pictures of me that have been taken since my shooting in a couple of years," said Spencer just as Morgan looked at them.

"Guys. Grab Rossi," said Morgan.

Spencer quickly grabbed his crutches and heaved himself up before he quickly made his way towards the stairs before he slowly made his   
way up the stairs before looking at JJ and Emily.

"I'll go get Rossi," said Spencer as he made his way towards Rossi's office.

xxxxxxx

JJ pulled up a picture of two teenage girls causing Spencer's heart to drop a bit as he thought about Stephanie.

"This is Megan Chertow and her friend Bina Sukarto, both 17, found two nights ago in a parking garage, carotids severed," said JJ before she pulled up another picture, "This is John O'Heron, 61. He was found dead in a wooded area four days ago, blunt force trauma to the head," said JJ.

"Different MO," said Rossi.

"And completely different victimology," said Emily.

"How are the cases linked?" asked Rossi.

JJ pulled up some pictures.

"Their eyes have been removed," said JJ.

Spencer inwardly grinned.

"Oh, he's an enucleator," said Spencer.

"There's a name for this?" asked JJ.

"It's a rare subset of criminal behavior, but there have been case studies of assaultive enucleators," said Hotch.

"The overwhelming majority of them suffer from diagnosed mental disorders," said Emily.

"And they're usually males, lack social skills, their kills are disorganized and sloppy," said Spencer.

"The typical enucleator gouges the eyes out, but he doesn't normally take them with him," said Morgan.

"This guy did?" asked Emily.

"We need to figure out why," said Morgan.

"There are noticeable shifts from the first to second murder. He goes from killing in seclusion to a public place," said Rossi.

"And he escalated from one victim to two," said Hotch.

"What concerns me most is there are less than 48 hours between the murders. That's why I chose this case," said Morgan.

"And from what we know about enucleators, they're almost always multiple repeat offenders," said Hotch.

"Exactly. Which means he's going to need to kill again soon. All right. let's meet on the plane in 30," said Morgan.

Two minutes later Spencer was at his desk sending Maeve a text message.

I'M GOING TO OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA. I LOVE YOU, JOCELYN, AND GABRIELLA. ~ SR

xxxxxx

Spencer was sitting between Rossi and the aisle as his messenger bag hung on the armrest of his seat while he rested a hand on his bad knee.

"The color of all the victims' eyes are different so that probably doesn't factor into victimology," said Emily.

"It's more likely what he sees in the eyes. Case studies show that most enucleators suffer from delusions," said Spencer.

"They hear voices and see things in people's eyes," said Morgan.

"Usually something evil. They're driven to enucleate to destroy the devil," said Rossi.

"It points to someone who may have been institutionalized and recently released," said Hotch.

JJ looked at her phone.

"I'll have Garcia start looking," said JJ.

"All right, so talk to me. What makes these attacks so different?" asked Morgan.

"With victim one, there were multiple blunt force strikes to the head- a more personal kill," said Hotch.

"And he disposed of the body, maybe as a forensic countermeasure," said Emily.

"The next murders seemed less personal, more opportunistic," said Rossi.

"I think we need to look at why the first victim was bludgeoned and dumped," said Morgan.

"Perhaps the unsub knew him," said Spencer.

"Prentiss, I want you to go to the disposal site, see if you can figure out why he was dumped there. Rossi, you and I are gonna go to last   
night's crime scene," said Morgan.

JJ looked at Morgan.

"Actually, uh, the girls' families asked to speak to our team leader," said JJ.

Morgan and Hotch looked at each other for a few seconds before Morgan made his decision.

"All right. Um… OK, in that case, Rossi, you can handle the crime scene solo. JJ, you're with me, and, Hotch, Reid, I want you to get into John   
O'Heron's life, see if anything at all points to a personal motive," said Morgan.

xxxxx

Spencer followed Hotch on his crutches when Lieutenant Brantley approached them.

"Hey. Phil Brantley. Appreciate you all coming," said Lieutenant Brantley as he shook hands with Hotch.

"Agent Hotchner," said Hotch before gesturing to Spencer who was coming towards him and Lieutenant Brantley, "This is Dr. Reid. You'll meet the rest of the team later," said Hotch as he quickly turned a chair around for Spencer.

Lieutenant Brantley quickly placed a file on the table for Spencer who nodded his thanks.

"Excellent," said Lieutenant Brantley pointed at the map while Spencer started the process of sitting down, "OK, here's where the first body was found, just outside of town. And last night's murders were here. And that's about 22 miles apart," said Lieutenant Brantley.

"That's unusual," said Spencer.

"What?" asked Lieutenant Brantley.

"Serial killers usually have a smaller kill zone," said Hotch just as Spencer's cell phone rang.

Spencer pulled out his cell phone from the pocket of his pants and looked at the caller ID.

"It's our technical analyst," said Spencer before he answered his phone while putting it on speaker, "Hey, Garcia, you're on speaker phone,"   
warned Spencer before he placed his phone on the table.

"So, I looked up recently released mental health patients who have a history of eye gouging, eye assault, and other gross things you can do   
to eyes and sockets. And there's no bingo for Okie City residents," said Garcia.

"Any other recent attacks involving assaults on eyes?" asked Hotch.

"There's one 9 months ago. He's not your guy 'cause he's in jail," said Garcia.

"We'll call you later," said Hotch.

"10-4, breaker-breaker," said Garcia.

"Bye," said Spencer before hanging up.

"You think he's fresh out of an asylum?" asked Lieutenant Brantley.

"Either that or he's been held somewhere and he's now free," said Hotch.

"We've seen eye assaults before, you know, bar brawls, rage, domestic abuse cases. But nothing like this. What the hell's he doing with the eyes?" asked Lieutenant Brantley.

"He could be collecting them as a trophy of some sort," said Hotch.

"They wouldn't keep long as trophies. Eyes are 80% vitreous humor, which is essentially water. After a few hours, they begin to get cloudy and wilt," said Spencer.

"Any other theories?" asked Lieutenant Brantley.

"There have been cases where after enucleation, mental patients have consumed the eyeballs," said Spencer grimly.

Lieutenant Brantley looked at Spencer.

"Are you serious?" asked Lieutenant Brantley.

Spencer nodded while Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Need me to get you anything?" asked Hotch.

Spencer yawned a bit as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes a bit.

"Coffee with a lot of sugar, please. Gabriella was colicky last night so Maeve and I had to spend a few hours calming her down," said   
Spencer as he slipped his glasses back on.

Hotch nodded in understanding.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," said Hotch before walking away.

Lieutenant Brantley looked at Spencer.

"How old is your daughter?" asked Lieutenant Brantley.

"Gabriella will be four-months-old next week, and she also has a 15-month-old big sister named Jocelyn," said Spencer as he quickly showed Lieutenant Brantley a picture of him, Maeve, Jocelyn, and Gabriella.

"Beautiful girls you got there," said Lieutenant Brantley.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

Lieutenant Brantley looked at Spencer's crutches and braced knee.

"Did you trip over one of your daughters' toys causing you to hurt your knee?" asked Lieutenant Brantley.

Spencer chuckled a bit as he shook his head.

"I got shot two months ago, and I'm still on crutches because the bullet nicked my femur while I ended up needing surgery to repair the damaged muscles," said Spencer.

"If your teammates aren't around and you need anything to drink or snack on, let me or anyone else in this room know and we'll help you," said Lieutenant Brantley.

"Thanks," said Spencer just as Hotch came by with two cups of coffee.

"Just the way you like it," said Hotch.

"Thanks," said Spencer as he accepted the cup of coffee before Hotch set down his own cup and grabbed Spencer's crutches.

"I'll take these," said Hotch.

"I need those," said Spencer as he watched Hotch lean his crutches against the wall.

"I know, but even though you got cleared to bear weight on your still healing knee, I'm preventing you from overexerting yourself and losing your balance if you decide to write on the whiteboard," said Hotch.

Spencer tried using his eyes on Hotch.

"I'm not falling for the puppy dog eye trick this time," said Hotch.

xxxxx

A short while later Spencer was reading the file in front of him while Hotch was writing on the whiteboard.

"O'Heron's friends say he has a history of drunken behavior, but they don't know anybody with a grudge against him," said Hotch.

"He was last seen leaving a bar. The bartender on duty said he left without incident," said Spencer.

"Where did he go after that?" asked Hotch just as Emily and Rossi joined them.

"I checked out the disposal site where John O'Heron's body was dumped. It's a remote farm road. The unsub didn't just stumble on it, he knows it," said Emily.

"We need a list of people who work or live near the area," said Hotch.

"I got a bad feeling about this guy," said Rossi.

"Why is that?" asked Spencer.

"He chose that parking garage. He was patient. He hid and waited for the right victims and the right time and place. He blitzed them. It was   
all strategic," said Rossi.

"That sounds way too organized for a typical enucleator," said Emily.

"Add to that his lack of a cooling-off period between kills, it's not gonna be easy to get ahead of him," said Rossi just as Lieutenant Brantley approached them.

"I just got off the phone with the ME she says there's something we should see," said Lieutenant Brantley.

Hotch went towards the wall that Spencer's crutches were leaning against and grabbed them before making his way to Spencer who quickly took them.

"You can go to the ME," said Hotch.

xxxxxx

Spencer entered the medical examiner's office with Emily, and after introductions were made, Dr. Ruiz quickly grabbed a stool and placed the stool by one of the tables.

"Please sit down, Dr. Reid," said Dr. Ruiz.

"Thank you," said Spencer as he carefully made his way to a stool and sat down before he adjusted the stool for his height while Emily took his crutches and leaned them against a cabinet.

"Are you good now?" asked Dr. Ruiz.

"I'm good," said Spencer.

Dr. Ruiz became serious.

"The eyeball is held in the socket by six different muscles, fatty tissue, and the optic nerves," said Dr. Ruiz as she grabbed a picture and   
showed it to Spencer and Emily, "These are pictures of John O'Heron's eye sockets. See the optic nerves protruding?" asked Dr. Ruiz.

Spencer looked closely at the picture.

"Trauma. They were ripped out," said Spencer.

"Maybe with fingers," said Dr. Ruiz as she pulled down the sheet while Emily moved the eyelid, "Now compare this to my body on the table.   
Smooth inside, no bruising, no sign of trauma. Optic nerves retracted into the muscle and they have a clean edge," said Dr. Ruiz.

"So you're saying these were cut out," said Emily.

"With a sharp-edged tool. He managed to avoid cutting the sockets or the eyelids. This was precise work," said Dr. Ruiz.

"The kind of work only a doctor could do?" asked Emily.

"All I'm saying is that with both of these girls, it was a clean excision," said Dr. Ruiz.

"OK, so he was crude with the first victim, surgical with the others," said Emily.

"The amount of effort he's going through to remove the eyes now, he wouldn't destroy them," said Spencer before he turned his head towards some jars that contained various organs, "He's keeping them," said Spencer.

xxxxx

The next morning Spencer was sitting at the conference table with JJ when they got Garcia on the phone.

"Hey, Garcia. So we have the list of local doctors, but we need to back it up one step," said JJ.

"Where shall I splice, my pretties?" asked Garcia.

"Give me a list of all doctors who've had infractions like malpractice suits," said Spencer.

"Got it. Bouncing your way," said Garcia.

"Narrow it down to eye specialists," said Spencer.

Spencer and JJ heard more typing.

"Whoo, that's still a lot of names," said Garcia.

"We'll chip away when we know more," said Spencer.

"Hey, wait. Before you hang up, how's my Morgan doing?" asked Garcia.

"Fine," answered Spencer.

"I know the man is fine. How's he holding up as head honcho?" asked Garcia.

"Well, he's stressed, but he's on top of it. Speaking of which, there is something you could do for him," said JJ.

"Name it," said Garcia.

JJ instantly started telling Garcia about Morgan needing an office of his own.

"I'll get started on that," said Garcia before she hung up.

xxxxxx

Spencer was sitting in an office with JJ and Rossi while Rossi paced.

"Hunting's a big part of this city's culture," said JJ.

"Yeah, hunting animals is. What triggered him to start hunting humans?" asked Spencer.

"This guy is taking people's eyes, so he's definitely disturbed. What bugs me is that people like this usually unravel, get sloppy," said Rossi.

"And this guy's only getting better," said Spencer.

JJ noticed Emily, Hotch, and Morgan.

"They're back," said JJ as she left the room.

xxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was sitting down in a chair when JJ walked over.

"A taxidermist?" asked JJ.

"Morgan might be onto something. The unsub's collecting sets of eyes that need to be flawless," said Rossi.

"Because he's preserving them as a trophy of some kind," said Spencer.

"We said he was a hunter. What do hunters collect for trophies?" asked Rossi.

"What if we're wrong about him being a doctor? It makes sense. A taxidermist has all the skills and supplies needed to preserve eyes and other body parts," said Spencer.

"Do they know how to surgically remove eyes like this?" asked JJ as she glanced at the crime scene pictures.

"Yeah, they have anatomy knowledge. They have to cut through muscle, tissue, and nerves In order to remove hide. It's the exact same thing for eyeballs," said Spencer just as JJ's phone rang causing JJ to answer her phone.

"Garcia, you're on speaker," warned JJ.

"Comrades, I cross-referenced this John O'Heron with Okie City animal stuffers. Turns out he wrote a $250 check as some sort of deposit for Lloyd's Wild Game Shop six weeks ago. Now, this place is scant miles from the farm road where our first victim was dumped," said Garcia.

"Does Lloyd have a record?" asked Spencer.

"Uh...Lloyd Bulford has one recent record from the city, and it is... A death certificate. He died four weeks ago," said Garcia.

"Of what?" asked JJ.

"Emphysema," answered Garcia.

"Any employees with criminal records?" asked Rossi.

"He's got no employment records at all. He has a 28-year-old son named Earl who lives with him who has a petty crime record and three counts of animal cruelty," said Garcia.

"Garcia, get everything on the son," said Rossi.

"Okey-Dokey," said Garcia.

At that moment Rossi got Morgan on the phone.

"Morgan, we may have someone," said Rossi.

xxxxx

Over six hours later Spencer hobbled into his and Maeve's bedroom causing Maeve to wake up to the sound of Spencer's crutches.

"You didn't tell me that you were coming home," said Maeve as she turned on the bedside lamp.

"Why don't you sound groggy?" asked Spencer.

"I was up 15 minutes ago tending to Gabriella," said Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"I'm going to take a quick shower before I join you in bed, so can I please have some help getting my pajamas to the bathroom?" asked Spencer.

"Sure," said Maeve as she got out of bed before coming up with an idea, "How about I join you in the shower and I can massage your leg like your physical therapist showed me to?" asked Maeve as she quickly grabbed a pair of Spencer's flannel pajamas.

Spencer hobbled towards his wife as he thought about the lab work he had done after he told his doctor about Dr. Barton applying pressure to Patrick Meyers without wearing gloves before Dr. Barton ended up touching his gunshot wound without checking gloves causing Dr. Trader and the doctor that treated Patrick Meyers to decide to make sure that neither of them affected each other with HIV or other diseases that can be transferred by blood.

"The two blood tests I had over the past two months to make sure that neither Patrick Meyers and I didn't transmit HIV or any other diseases that can be transmitted by blood to one another came back clean so I've been cleared to have sex. There are positions that I can be in and still have sex with you without hurting my knee, so are you willing to break your no sex until January rule because of me being a good boy for the past two months?" asked Spencer as he used his eyes on Maeve before he kissed on a certain spot on Maeve's neck.

Maeve groaned.

"You are truly evil when it comes to getting what you want," said Maeve.

"So your willing to give in?" asked a smirking Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"I hate having to deal with the current dry spell we've been dealing with since you've been shot, but you'll be sitting in your shower chair the entire time so you don't hurt your knee," said Maeve.

"Yes ma'am," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting in his shower chair while Maeve straddled him.


	53. The Performer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to have it that Spencer isn't teased about Lila Archer because of him being married and a father. I'm sorry about the lack of Jocelyn and Gabriella in this chapter, but they'll be in then next chapter.
> 
> With it being six months since William Reid was put in prison for punching Spencer, I thought that I should revisit the topic.

Spencer glanced towards Jocelyn who was napping in his mother's bed while Maeve nursed Gabriella before looking at his mother who was writing in her journal.

"We won't be visiting next week Saturday," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Diana.

"Maeve and I are going to Irvine, California for two days and three nights to attend a lecture that Dr. James Fallon is giving, so Joe and Mary will be helping Stephanie watch Jocelyn and Gabriella next weekend," said Spencer.

Diana smiled a bit before looking at her son and her daughter-in-law.

"You two have fun," said Diana.

"You're not upset about me not visiting for a weekend?" asked Spencer.

"Even though we've visited each other every weekend since I transferred here, I know that I won't always see you every weekend because of your job, Spencer," said Diana before smiling a little bit, "With everything you two have been dealing with, you two deserve a weekend getaway without my beautiful granddaughters," said Diana before all three adults started to talk about books before Diana got to hold Gabriella again.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer was working on his consults when his desk phone rang causing him to quickly answer the phone.

"Dr. Reid," answered Spencer.

"Are you William Reid's son, Supervisory Special Agent Dr. Spencer Reid?" asked a man.

Spencer instantly stiffened up causing Emily to look at him.

"I am, but who are you and why do you know my full title?" asked Spencer.

"I'm William Reid's parole officer Brandon Wilson from Las Vegas, Nevada and I know your full title because I saw you at our high school reunion earlier this year. I was sitting nearby when you confronted the four worst bullies of our graduating class and I was about to come help you before you were able to stop Brett from attacking you," said Brandon.

"I remember you because you were one of the few kids who were always nice to me," said Spencer.

"That's because I have a brother your age, so I was like 'what if my brother was in your footsteps' so that's why I chose to be nice to you," said Brandon before becoming serious, "Do you have a few minutes to talk about your father?" asked Brandon.

"I'm at work right now, but I do have a couple of minutes to talk," said Spencer.

"When it came to reading the restraining order and no contact order that was filed to order your father to stay away from your mother, his daughter Stephanie, your daughters, some of your remaining family in Las Vegas, and you; its protocol to let you know that your father will be getting released from prison in an hour and he'll be wearing an ankle monitor for the rest of his life. The ankle monitor will only let him stay in Clark County, so you won't have to worry about him traveling to Washington DC," said Brandon.

"I appreciate you for letting me know. You won't have to worry about him going to see my mom because my mom got transferred to a sanitarium in Alexandria, Virginia last month because she wanted to live closer to my daughters and me," said Spencer.

"Good to know, and if you, your sister, or your mother get any phone calls, text messages, emails, or letters from your father please let me know," said Brandon.

"My wife, Stephanie, and I changed our personal cell phone numbers, land-line number, and personal email addresses when Maeve and I returned to DC with Stephanie in tow, and Maeve and I rarely give our personal phone numbers to people we don't trust," said Spencer.

"Good to know," said Brandon.

"Even though my job rarely brings me to Las Vegas and I try to go out there a few times a year to visit some of my remaining family, I'll call you and let you know whenever I end up in Vegas for work or personal reasons,' said Spencer.

"I would appreciate that," said Brandon.

"I have to get back to work, but I'll give you my work phone number, land-line number, and personal cell phone number so you can contact me about my father," said Spencer.

"I got pen and paper by me right now," said Brandon.

A few seconds later Spencer was rattling off a few numbers, and when he was finished he spoke up.

"Thank you for taking a few minutes to talk to me, and I hope you have a good rest of your day, Spencer," said Brandon.

"You too," said Spencer before hanging up.

A few seconds later Emily looked at Spencer.

"Is everything OK?" asked Emily.

"It was my father's parole officer letting me know that dad's getting out of prison in an hour. He'll be wearing an ankle monitor that will keep him from leaving Clark County while being ordered to stay away from my mom, Maeve, Stephanie, Jocelyn, Gabriela, and me while he's also forbidden to contact us," said Spencer before he grabbed his crutches and settled them underneath his arms, "I need to move around for awhile, so please don't add your consults to my pile of consults," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

After using the closest men's room, Spencer hobbled towards Hotch's office before he heard Hotch's voice through the open door.

"Before you think about knocking, come on in, Reid," said Hotch.

Spencer shook his head as he hobbled into Hotch's office.

"I really can't wait to get rid of these crutches because these crutches always alert everyone of my presence even though I have to admit that Josie and Gabby are acting like dogs when they hear my crutches is cute because they realize I'm nearby causing them to want my attention," said Spencer.

Hotch chuckled a bit.

"At least your getting faster on them every day," said Hotch before gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk, "Why don't you sit down and rest your leg and help me with a consult I'm working on," said Hotch.

"OK," said Spencer as he made his way to the chairs that Hotch moved to make everything easier for him and slowly sat down, "Before I help you with your current consult, I should tell you about the phone call I just had," said Spencer.

"Is everything OK?" asked Hotch.

"I was just notified that my dad will be out of prison in an hour and that the restraining orders you helped me file will be in effect and you and the rest of the team already know that Maeve and I already changed our land-line number, personal cell phone numbers, and our personal email addresses and only give that information to people we trust," said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Is it cruel of me to decided that my father won't get to watch his granddaughters, Stephanie, and any future children that Maeve and I have together, grow up?" asked Spencer.

"Even though becoming a father caused you and your father to reconnect again, I don't blame you for deciding to cut him out of you and your family's life because he hurt you again," said Hotch.

"In a couple of years Jocelyn and Gabriella might ask about the few photos that include my father with Jocelyn and ask Maeve or me why they never see him, so would I tell them the truth or lie to them?" asked Spencer.

"Don't come up with an answer yet because you have a few years before Jocelyn and Gabriella ask you about your father, but for now Rossi and I are happy to be honorary grandfathers to your daughters," said Hotch before he handed Spencer the file he was looking at.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates while being briefed on their latest case.

"The latest victim is Tara Farris, 20. She's the third victim in two weeks. All found on freeway off-ramps by commuters," said JJ as she passed files around.

"Well, he's not hiding them," said Hotch.

"An LA freeway during morning rush hour? He wants them found," said Rossi.

"Quickly," said Morgan.

"Well, they're still dressed. That minimizes the shock value," said Emily.

"Maybe he's concerned for them. Think he wants them taken care of?" asked Spencer as he opened up a file.

"No signs of sexual assault on any of the victims," said JJ.

Rossi looked at a picture of Tara.

"Look how pale she is," said Rossi.

"All of them were severely hypovolemic. Tara had less than a pint of blood in her," said JJ.

Spencer who had quickly read the file looked at his teammates.

"Look at this. the first two had more than three pints each. If exsanguination is the goal, the unsub is definitely becoming more proficient," said Spencer.

JJ pulled up a picture.

"This is new. Tara's the only victim to have a written message," said JJ.

Hotch quickly read what was written on Tara's lie.

""The Liar."" recited Hotch.

""The" liar. That's strange, isn't it? Not a liar or just liar," said Emily.

"So what did you lie about, Tara?" asked Hotch.

JJ pulled up another picture.

"All of the victims appear to have been strangled and then bled out through identical wounds in the throat," said JJ.

Emily noticed the wounds.

"Wait-seriously, are those supposed to be fang marks?" asked Emily.

"All of the wounds on the victims were covered in saliva. Human saliva, as though," started JJ.

"Someone drank their blood," finished Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was sending Maeve a text message.

I'M GOING TO LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. I LOVE YOU, JOSIE, AND GABBY. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on the couch with his bad leg crossed over his good leg while JJ concluded a phone call.

"OK. OK, thanks," said JJ as she hung up and looked at her teammates, "So they've already set up a task force in Los Angeles," said JJ.

Morgan took a seat next to Spencer.

"This isn't their first serial case," said Morgan.

JJ looked at Spencer, Morgan, and Hotch.

"You remember Detective Owen Kim?" asked JJ.

"From the stalker case," said Hotch.

JJ looked at Spencer.

"I know that you remember this case, but are you going to visit any of your friends in LA or Pasadena?" asked JJ.

"We should probably focus on this case. It's a little more pertinent, but depending on how this case goes, I might catch up with Parker or my friends from Cal-tech," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"All right, so tell us about blood-drinkers, Reid," said Morgan.

"Human blood consumption, or clinical vampirism, is known as Renfield's syndrome, named after the insect-eating character in Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula."," smiled Spencer.

"Are they sadists?" asked Emily.

"Not necessarily. Pain to the victim is usually only a byproduct. Blood is the focus. Renfield's syndrome is usually accompanied by varying levels of schizophrenia and occasionally more classic cannibalism if the condition evolves," said Spencer.

"Classic cannibalism. Lovely job we have," said Rossi sarcastically.

"I will say this- True cases are exceedingly rare," said Spencer.

"That's comforting. Sort of," said JJ.

"Renfield's may be rare, but vampires are anything but. And there's a huge subculture in Los Angeles of the red-drinking undead," said Garcia.

"Why is that not a surprise?" asked Rossi as everyone saw some pictures.

"Garcia, all these people drink blood?" asked Morgan.

"Au contraire. they mostly just dress up like Prentiss did in high school and they make believe. It's all kinds of delicious," said Garcia as she saw Spencer's smirk directed at Emily.

"It's not the same thing at all. as a matter of fact, we should refer to this unsub as a vampirist, not a vampire. And they would be attracted to the subculture merely for its professed worship of blood," said Spencer.

"OK, I'm going to continue spelunking through the various online sites, see if anything jumps up and bites me," joked Garcia as she took a sip of tomato juice.

"Thanks, baby g-," said Morgan before he corrected himself, "Thanks, Penelope. Stay close," said Morgan.

"Yes, sir. Garcia out," said Garcia as she signed off.

"You guys, one more thing- vampirists are coveters. They most generally always have some sort of relationship with the victim, even if it's tangential. And they're likely to become obsessed. They've almost certainly crossed paths in some way," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer followed his teammates on his crutches as he made his way to Lieutenant Kim.

"Hi, Lieutenant Kim. Agent Jareau," said JJ as she shook hands with Lieutenant Kim.

"JJ, of course. I remember most of you," said Lieutenant Kim before he shook hands with Hotch, "Agent Hotchner," said Lieutenant Kim.

Spencer let go one of the handles of his crutches and shook hands with Lieutenant Kim.

"Reid," said Lieutenant Kim before he shook hands with Morgan, "Morgan. Welcome back to the left coast," said Lieutenant Kim.

Hotch looked at Lieutenant Kim.

"These are agents Prentiss and Rossi. I believe they're new to you," said Hotch.

Lieutenant Kim shook hands with Emily and Rossi before motioning everyone to follow him while Spencer quickly followed on his crutches.

"We already have a room set up full of glass boards, case files, and extremely bad coffee," joked Lieutenant Kim.

"We've worked with a lot less," said Emily.

Hotch entered the conference room that they were given.

"Agent Morgan's in charge now. it's his show," said Hotch.

Lieutenant Kim looked at Spencer, Hotch, Morgan, and JJ with a confused look.

"Long story," said Hotch as he watched Spencer enter the room.

"I know you like to start with the freshest information and work your way back. So Tara's apartment has been processed and sealed in case you want to go there. And her body, along with that of the first two girls, is at the morgue with an ME. Waiting there for your call," said Lieutenant Kim.

Morgan looked at his teammates.

"All right. JJ, get set up here and then hook up with Garcia. Send her the witness information So she can start cross-referencing with the first two victims," said Morgan before he looked at Spencer, "Reid, I want you to go through all the case files, set up a preliminary profile based on what you already know about the psychopathology. And the rest of us, let's find out what we can on Tara," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

"So we're looking for a connection between the witnesses," said JJ as she taped a picture of one of the victims to a board.

Spencer rubbed his eyes and started blinking rapidly as the contact lenses in his eyes were starting to bother him.

"When vampirists become obsessed, they aren't likely to find a random victim. If we can find a cross-relationship, someone in all the victims' lives, that'll be incredibly helpful," said Spencer.

JJ looked at a file that was in front of Spencer.

"Gina King knew Tara the longest. They apparently had some classes together," said JJ.

"Let's get all the information we can on that relationship. As a matter of fact, get me everything you can on all of Tara's friends," said Spencer.

"All right," said JJ as she looked at the clock, "In the morning I'll track them down and do some follow-up," said JJ.

"That's fine," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Lieutenant Kim was driving Spencer and JJ to the hotel.

"If you don't mind me asking, but why are you on crutches, Dr. Reid?" asked Lieutenant Kim.

"I got shot above the left knee two months ago, and I'm in the process of using one crutch for short distances around the house while I still have to use two crutches for long distances. So I'm counting down the days when I can get coffee on my own without having my wife, in-laws, and teammates deciding to limit the amount of coffee I drink," said Spencer.

"Did you say wife?" asked Lieutenant Kim.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"I got married to a fellow genius nearly two years ago," said Spencer.

"Any kids yet?" asked Lieutenant Kim.

"I have a 15-month-old daughter named Jocelyn and a four-month-old daughter named Gabriella, and my wife and I are fostering my 14-year-old half-sister," said Spencer.

"Congratulations," said Lieutenant Kim.

Lieutenant Kim looked at JJ.

"Any boyfriend, fiance, husband, and kids yet?" asked Lieutenant Kim.

"I have a boyfriend and a son who just turned one last week," said JJ.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer raised the chair that Lieutenant Kim brought in for him before he used his good leg to get the chair closer to the whiteboard as he and JJ watched the news before JJ looked at him.

"So much for keeping the media out. Penelope?" asked JJ as she looked at Tara's computer in front of her, "Are we in yet?" asked JJ.

"All yours," said Garcia as she sighed, "I always feel skeevy going through someone's life like this," said Garcia.

"Ok, so everything looks like it's password protected, so you might not even be able to-," said JJ just as she saw a homepage, "You're in already, aren't you?" asked JJ.

"The password was Cullen," said Garcia.

"Of course," said JJ.

Spencer who was writing on the board looked at JJ.

"Cullen from "Twilight"?" asked Spencer.

A wide eyed JJ looked at Spencer.

"You've read "Twilight"?" asked JJ.

"Stephanie insisted on having me read her books when she found out that I really didn't get to have a normal teenage experience," said Spencer before grumbling, "Even though I got through "Twilight" very quickly, it was a waste of time to read. I can't believe that my sister enjoys books like that," grumbled Spencer.

JJ laughed.

"At least having a teenager living under your roof is causing you to be prepared for when Jocelyn and Gabriella are teenagers while you are getting to read more books that aren't technical books," said JJ.

"But I still prefer reading fiction books in foreign languages," said Spencer.

JJ laughed.

"OK, I'll see what I can dredge. My love is strong," said Garcia.

"OK, thanks," said JJ as she hung up and looked at Spencer, "How's the profile coming?" asked JJ.

Spencer turned his head from the board.

"I don't know. I never really feel ready, you know?" asked Spencer.

JJ stood up and made her way towards Spencer.

"It'll be fine. I am gonna go talk to Tara's BFF before the media requests come in and it gets too crazy," said JJ.

"Stephanie explained to me that BFF means 'best friend forever'," said Spencer.

"Stephanie is definitely a good influence on you," said JJ.

"Should I go with you?" asked Spencer.

JJ looked at Spencer's bad knee before glancing at the crutches that were nearby.

"No, you have a profile to deliver," said JJ.

Spencer looked at the board.

"I should really work on it a little more," said Spencer.

"Reid," said JJ as she went to grab Spencer's phone causing Spencer's eyes to go wide as JJ pressed a few buttons.

"What are you doing with my phone?" asked Spencer.

"Derek, hey, um," said JJ as she saw Spencer made some hand movements to her, "Spence is ready for the profile," said JJ.

Spencer shook his head as JJ listened to Morgan.

"Why, yes, he is, right here," said JJ as she passed Spencer his phone, "I'll be back," said JJ.

Spencer pressed his phone against his ear.

"Hey," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on a desk while his feet rested on a chair with his crutches nearby as he looked at all of the officers in the task force.

"We aren't looking for a vampire in the supernatural sense, only in the sense that this unsub has a very strong desire, a need, for human blood. Now, fortunately, vampirists display several characteristics which will be helpful in finding him. He will have cut himself repeatedly," said Spencer as he pointed at the whiteboard, "It's called auto-vampirism, essentially becoming his own first victim. It's the way by which he first tasted human blood. Most vampirists are incredibly ashamed of this and will wear long-sleeved shirts in order to conceal it," said Spencer before he pointed at the board again, "Secondly, there will be a long history of animal abuse, starting with smaller animals such as insects and rodents and then working his way up to larger things- Dogs and cats. Though this is a well-recognized component of the homicidal triad seen in other serial killers, in the case of the vampirist, it's more pronounced. There will, interestingly enough, not be any animal torture, as with other psychopathologies. The killing isn't the point, it's merely a means by which to obtain the blood," said Spencer.

"Look hard at your animal control sections records, as far back as you can. They will probably have some record of this unsub as an adolescent," said Morgan.

Spencer pointed at the whiteboard.

"This guy also most likely lives in a poorly kept older home," said Spencer.

"He needs a house for the privacy, not an apartment. It takes some time to drain a body completely of blood. Uninterrupted time," said Rossi.

"This unsub also most likely lives with an elderly woman, a grandmother, a mother, even an aunt," said Spencer.

"How could you know that?" asked Lieutenant Kim.

"This type of mental illness, accompanied by extreme schizophrenia, dominates a family's entire existence. It often leads to a broken home, and a woman ends up as a primary caregiver," said Emily.

"The men generally leave," said Hotch.

"Oh, and one more thing. This type of disorder cannot be hidden for long. I guarantee you someone out there already knows this unsub is very, very sick," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on a stool with Hotch and Morgan on either side of him while he, Hotch, Morgan, and Lieutenant Kim watched Paul Davis pace inside of the interrogation room.

"A lot of this doesn't add up," said Spencer.

"We've been wrong before," said Hotch.

"Not this much," said Morgan just as Emily entered the room.

"The plot thickens. He was arrested for domestic violence 10 years ago," said Emily.

"How bad?" asked Morgan.

"Well, Garcia was able to find the battery charge, but it was expunged, so who knows?" asked Emily.

"Again, welcome to celebrity justice," deadpanned Lieutenant Kim.

Emily looked at Paul Davis who was looking at his phone.

"He's pretty agitated," said Emily.

"I wonder why," said Hotch.

"Celebrities out here aren't used to being put in the box," said Lieutenant Kim.

"This seems more than that, though," said Morgan.

"I don't know. These are people everyone falls down around, defers to. Adulation is their norm," said Lieutenant Kim.

Morgan looked at Emily.

"You know, Prentiss, that may be a good way for you to play him," said Emily.

"Me?" asked Emily.

"You were the one who pointed at him. He may see you as an adversary. Have him off-guard," said Morgan when Rossi entered the room, "So, what did you tell the press?" asked Morgan.

"My official statement was that I hate Los Angeles. What's happening?" asked Rossi.

"Prentiss is gonna take the lead," said Morgan.

"Good choice," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Emily.

"Remember, if he is the unsub, he's ashamed of the disorder, so use that to your advantage," said Spencer.

"Tell him you can't believe that someone like him could do this," said Hotch.

"Right. Throw him a lifeline," said Hotch.

"Ask him for his autograph," said Morgan.

Emily laughed before Morgan raised her eyebrows at her.

"Oh. Right. Right. Adulation," said Emily before she entered the interrogation room.

Xxxxxxxx 

After watching Emily and Paul talk for a bit, Spencer looked at his male teammates and Lieutenant Kim.

"Good, she's confusing him. Schizophrenics can't follow that," said Spencer.

"Neither one of us is the type of person who belongs in a police interrogation room. Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss, Federal Bureau of Investigation," said Emily.

"FBI?" asked Paul.

"And, of course, I know who you are. I'm a big fan," laughed Emily.

"Really?" asked Paul.

Emily laughed.

"Does that surprise you?" asked Emily.

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a surprise," said Paul.

Emily became serious.

"OK. well, before we get started…," said Emily as she put a yellow notepad and pen in front of Paul, "Would you mind?" asked Emily.

"Would I mind what?" asked Paul.

"Well, I hate to ask, but I don't usually get opportunities like this," said Emily.

Paul realized what was going on.

"What the hell is this? You're no fan of mine," said Paul before he looked at the window, "You people think I'm stupid," shouted Paul.

Spencer realized that Paul wasn't schizophrenic.

"That kind of contradiction should completely confuse a schizophrenic. They can't make sense of it," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was following Morgan and Morgan on his crutches when as his phone rang.

"There's nothing you can do when they lawyer up, Prentiss," said Morgan.

Spencer quickly lets go of one crutch as he grabbed his phone as he continued to walk and answered his phone.

"Dr. Reid here," answered Spencer.

"Spence, what's going on?" asked JJ.

Morgan opened the door while Spencer continued to follow him as he used his right shoulder to help move his right crutch in sync with his left crutch as he walked out the door.

"The possible suspect's some sort of rock and roll star," said Spencer.

"Seriously?" asked JJ.

"Yeah. A lot of it doesn't fit the profile, though," said Spencer.

"Anything I can do?" asked JJ.

"There's a lot of media attention," said Spencer.

"All right. well, I'm already here at Gina's house, so let me get some info and I'll be back," said JJ.

Spencer arrived at a table.

"Great. Thank you so much," said Spencer before he hung up and sat down.

"None of this makes any sense," said Morgan.

"No," said Hotch.

Lieutenant Kim approached them.

"Television is saying his new record is selling through the roof. All of his stuff is. As soon as his being questioned in an actual string of murders became public," said Lieutenant Kim.

"What do they say? Any publicity's good publicity," said Rossi.

"What are we gonna do with him?" asked Lieutenant Kim just as Hotch's cell phone rang.

"Hotchner," said Hotch as he walked away a bit.

"Well, he wants to talk to his manager, so maybe we let him make that call and find out what that guy knows," said Emily.

"It's worth a try," said Morgan.

Emily and Lieutenant Kim walked away.

"You sure? OK, thanks," said Hotch.

"Something?" asked Rossi.

"That's the lab," said Hotch.

"The saliva samples from the victims' throats- the DNA's from a woman," said Hotch.

"A woman? That's incredibly rare," said Spencer.

"But not impossible," said Rossi.

"No, but Renfield's with this type of aggression- it almost never presents this way," said Spencer.

"OK, we knew something was wrong. Our profiles have never been this far off, Reid. Go back and work it with a woman. See if there's anything we may have missed," ordered Morgan.

Spencer quickly grabbed his crutches and quickly stood up as he hitched his crutches underneath his arms before hobbling towards the clear board.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was propped up on his crutches as he stared at the clear board.

"A woman-what changes, what doesn't? Older female," said Spencer to himself as he stared at the board for a minute before grabbing a file, "Oh, no," said Spencer just as his cell phone rang causing him to grab his phone.

"Yeah," answered Spencer.

"Uh, Reid, uh, I found fan mail to Dante. Vampire fan mail. It's bananas," said Garcia.

"Obsessional?" asked Spencer.

"Ad infinitum and beyond. Tara's friend Gina- The stuff she writes- She-he's her god. A vampire god. She lives for him. She said she'll kill for him," said Garcia.

"And she fits every other piece of the profile," said Spencer as he hung up and turned his head towards his teammates,

"Guys!" called out Spencer as he quickly hobbled towards his teammates, "The girl Tara was with before she died- Gina-it's her," said Spencer.

"Do you have an address?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah. I think JJ is there right now," said Spencer frantically.

Morgan, Hotch, and Rossi noticed the panic in Spencer's eyes causing Hotch and Morgan to think back to when they realized that Hankel abducted Spencer.

"Let's go," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

30 minutes later Spencer's cell phone rang causing Spencer to see that it was Morgan.

"Did you find JJ?" asked Spencer.

"We did and we're taking her to the hospital right now while Prentiss releases Paul Davis," said Morgan.

"I ended up getting a text message from my former classmate Parker Dunley because he realized that I was in town while he recognized you on TV, and he was hoping that I could meet up with him for dinner before we fly back," said Spencer.

"Go ahead and catch up with your friend because it's going to be a couple of hours before we leave," said Morgan.

"Thanks," said Spencer as he hung up and quickly sent Parker a text message.

THE CASE IS CLOSED AND I HAVE SOME TIME TO MEET UP WITH YOU, ABIGAIL, AND RICHARD FOR DINNER BEFORE I FLY BACK TO QUANTICO. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing outside the diner that was near the police department on his crutches when Parker walked over with his wife Abigail and a five-month-old baby boy on Abigail's hip.

"Hey," said Spencer as he hobbled towards Parker and his family.

Parker's eyes went wide when he saw Spencer's crutches.

"Why are you on crutches, Spencer?" asked Parker.

"I got shot above the left knee two months and one week ago. I had surgery to repair the damaged muscles, but I've made enough progress in physical therapy that I can bear weight on my left leg. Depending on how the daily physical therapy sessions I have tomorrow until this Friday go, I might be down to one crutch before I get to use a cane for two months," said Spencer.

"That's a long time to recover," said Parker.

"I know, but the bullet nicked my femur causing me to spend two weeks in traction while my in-laws moved in to help Maeve and me out at home," said Spencer before looking at the baby boy on Abigail's hip, "Enough about talking about me, but I have to admit that the pictures you two sent Maeve and me pictures of Richard while Maeve and I sent you two pictures of Jocelyn and Gabriella, he's much more adorable in person while looking like you, Parker," said Spencer as he made faces at the baby boy causing him to laugh.

Parker looked at Spencer.

"Why don't we go inside and sit down so you can finally hold Richard," said Parker.

"OK," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting down with a cup of coffee in front of him while Parker put the nearly six-month-old baby boy in his arms.

"Richard, I want you to meet your uncle Spencer," said Parker.

Richard began to babble at Spencer while Spencer raised his eyebrows at Parker.

"Uncle Spencer?" asked Spencer.

"You became a little brother to me in high school, so I want you to be an honorary uncle to my son," grinned Parker.

"I'm honored," said Spencer as he smiled down at Richard before Parker took a picture, "Did you really take my picture, Parker?" asked Spencer.

"You need to show Maeve and your teammates a picture of you holding Richard," said Parker before both men started to update each other on their lives before their food arrived.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was standing on his crutches as he looked at his teammates from the small kitchenette on the jet.

"Hey, do you guys think Davies will continue to perform as Dante?" asked Spencer.

Emily passed a bottle of water to JJ.

"The character's probably responsible for the murder of four women. If he has any conscience at all, Dante died with them," said Emily.

JJ accepted some pain medication from Hotch.

"Thanks," whispered JJ.

Spencer hobbled towards JJ with a folded up blanket in his right hand.

"Are you OK?" asked Emily.

"Yeah. Doctor said it'll be sore for a while, but I'm fine, really," said JJ.

"I feel so bad I didn't go with you to interview Gina," said Spencer as he worked on covering up JJ up with a blanket.

"Spence, stop, all right?" asked JJ while Spencer took a seat by her feet, "We had no way of knowing she was gonna be dangerous. She was just the friend of a victim. Granted, a schizophrenic friend with a sociopathic partner," said JJ.

"And a shovel," deadpanned Emily.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"Seriously, Reid, we had no way of knowing that Gina had that type of anger inside of her," said Morgan.

"Yeah, but she was obsessed with Dante. I should have known that that level of fixation can lead to manipulation," said Spencer softly.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"But only when the fixation's coupled with schizophrenia, which we had no way of knowing," said Hotch.

"Still it never ceases to amaze me how dark obsession can get," said Emily.

Rossi decided to defuse the situation.

"And with a pop star? I mean, I was obsessed with the Rat Pack, but I wouldn't have killed for Frank or Dean," said Rossi.

"No, you just drank whiskey and smoked cigars," joked Hotch.

Emily smiled a bit while Rossi glared at Hotch.

"This from the man whose favorite record is the Beatles' White Album," said Rossi.

"Just because Manson hijacked it doesn't have to ruin it for the rest of us," said Hotch causing some chuckles.

"That's why I stick to Beethoven. There's no chance of guilt by association," said Spencer causing some silence.

"Well, yeah. Have you ever seen a movie called "A Clockwork Orange"?" asked Emily.

Spencer shook his head causing some laughter before his cell phone rang causing Spencer to quickly answer his phone and grab his crutches as he stood up.

"Dr. Reid," said Spencer as he started to make his way towards the kitchenette.

"You and your teammates really arrested Dante," yelled Stephanie.

Spencer groaned.

"Please don't tell me that your a fan, Stephanie," said Spencer.

"I have his CDs and I just bought the new one with Holly, Erica, and Ramona," said Stephanie.

"We thought that he was our original suspect, but he wasn't. Right now I'm flying back from LA, but I'll see you either tonight or tomorrow morning," said Spencer.

"OK, Spencer," said Stephanie before she hung up.

A few seconds later Spencer was making his way back to his teammates when Emily looked at him.

"Stephanie is really a fan of Dante?" asked Emily.

"She is, and she yelled at me over the phone," said Spencer as he reclaimed the spot he was originally sitting in.

"Watching you talk on the phone while still moving the crutch you let go of in sync with the other crutch is impressive," said Emily.

Spencer smiled a bit as reclaimed his seat.

"One of my physical therapists taught me how to do that so I can easily talk on the phone when I'm heading to another room," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"How did your visit with your friend Parker go?" asked Morgan.

Spencer grinned.

"Even though he got worried when he saw me propped up on my crutches, it was nice to catch up with him because I haven't talked to him since Gabby's birth," said Spencer before grinning, "I got to hold Parker's five-month-old son Richard," said Spencer.

"Any pictures?" asked JJ.

"Parker took a few pictures and sent them to my phone so I can show Maeve and you guys," said Spencer as he grabbed his phone from his pocket and found a photo and passed it to JJ.

"He's adorable," said JJ.

"He told Richard that I'm his uncle Spencer," said Spencer.

"Uncle Spencer?" asked Morgan.

"Parker became a big brother to me in high school along with my friend Ethan, so he wants me to be his son's honorary uncle," said Spencer before seeing a questioning look from Morgan, "Both Parker and Ethan weren't at school when the goal post incident happened, but after they found out what happened to me, Parker decided to personally escort me to and from school," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer was sitting on the couch watching "Clockwork Orange" with Maeve.


	54. Outfoxed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to write about everything that Spencer and Maeve did during their mini-vacation, but I hope that everyone loves what happens at the end of the chapter!

Spencer grinned as he hobbled around the room with one crutch before Samuel looked at Spencer.

"How does your knee feel?" asked Samuel.

"Great," said Spencer before looking towards Jocelyn who was on her mommy's lap, "Since you requested that Jocelyn comes here today, can I please try carrying Jocelyn around?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Samuel.

Spencer carefully made his way to Maeve and Jocelyn, and a few seconds later he grinned at his wife.

"Can you please put Josie in my free arm?" asked Spencer.

Maeve grinned.

"Are you going to see if you can handle carrying our 15-month-daughter around?" asked Maeve.

"Yes," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Maeve was putting Jocelyn into Spencer's free arm before she made sure that Spencer had a firm hold on their oldest daughter. A few seconds later a grinning Spencer was going around the room with Jocelyn on his hip while other physical therapists who were with their patients congratulated him on his progress. When Spencer returned to Maeve and Samuel, Samuel looked at Spencer.

"I want you to walk around with one crutch for the next couple of days before I see if you can handle using a cane," said Samuel.

"My father-in-law has already finished the cane, but he's currently painting it," said Spencer.

"Have you seen the cane yet?" asked Samuel.

Spencer nodded.

"He ended up carving a Crotalus Scutulatus head for the handle," said Spencer.

Maeve smiled as she shook her head.

"A what head?" asked Samuel.

"He carved a Mojave rattlesnake head for the handle while carving scales along the shaft because of me growing up near the Mojave Desert," said Spencer.

"I can't wait to see it then," said Samuel before he looked between Spencer and Maeve, "Now you two have fun in California this weekend, and don't overdo yourself, Spencer," said Samuel.

"I'll make sure that he takes it easy, Samuel," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Spencer changed back into his regular clothing, Spencer was hobbling out of the rehab center on one crutch while he carried Jocelyn in his free arm while Maeve carried his second crutch.

"Even though our flight doesn't leave for another four hours, I want to stop by the BAU," said Spencer.

"Do you want to take Jocelyn with you?" asked Maeve.

"You don't want to come?" asked Spencer.

"If I do come with you, I'll most likely be dragged away by Penelope, JJ, and Emily to talk about Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Henry while you can just talk for a few minutes and Jocelyn or Gabriella gets to see your teammates," said Spencer.

Spencer looked at his 15-month-old daughter who was happy to be carried around by him again.

"What do you think about going with daddy to visit Auntie Emily, auntie JJ, Auntie Penelope, uncle Derek, Papa Aaron, and Papa Dave?" asked Spencer.

"Yes Dada," said Jocelyn.

Xxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer was getting out of the driver's seat of his SUV before he headed to the back passenger seat and unstrapped Jocelyn from her car seat and got his 15-month-old daughter out of the SUV.

"I need you to hold my hand until we find someone who can get you onto my hip, Josie," said Spencer.

"OK, Dada," said Jocelyn.

A minute later Spencer was going through security with Jocelyn when the guard grinned at Spencer.

"Yesterday you were here on two crutches and now your down to one crutch, Agent Reid," said Noah.

Spencer grinned.

"I know and I've been finally cleared to carry Jocelyn around again while I was told not to carry Gabriella around until she's five-months-old," said Spencer.

"Don't you have the day off today because of leaving for vacation?" asked Noah.

Spencer nodded.

"I do, but I decided to briefly visit my teammates before my wife and I catch our flight to California," said Spencer.

"Where's your wife and youngest daughter?" asked Noah.

"Maeve's finishing up on packing for our trip and Gabriella is spending the day with Maeve's parents," said Spencer before Jocelyn looked up at him.

"Dada?" asked Jocelyn.

"Yes, Josie?" asked Spencer.

"Up," said Jocelyn.

Spencer looked at Noah.

"Can you help get Jocelyn into my free arm? I'm supposed to have someone put her into my free arm so I don't lose my balance while trying to get a firm hold on her," said Spencer.

"Sure thing, Agent Reid," said Noah as he smiled at the 15-month-old toddler, "Up you go, Jocelyn," said Noah as he easily scooped up the toddler and placed her into her daddy's free arm before making sure that Spencer had a tight hold on Jocelyn.

"Thank you, Noah," said Spencer.

"Your welcome, Agent Reid," said Noah before looking at Jocelyn who was now playing with Spencer's tie, "How old is Jocelyn now?" asked Noah.

"She'll be 16-months-old on the 3rd," said Spencer before he hobbled towards the elevator on his free crutch while he nodded and said 'hello' to agents who ended stopping him so they could him, asked him how his recovery was going, saying hi to Jocelyn, and asking him about Jocelyn's and Gabriella's development.

Xxxxxxxx 

20 minutes later, Spencer hobbled into the BAU with Jocelyn on his hip and a few seconds later he grinned at the sight of his teammates talking over coffee.

"Hi guys," said Spencer before he grinned at the surprised expressions on his teammates face.

"Shouldn't you be heading to the airport soon?" asked Morgan.

"Maeve's and my flight doesn't leave for another three hours, but I wanted to show you guys that I reached another milestone in physical therapy before Monday," said Spencer as he hobbled towards his teammates.

"Your down to one crutch, Spence," grinned JJ.

Spencer bent down and released Jocelyn who eagerly ran over to Emily who lifted her up.

"Yep, and I a security guard helped me get Jocelyn onto my hip," said Spencer before laughing a bit, "Even though I've been in the building for 22 minutes, a bunch of agents and civilian staff ended up stopping me to say hi, ask me about my recovery, say hi to Jocelyn, and ask me about Jocelyn's and Gabriella's development," said Spencer.

"Speaking of Gabriella, where's Maeve and Gabriella?" asked Garcia.

"They're at home because Maeve's finishing up on packing for our trip, and I can only carry one child right now," said Spencer.

Garcia looked at Spencer.

"You'll get to see the results of what Maeve bought when she joined JJ, Emily, and me on a girl's night out last week Saturday," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Spencer and Maeve were saying goodbye to Jocelyn and Gabriella before they got into the cab that would take them to Dulles International Airport where a wheelchair was waiting for them so Spencer could quickly get to the gate that he and Maeve would be boarding their plane.

Xxxxxxxx 

Five hours later Maeve walked alongside her husband as an attendant pushing the wheelchair that was waiting for them when they got off the plane.

"How's your knee doing?" asked Maeve.

"Its definitely stiff from sitting down for five hours, but I'm glad that you scored us first class plane tickets, Maeve," said Spencer.

"Because of you telling me that you haven't had any problems with your knee on the jet, I thought that traveling in first class would be easier for your knee. As soon as we get to the hotel, we'll go down to the pool for a bit," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was exiting the bathroom in his swim trunks while hobbling on one crutch while Maeve who was already in a one-piece bathing suit licked her lips.

"Even though I'm not happy about you getting shot above the knee, the past few months have been really beneficial for your body," said Maeve as she ran a hand over the muscles that had formed over the past few months.

"So I assume that when I'm done with physical therapy, you'll want me to keep working out?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded before she got her mind out of the gutter.

"Why don't you put on a t-shirt before we make our way down to the indoor pool, and after we cleaned up we can celebrate the progress you've been making in physical therapy," said Maeve.

Spencer nodded as he walked towards his luggage and pulled out an FBI t-shirt before sitting on his and Maeve's hotel bed and pulled on his shirt before he and Maeve headed downstairs to the indoor pool.

Xxxxxxxx 

After swimming for about two hours, Spencer and Maeve were in their hotel bed making out while Maeve made sure to avoid damaging Spencer's bad knee.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer hobbled alongside Maeve on his one crutch as they entered the lecture hall when a slightly older man approached them.

"You two here for my lecture?" asked Professor Fallon as he saw the young couple holding hands.

"Yes. My name is Dr. Spencer Reid, and this is my wife Dr. Maeve Donovan-Reid," said Spencer.

Dr. Fallon grinned as he recognized Spencer's and Maeve's names.

"I'm a fan of both of the work you two have published either together or separately. So it's a huge honor to have you two attend my lecture," said Dr. Fallon as he eagerly shook hands with Spencer and Maeve, "I insist that the three of us sit down and talk about the research you two did after this lecture," said Dr. Fallon.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other and grinned.

"We will," said Spencer.

Professor Fallon looked at Maeve.

"Isn't your mother a famous geneticist too?" asked Professor Fallon.

"She is," said Maeve.

"Why isn't your mother attending my lecture too?" asked Professor Fallon.

"She's at home in DC taking care of our two daughters because she insisted that Spencer and I have a child-free weekend, but I promised my mom that I would share the notes that I will be taking," said Maeve before playfully glaring at her husband, "Sometimes I wish that I have an eidetic memory like you, Spencer," said Maeve.

"I never want everyone to have an eidetic memory like me, but I know that Jocelyn and Gabriella have a chance of inheriting my eidetic memory," said Spencer shifting on his feet a bit.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"We should sit down so you can rest your knee," said Maeve.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were sitting next to each other in the middle row of the lecture hall.

Xxxxxxxx 

20 minutes later Spencer was holding Maeve's free hand while Spencer and Maeve listened to Professor Fallon while Maeve took notes.

"Now, from these experiments, a few factors became evident. One was the realization that serial killers have been with us since the dawn of man. My name is professor James Fallon. I'm a scientist- neuroscientist and I study the human brain. It is a complex and sometimes lethal machine. In a blind experiment, colleagues sent me 70 MRI brain scans, and I had no idea who these brains belonged to. Some were normals, some were schizophrenics, and some were killers. I analyzed all of them, five of which I determined were the brains of psychopaths. And it turned out that, indeed, these five were the brains of serial killers, some of whom you know. In studies such as these, one looks at the biological factors...That is, the genetics and also the brain pathology. The five brains we identified all had damage to the orbital cortex, which is right above the eyes. Now, a high-risk allele of the monoamine oxidase a, The maoa gene may also be present in these people, and that's key. Now, under the effects of the high-risk gene, the brain of the psychopath was bathed in way too much serotonin during fetal development. As an adult, this brain is now numb to seratonin's calming effects. The first dangerous elements are now in place. The damage is done. Now, this is a recipe for catastrophe. So when the fetus reaches the day of labor, the potential serial killer is born," said Professor Fallon.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer held Maeve's hand as he swung his one crutch as he and Maeve walked towards Dr. Fallon.

"Did you two enjoy my lecture?" asked Dr. Fallon.

Spencer and Maeve nodded.

"Yes, and other than having to give a lecture to my teammates and other FBI agents at the academy about what I learned during this lecture, hopefully, everything I learned today will be put to use during future cases," said Spencer.

"I hope so too, Dr. Reid," said Professor Fallon.

Maeve looked at Professor Fallon.

"Even though I don't study serial killers like my husband, your lecture will help my future as a geneticist," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three days later Spencer and Maeve were exiting an airport in Washington DC when Spencer's cell phone vibrated causing Spencer to sigh sadly at the text message from JJ.

"What is it?" asked Maeve.

"I have to head down to Hampton, Virginia ASAP, so I won't be seeing the kids and Stephanie until after this case," said Spencer.

"It's OK, Spencer. I'll take your suitcase home with me," said Maeve.

Spencer kissed his wife.

"Please give Josie and Gabby a kiss from me, I'll see you and the rest of the family after this case," said Spencer as he hobbled away on his one crutch to catch a cab.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer walked towards a house in Hampton, Virginia and walked towards a house that had a lot of stuffed animals on the porch while feeling saddened at the thought of a soldier who was currently overseas lost his wife and kids.

Spencer entered the house and set his messenger bag down in the kitchen before he looked at the trail of blood in the kitchen before looking into the living room to see toys that Jocelyn. A few seconds later Spencer walked towards the fridge that contained photos of kids. A minute later Spencer was staring at the swimming pool watching a military jet fly past the house just as he heard Emily's voice.

"Hey, how was your child free weekend with Maeve?" asked Emily.

Spencer pivoted himself with his crutch as he noticed Emily, JJ, and Rossi coming towards him with an unfamiliar woman.

"Uh, scary yet informative," said Spencer before becoming serious, "Was the whole family killed?" asked Spencer.

"Hudson, this is Dr. Spencer Reid," said Rossi.

Anne held out her hand that Spencer shook with his left hand.

"Field Agent Anne Hudson. The, uh, father is serving in Iraq. Three nights ago the cops found his family buried over there," said Agent Hudson as she pointed over to an area in the backyard.

"Buried?" asked Spencer before he followed JJ, Emily, Rossi, and Agent Hudson towards Hotch and Morgan who were by the mass grave.

"The neighbors heard the dog barking, came over, and he was scratching at the grave. Lucy, their oldest child, she's still in her swimsuit," said Emily.

"What does the father know?" asked Hotch.

"Some of it. He was on patrol. Took his unit a couple of days to reach him. He arrives today," said Agent Hudson.

"Last year the Williams family was killed and found exactly the same way. They lived in Newport News," said Rossi.

"The father, Dan Williams, was also serving overseas," said Morgan.

"Now, the police are overwhelmed and getting serious heat from the military. We need some answers fast," said Agent Hudson.

"As do the media. They're already calling this the work of a serial killer," said JJ.

"They're right. it is," said Hotch.

Agent Hudson looked at the grave.

"But why bury them? I mean, it can't be to hide the bodies," said Agent Hudson.

"It's a sign of remorse," said Rossi.

"And when they're done being remorseful, this will happen again," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer, Emily, and JJ approached Morgan and Agent Hudson.

"He put in for another tour of Iraq. An IED killed him two months ago," said Agent Hudson.

"Whoever did this knew both fathers were serving overseas," said Morgan.

"Laura Downey's wedding rings are missing. Any other valuables?" asked Emily.

"We'll have to ask the husband. From the Williams home, only jewelry and watches were missing," said Agent Hudson as Hotch and Rossi approached them.

"The unsub only took what he can carry, which means he's most likely on foot," said Spencer.

"There was a photo on the wall in the kitchen. I'd like to see it," said Rossi.

"Sure," said Agent Hudson.

"There's no sign of sexual assault in the Williams case. What about Lucy?" asked Hotch.

"Nothing on the coroner's report. Multiple suspects?" asked Agent Hudson.

"The mother was dragged out of the house. If it had been multiple suspects, they probably would have carried her," said Hotch.

"He knew the father was absent, therefore the dominant threat was absent. So we could be looking for a single suspect," said Morgan.

"No sign of forced entry," said Agent Hudson.

"No need. Lucy was in the pool, the back door was open. The unsub walked right in," said Hotch.

"That means Lucy probably died last," said Spencer.

"In both cases, the girls were suffocated and not shot. I don't think it's a coincidence," said Hotch just as JJ's cell phone rang causing JJ to answer her phone and put it on speaker.

"Hey, Garcia. You're on speaker," said JJ.

"We just got a call from Virginia Super Max Prison. One of the inmates there has received two envelopes in the last two days. The first envelope had clippings of the Newport News killings. The second envelope had media clippings of the Downey family. In the second envelope was a note saying, "look at what I've done, " and both pieces of mail have been signed by "an admirer."" said Garcia seriously.

"Who's the inmate?" asked JJ.

"That's the part that... Karl Arnold," said Garcia.

Spencer's eyes went wide as he thought back to being only 24-years-old when he first worked that case.

"The Fox?" asked JJ.

"He's back," said Garcia.

"Ok, thanks," said JJ before she hung up.

Hotch looked at Agent Hudson.

"Family annihilator, absent father, wedding rings. It's similar," said Hotch.

"To what?" asked Agent Hudson.

"Four years ago, Karl Arnold, aka The Fox, killed eight families," said Morgan.

"Just like this case, he took wedding rings, only he took them as trophies," said Spencer.

"He'd hide in the bushes outside the homes," said Morgan before he, Spencer, and Hotch started to explain the case.

When they were done explaining, Agent Hudson looked at Spencer, Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, JJ, and Emily.

"So, we're working with a copycat here?" asked Agent Hudson.

"It's too early to assume anything," said Hotch.

"It could bias the profile," said Spencer.

"Not to mention the police, the media, and the military would jump all over it," said Emily.

Morgan looked at Spencer, Hotch, JJ, Emily, Rossi, and Agent Hudson.

"Until we're positive, none of this information leaves the seven of us," said Morgan before looking at Hotch, "Hotch, you gave evidence at Arnold's trial. I think you should go see him," said Morgan.

"I'd like to take Prentiss with me," said Hotch.

"Let's go," said Emily.

"Have Garcia check on all of Arnold's prison correspondence and visitors for the last four years," said Hotch before he and Emily walked away.

"OK," said JJ as her phone vibrated causing her to check her phone, "Captain Joseph Downey has arrived back at the station," said JJ.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting in a chair while Morgan looked at the board.

"If this unsub's copying The Fox, then we profile him like The Fox," said Morgan.

"Karl Arnold worked as a psychologist's assistant, right?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah. Which made it easy for him to watch, target, and learn about the victims from a distance," said Spencer.

"Yeah, it also made him hard to find," said Morgan.

"Like The Fox, our man here found a way to hide in plain sight," said Rossi.

"But he's pulling from two completely different units. Williams a medic, Downey an army captain," said JJ.

"Someone knew of that military connection," said Rossi.

"Both families were attacked within a month of the fathers being deployed," said Morgan.

"Gave them time to settle in, get comfortable that the fathers weren't there," said Rossi.

"And once inside the home, The Fox would live with the families and then become the father," said Morgan.

"But not this unsub. He just walked in and dispensed with the family. Living with them wasn't part of the fantasy," said Rossi just as Agent Hudson approached them.

"Agent Rossi. The picture you requested. Thanks to you, we pulled some prints off it," said Agent Hudson.

Rossi looked at the picture.

"And all the prints were on Lucy. The bullet hit the father dead center," said Rossi as he showed Spencer, JJ, and Morgan the picture.

"The prints match that of the Newport News killings. It's the same killer," said Agent Hudson.

"Family annihilators like The Fox, they start with one victim," said Morgan.

"And once they feel capable, they move on to a second victim," said Rossi.

"They don't start with entire families. There are more victims. We just haven't found them yet," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer picked up the crime scene photo of Lucy as he worked hard on not picturing Stephanie in the picture.

"So Lucy dies last, alone. This by itself doesn't really mean anything, but when we look again at the Williams file," said Spencer as he pointed at the board, "We notice that the majority of the foreign fingerprints came from Karen Williams' room, which means the unsub spent most of his time in there with Karen," said Spencer.

"Then he must have separated her from the rest of the family," said Agent Hudson.

"Lucy Downey was already in the pool. That much was done for the unsub," said Rossi.

"Then this unsub is driven by some other kind of compulsion, some other need," said Morgan.

"Hotch was right. This isn't a coincidence. It's a possible signature," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer fiddled with the hair tie he kept around his wrist to use during physical therapy or as a stimming tool while Rossi looked at Spencer, Morgan, and Agent Hudson.

"We need to look at each of the victims as a hub, with lives outside of their own families," said Rossi.

"Well, each one of them has their own connections outside the family. School, friends, tutors, business colleagues," said Morgan.

"And each one of these people are considered access points back to the family," said Spencer.

Agent Hudson shook her head.

"That could take weeks," said Agent Hudson.

"Well, you have time. From remorse to the desire to kill again the unsub will go through a gamut of emotions," said Morgan.

Spencer shifted in his seat and looked at Agent Hudson.

"It could be another year before the unsub feels the desire to kill again," said Spencer.

"As horrific as these crimes are, this city doesn't have the resources to commit that amount of time," said Agent Hudson just as JJ approached them.

"We have full access to all military records for the fathers," said JJ.

"Well, now at least we have access to the main hub between families," said Rossi as he drew a line on the board, "The dads," said Rossi.

"All right, well, let's find out what connects them," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by the latest mass grave in the backyard of the newest victims' house while thinking about Stephanie who would currently be at home doing her homework.

"The girl was suffocated, not shot, right?" asked Morgan.

"Yes," said Agent Hudson.

Morgan sighed as he knelt down.

"Just like the other two," said Morgan.

"Her name is Dani. She's 14," said Agent Hudson.

Rossi instantly reached out and squeezed Spencer's arm causing Spencer to nod at Rossi that he's OK.

"And the father?" asked Morgan.

"Afghanistan. Does this rule out remorse?" asked Agent Hudson.

"Yes, it does," said Rossi.

"So what is it now?" asked Agent Hudson.

Morgan stood up to his full height.

"The escalation between kills indicates a major psychological break," said Morgan.

"How is it escalated?" asked Agent Hudson.

"The time frame between kills has gone from a year to just three days," said Rossi.

"For the unsub, something has dramatically changed," said Spencer.

"Some kind of major external stressor forced this unsub Into feeling the need to kill again without any remorse," said Morgan.

"Mirror neurons and stressors relating to the unsub's past may have triggered this, the strongest of which is smell," said Spencer just as four airplanes few over them.

"That sound," said Morgan before looking at Rossi and Agent Hudson, "The Williams were killed a year ago," stated Morgan.

"Were there any military maneuvers going on at Langley at that time?" asked Rossi.

"The annual air show, but nothing as big as this," said Agent Hudson.

Spencer looked at the grave before Spencer looked at Morgan.

"I need to get away from this scene," said Spencer.

"Thinking about Stephanie?" asked Morgan.

"Stephanie?" asked Agent Hudson.

Spencer looked at Agent Hudson.

"My wife and I are legal guardians to my 14-year-old half-sister Stephanie, so it doesn't help that there's a victim the same age as my sister," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"Go ahead," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was staring at a crime scene photo while JJ, Morgan, and Rossi video chatted with Garcia.

"I'm trolling through the Williams' emails, satellite phone calls, landline phone calls, family photos, their life, all of it," said Garcia.

"What about the Downeys?" asked JJ.

"They're up next, and there's a ton to go through," said Garcia.

"Fingerprints, Garcia?" asked Rossi.

"Zip. They're-they- there's nothing here. I'm sorry, folks," said Garcia.

"Garcia, widen the search," said Morgan.

"Morgan, I already did. VICAP combines every database in this country. We're as wide as we can go," said Garcia.

At that moment Spencer flashed back to the lecture he and Maeve attended over the weekend before his head shot up.

"All right, this air show is military. These fathers are all soldiers fighting a war on foreign soil. We know that none of these graves are a sign of remorse," said Morgan.

Spencer quickly looked towards the clear board.

"Hey, guys. Look at these graves. What are they reminiscent of?" asked Spencer.

"Mass graves," said JJ.

"Exactly. Which would indicate the unsub experienced early pubescent three-dimentional mirror neurons reflecting events similar to the one they're creating. I think this unsub was born into conflict," said Spencer.

"But where was he born into conflict? When was the last time we saw anything like mass graves in the US?" asked Rossi.

"We haven't. Not in our lifetimes," said Spencer.

"Not within our borders. VICAP is national, not international," said Morgan.

JJ looked at Garcia.

"Garcia, international databases?" asked JJ.

"Interpol is the biggest. If they did it, they're in it," said Garcia.

"It's pretty obvious that he's done this before, but the question is where and why," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at JJ, Morgan, and Rossi.

"I should probably send a thank you letter to Professor Fallon because replaying one of the lectures he gave over the weekend in my mind helped me realize that the unsub was born in conflict," said Spencer.

"What?" asked Agent Hudson.

"I have an eidetic memory which causes me to never forget anything. Before I got married and became a father, I would spend weekends off in other states attending lectures that might be useful for my career as a profiler," said Spencer before smiling a little bit, "My wife who is a geneticist surprised me with tickets so we could go to California and attend the lecture together, so I'm definitely going to make sure to get her something special before I go home," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"You are correct about getting your wife something special," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

"All right, we'll work it in right now," said Morgan as he hung up and looked at Spencer, Rossi, and JJ, "Prentiss thinks the unsub might be a woman," said Morgan.

"That's why we couldn't find a sexual motive," said Rossi.

"Wherever she's from, her father's a military man," said Morgan.

"Derek, I've got a hit. Interpol. 2 hits. 3 hits. 3 crime scenes. 3 different cities. The first-Zagreb, 1998. A woman and her 8-month-old baby are both killed. And then two years later, the same prints show up in Modena, Italy, Then 2007, London, England, a young couple, both shot," said Garcia.

Rossi closed his eyes.

"You were right. She's killed before," said Agent Hudson.

Spencer instantly realized where the conflict could have happened.

"Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia," said Spencer.

"Is that significant?" asked Agent Hudson.

"Between 1991 and '95 they fought a bitter battle for independence," said Spencer.

"Serbian forces tried to ethnically cleanse over 40,000 Bosnian Muslims," said Rossi.

"Then at some point within the last two years, she moved to America," said Morgan.

"She's on the run," said JJ.

"And ran right into a city filled with military families," said Rossi.

"The only mass graves reminiscent of the ones the unsubs created were found all over Bosnia after the war, but none of them rival that of Srebrenica," said Spencer.

"Dutch UN forces created a safe haven for refugees," said Garcia.

"Then in 1995, Bosnian Serb forces surrounded the town," said Spencer.

"A psychopath born in the middle of that conflict- That's not a good mix," said Rossi.

"She's exacting her life experiences onto the victims," said Spencer.

"You think this woman was there?" asked Agent Hudson.

"Well, think about it. Langley's filling up with civilians and military vehicles just like Srebrenica," said Morgan.

"Can you determine her age?" asked Agent Hudson.

"Based on victimology, each of these girls is no older than 15," said Morgan.

"The Balkan War lasted between '93 and '95, so if the girls represent the unsub, she's somewhere in her late 20s," said Spencer.

"How did Srebrenica end?" asked Agent Hudson.

"It was a massacre," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting by his teammates when Morgan looked at the officers they were assisting and Agent Hudson.

"This unsub is armed and suffering a major psychological break, and she will not hesitate to kill again," said Morgan.

"She's white and in her 20s. We believe she came to the US a few years ago," said Rossi.

"She's likely on foot. She could be Eastern European. She may speak little to no English," said JJ.

"Now, if you manage to apprehend or corner her, do not underestimate this woman. She will try to fight her way out," said Morgan.

Spencer lifted up his crutch and pointed it at a map of Hampton, Virginia.

"The Downeys live less than a mile from the Foresters, which means she's somewhere in this area," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer, Morgan, JJ, and Rossi were finishing up on giving the profile.

"Every media outlet is being informed of the clear and present danger to the public," said JJ.

"Thank you very much," said Morgan just as Garcia's face popped up on the laptop.

"OK, guys, I really have got something. All of these photos, every one of them, was uploaded to a user website called Photobug," said Garcia.

"Photobug?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah. Members can upload photos, videos, email, webcam, chats. I use it all the time," said JJ.

"Every one of these families extensively used this site for months, even years," said Garcia.

Rossi looked at the pictures.

"All these family photos were printed by Photobug," said Rossi.

"Isn't it protected?" asked Agent Hudson.

Spencer looked at Agent Hudson.

"Not from the people who run it," said Spencer.

"It's a great way for military families to keep in touch," said JJ.

"And a perfect way to target a family without anybody's knowledge," said Morgan.

"They outsource work to people all over the country. So I took your profile, Hacked into their employee database, Came up with this list of potentials, One of which is a match that screams homicidal bitch," said Garcia as she pulled up a picture of a woman, "Her name's Miranda Dracar, she was an orphan, born in Sarajevo during 1982. She was adopted by a family in Srebrenica," said Garcia.

"Let's go," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three hours later Spencer was at the BAU with his teammates just as Hotch's cell phone rang causing him to answer the phone.

"Agent Hotchner," said Hotch as he listened to the person who was speaking to him before smiling, "Thanks Will, and please have a coroner bring George Foyet's body to Quantico so we can make sure that it's him," said Hotch before he hung up.

"George Foyet is dead?" asked Spencer.

"Is Will OK?" asked JJ.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"He's fine, but there was a man named Peter Rhea was trying to buy over the counter medication," said Hotch.

Spencer's mind started to race.

"Peter Rhea is an anagram for The Reaper," said Spencer.

Hotch nodded.

"When it came to having George Foyet's face plastered everywhere, someone realized that George Foyet was in the pharmacy and quietly called the police," said Hotch before looking at JJ, "There was a brief standoff before Will did the head shot that killed Foyet, and luckily there were no other deaths," said Hotch.

"I'm glad that Will was there because I had him brief the officers at his department about George Foyet," said JJ.

Spencer, JJ, Emily, Morgan, Garcia, and Rossi all grinned.

"Haley and Jack are able to leave Witness Protection," said Spencer.

"I know, but I'm going to ask Strauss for a few weeks off to reunite with Jack," said Hotch.

Morgan looked at Hotch.

"You should spend time with your son, and when you return, you can become unit chief again," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"When George Foyet's body arrives, do you want to head to the medical examiner's office with me before I give you a ride home?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was leaning on his crutch as he stood next to Hotch in the medical examiner's office, and after checking the body he looked at Hotch.

"Its George Foyet," said Spencer as he used his free arm to pull Hotch into a one-armed hug.


	55. Thanksgiving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts the day after the last chapter and only one teammate will join the Reid family and Donovan family for Thanksgiving.

Spencer looked at Maeve as they got ready for bed.

"With me being recovered enough to carry either Jocelyn, a cup of coffee and food with my free arm, what do you think of having your parents sell their house and move in with us permanently instead of them moving back into their house this weekend?" asked Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"I was thinking about talking to you about having my parents moving in permanently," said Maeve before she and Spencer started to list pros and cons about living in multi-generational home before Maeve looked at her husband, "How about we discuss about having my parents fully move in tomorrow and we'll tell them our offer during Thanksgiving dinner in two days," said Maeve.

"OK," said Spencer as he and Maeve didn't even know that Joe and Mary were currently having their own conversation about living arrangements in the basement.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer slipped on his glasses looked at the alarm clock and his eyes went wide when he saw that it was 10 AM before seeing a note from Maeve.

SINCE YOU HAVE TODAY OFF, I DECIDED TO LET YOU SLEEP IN. JUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T MISS YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPY APPOINTMENT TODAY AT 3 PM. BREAKFAST IS BEING KEPT WARM IN THE OVEN FOR YOU.

LOVE MAEVE

Xxxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer was slowly going down the stairs on his one crutch before he found his father-in-law sitting on the couch reading to Jocelyn while Gabriella was having tummy time on the floor.

"Are you enjoying tummy time, Gabriella?" asked Spencer.

Gabriella lifted her head up and grinned at her daddy while Jocelyn's face broke into a huge grin when she saw her daddy.

"Dada," said Jocelyn.

"Morning sleepyhead," said Joe.

Spencer smiled as he shook his head.

"Even though I didn't expect to sleep for 12 hours, it felt good to catch up on some much-needed sleep," said Spencer as he hobbled towards the kitchen on his crutch.

A few minutes later Joe entered the kitchen with Gabriella in his arms and Jocelyn walking alongside him and laughed when he saw the amount of sugar that Spencer was adding into his coffee as he ate a breakfast taco.

"With you finally being able to carry a cup of coffee around again, I wonder if I should limit the amount of coffee you drink today so my daughter doesn't have to deal with a highly caffeinated husband dealing with a sugar high," said Joe.

Spencer glared at Joe as he placed his doctored cup of coffee onto the kitchen island.

"Don't you dare limit the amount of coffee I drink," said Spencer.

"Coffee," said Jocelyn as she pointed at her daddy's cup of coffee.

Spencer grinned while Joe shook his head.

"That's my Josie Posie," said Spencer before looking at his father-in-law, "Are you and Mary looking forward to moving back into your house this weekend?" asked Spencer.

"I need to talk to you," said Joe.

"About what?" asked Spencer.

"When it comes to the basement being finished with a full bathroom, Mary and I have been talking about selling Maeve's childhood home and move in here permanently because we enjoyed living with you, Maeve, Stephanie, Jocelyn, and Gabriella while you recovered from being shot. Also Mary and I are getting older, so it will be easier for Mary and me to be living with guys so Mary and I won't have to travel here every morning to babysit my granddaughters while Mary and Maeve drive to the university together, but before Mary and I make our final decision, we wanted yours, Maeve's, and Stephanie's opinion," said Joe.

Spencer laughed.

"What's so funny?" asked Joe.

"Maeve and I were planning on asking you and Mary about moving in permanently because we were talking about the statistics about living in a multi-generational household last night and we were going to talk to you and Mary tomorrow during Thanksgiving dinner," said Spencer.

"Do you think your teammates would be glad to help out with moving Mary and me in?" asked Joe.

"Knowing my team, they'll definitely help us move you and Mary in," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later Samuel looked at Spencer's finished cane before looking at Spencer.

"I hope that you're going to get your father-in-law something really special for Christmas because of all of the hard work he did with this cane to fit your height and your hand perfectly," said Samuel.

"I'll think of something," said Spencer.

"Let's have you try out this cane, and if you have no problem using a cane today, I'll declare that you no longer need your crutches unless you re-injure your knee," said Samuel.

A few seconds later Spencer was walking around the room with the cane that his father-in-law made for him, and a few minutes later Samuel grinned at Spencer.

"I officially clear you to use a cane instead of a crutch, but you should still take it easy while doing the stretches I showed you to do every day. Don't get rid of your crutches because you never know if you'll need them again in the future," said Samuel.

Spencer grinned.

"Thank you for all of your help," said Spencer.

"Your welcome, Spencer, but your still going to need physical therapy for another couple of months to make sure that you can be a full field agent again," said Samuel before looking at his watch, "With only having 10 minutes left, why don't I cut you loose early because its Thanksgiving tomorrow," said Samuel.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Four hours later Spencer was sitting on the couch burping Gabriella when Gabriella let out a loud burp.

"Even though belching is very unladylike for you, good girl, Gabby," said Spencer as he made funny faces at Gabriella causing Gabriella to smile and laugh at her daddy before Spencer looked at Jocelyn who was sitting next to him babbling to her teddy bear while saying a few words that she mastered,

"What secrets are you telling your teddy bear?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn grinned up at her daddy just as Spencer heard a familiar voice.

"Pencer," said Jack.

Spencer grinned at Jack who was on his mother's hip.

"Hi, Jack. Hello Haley," said Spencer.

Jocelyn grinned when she recognized Jack causing her to wave.

"Hi Ack," said Jocelyn as she got off the couch and ran towards Haley and Jack.

"You've have gotten so big since the last time I saw you, Jocelyn," said Haley.

"She's going to be 16-months-old on the 3rd, and Gabriella is now four-months-old," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his wife.

"Gabby has been fed and burped, but I need you to take Gabby so I can get up," said Spencer.

Maeve quickly walked towards the wall that she leaned Spencer's cane against, and a few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were trading Gabriella so Spencer could have his cane. A few seconds later, Spencer was carefully getting onto his feet with his cane before he limped towards Haley and Jack.

"Why are you walking with a cane?" asked Jack.

"When did you get hurt?" asked Haley.

"I ended up injuring my knee over two months ago, but I rather explain what happened away from little ears," said Spencer as he reached behind Jack's ear and pulled out a quarter causing the four-year-old boy to laugh, "I think you need to do a better job scrubbing behind your ears, young man," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at Jack.

"Why don't we go have some milk and cranberry cookies that my mom and I made today with Jocelyn, Jack," said Maeve.

Jack looked at his mother.

"Please?" asked Jack.

"Go ahead," said Haley as she set her son down before looking at Maeve, "Mind if I hold Gabriella?" asked Haley.

Maeve passed Gabriella to Haley, and 10 seconds later Spencer and Haley were sitting on the couch.

"Did you notice that I was absent when you and Jack went to see Hotch at the hospital before US Marshal's took you and Jack away?" asked Spencer.

"I did," said Haley.

"I got shot above the left knee by an unsub we were chasing the same day as Hotch got stabbed by George Foyet, and I was in surgery in the same hospital when you and Jack were taken away by the US Marshals," said Spencer.

"How much damage was done?" asked Haley.

"The bullet went through and through while missing my femoral artery, but the bullet nicked my femur while the muscles around my knee needed to be repaired before I was stuck in a hospital bed in traction for two weeks," said Spencer.

"You must have gone crazy," said Haley.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"I didn't go crazy because Hotch and I shared a hospital room for 10 days before Hotch got discharged. Other than entertaining ourselves with the books and movies that Maeve, my in-laws, my sister, and the team brought us, I made sure that Hotch opened up to me about what happened," said Spencer.

"I'm glad that you two were there for each other in the hospital," said Haley.

"I wanted to return the favor because you and Hotch helped me adjust to living in a new city when I joined the BAU," said Spencer.

Haley looked at Spencer's cane.

"How much longer until your off the cane?" asked Haley.

"I'll most likely be getting rid of this cane by January," said Spencer.

Haley looked at Spencer.

"Even though meeting Maeve and starting a family has made you happier, I can tell that your happier about something else," said Haley.

"Other than never having to deal with my father hurting me again, my mom is coming here for Thanksgiving tomorrow," said Spencer.

"She came to DC to see her grandchildren?" asked Haley.

Spencer shook his head.

"My mom came out to DC for my birthday, and her birthday present to me was transferring to a new sanitarium in Alexandria, Virginia," said Spencer.

Haley smiled.

"Your mom moving out here must have been one of your favorite gifts," said Haley.

"Mom told me that if I committed her to a hospital out of love so she can be safe while I have the chance of living my life, she decided to make the sacrifice of leaving the hospital that she had lived in for 10 years and move across the country to a new hospital in unfamiliar territory out of love so she can see Maeve, Josie, Gabby, and me more often," said Spencer.

"How is she settling in?" asked Haley.

"She had a few rough days when it came to thinking that she's still in Vegas, missing the friends she made at Bennington, while adjusting to being away from the desert," said Spencer before smiling a bit,

"But now she's becoming the mother I remember her being before her schizophrenia got worse because giving her grandchildren really helped her," said Spencer.

Haley smiled.

"That's great," said Haley before she decided to update Spencer on Jack's development while Spencer updated Haley on Jocelyn's and Gabriella's development before Haley and Jack stayed for dinner.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer and Maeve looked at Stephanie as everyone except Gabriella ate the cranberry pancakes that Spencer made for breakfast.

"We need to talk to you about something," said Spencer.

"Did I break one of your rules?" asked Stephanie.

"You didn't, but what do you think about Joe and Mary moving in permanently instead of moving back into their house this weekend?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie looked at Joe and Mary.

"You two are moving in permanently?" asked Stephanie.

"Even though Spencer and Maeve agreed to have us move in permanently, we wanted your answer too because of you dealing with a lot of changes this year," said Mary.

"It would be great to have you two move in because after my mom and I moved to Maine, we lived with my maternal grandma for six years until she died in a car accident," said Stephanie.

Spencer looked at Maeve.

"Am I allowed to help cook Thanksgiving dinner?" asked Spencer.

Maeve, Mary, and Stephanie shook their heads before Mary looked at Joe and Spencer.

"We decided that you two and David will be on Jocelyn and Gabriella duty before Spencer goes to pick up Diana," said Mary.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer limped towards his mother who was dressed up in a skirt and a blouse holding a bag while a nurse stood by her.

"Hi, mom. Hello, Nurse Clarice," said Spencer.

"You made more progress, baby," said Diana.

Spencer grinned.

"I just started walking with this cane yesterday. Are you ready for a family Thanksgiving at my house?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, and who is all going to be there?" asked Diana.

Spencer looped his free arm with his mother's right arm as he escorted his mother out of the hospital.

"Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Stephanie, Joe, Mary, and me," said Spencer.

"What about your teammates?" asked Diana.

"All spending the holiday with their significant others and families," said Spencer.

"What about Agent Hotchner and Agent Rossi?" asked Diana.

"Hotch is spending the holiday with Haley and Jack because the bad man who was targeting Hotch's family is dead, but Rossi's joining us," said Spencer as he and his mother approached his car causing the 28-year-old genius to open up the door for his mother.

Diana slid into the front passenger seat before she looked at her son as she buckled herself in.

"Thank you, Spencer," said Diana.

"Your welcome, mom," said Spencer as he closed the door before limping towards the driver's seat.

Xxxxxxxx 

Nearly a half hour later Spencer and Diana entered the Reid family home, and a few seconds later Jocelyn was running towards her grandma Diana.

"Nana D," grinned Jocelyn.

Diana eagerly scooped up her oldest granddaughter.

"You are looking more like your father every time I see you, Jocelyn," said Diana as she kissed her oldest granddaughter's cheek.

Spencer grinned when he saw Gabriella who was laying on her back on the floor roll over onto her stomach and started to scoot across the floor on her stomach to her daddy and grandma.

"Good job, Gabriella," said Spencer.

Diana slowly passed Jocelyn to her father while she made sure that Spencer had a tight grip on Jocelyn before she bent down and picked up her four-month-old granddaughter.

"Even though you have curly hair like your daddy and big sister, you are looking more like your mother, Gabriella," said Diana as she kissed her youngest granddaughter's cheek.

Gabriella smiled at her grandma Diana before she started to babble away at her grandma Diana just before the doorbell rang causing Spencer to look through the peephole to find Rossi holding a dish before he allowed Rossi into the house.

"Thank you for coming," said Spencer.

"I couldn't say no to spending time with Jocelyn and Gabriella," said Rossi before looking at Diana,

"How are you doing, Diana?" asked Rossi.

"Other than disliking the colder weather out here, I'm glad that I'm well enough to spend Thanksgiving with my family," said Diana.

"Good," said Rossi before he accepted Gabriella from Diana.

Xxxxxxxx 

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Stephanie looked at her sister-in-law.

"With Gabriella being four-months-old, are you going to let her have pureed turkey today?" asked Stephanie.

"I am," said Maeve.

"May I please have the honor of feeding Gabriella?" asked Stephanie.

Maeve smiled at her sister-in-law.

"You can," said Maeve.

"I can't believe that Gabriella has been four-months-old for nearly two weeks," said Mary.

"Me too," said Maeve before looking at Stephanie, "Even though your not a huge fan of shopping malls, are you up to Black Friday shopping with my mom and me tomorrow?" asked Maeve.

"I'm up to shopping with you two," said Stephanie just as Spencer limped into the kitchen on his cane with his mom in tow.

"Even though you ladies banished me from the kitchen, my mom wanted to come in here," said Spencer.

Maeve wiped up her hands and made her way to her mother-in-law.

"How are you doing, Diana?" asked Maeve as she hugged her mother-in-law.

"I'm doing well, and I'm happy that you and Spencer asked me if I wanted to eat Thanksgiving dinner with my family instead of my new friends at the hospital," said Diana.

"You deserve to be here for Gabriella's first Thanksgiving, Diana," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his mom.

"I need to rest my bad knee, so what do you say about reading to Jocelyn, Gabriella, and me?" asked Spencer.

"Lead the way, Spencer," said Diana as she looped arms with her son.

A few minutes later Spencer, Diana, Jocelyn, and Gabriella were sitting on the couch while Diana pulled out one of the books that she brought along and started to read out loud.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer leaned heavily on his cane as he stood at the head of the dining room table as he looked at his mother, Maeve, Jocelyn, Stephanie, Joe, Mary, Rossi, and Gabriella who was sitting in her high chair.

"I know that we all have a lot to be thankful for when it came to the year we just had when it came to injuries in the field and gaining new family members," said Spencer as he smiled at Stephanie and Gabriella, "so here's to hoping that next year will be better than this year," said Spencer as he raised his glass of wine for a toast causing Mary, Joe, and Rossi to hold up their glasses of wine while Diana, Maeve, and Stephanie held up their glasses of sparking grape juice before Jocelyn held up her sippy cup filled with grape juice and pointed at the turkey with her free hand.

"Obble obble," said Jocelyn causing everyone to burst into laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: When it comes to Joe and Mary moving in permanently, I'm speaking from experience of living in a multi-generational household during my childhood. From when after my Irish twin was born until I just started the second grade, my parents, younger brothers, and I lived in a three bedroom and one bathroom house with my grandma so my parents could have help taking care of my brothers and me. I did share a bedroom with my brothers until I was six, but when my five-year-old self started kindergarten, a teacher's aid helped me fill in about me form, and as my one wish I said that I wanted my own room. So when my parents and grandma found out, they instantly agreed because I was nearly two months from turning six and deserved privacy from my brothers, so my parents moved into the basement while I ended up getting the room that my parents slept in.


	56. Slave of Duty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts two weeks after the last chapter. So Jocelyn is now 16-months-old in this chapter, and Joe and Mary are already moved in with the help of Spencer's teammates, Kevin, Will LaMontagne Jr., and Haley (She insisted on helping so she can catch up with Maeve while Jack entertained Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Henry.
> 
> When it comes to my favorite scene with Jack in The Slave of Duty, Haley has Jessica's lines instead.

Spencer walked around the room with his cane when Samuel looked at him.

"Even though your doctor and I predicted that you wouldn't be walking around unassisted by January, the results from the MRI you had  
yesterday and the progress your making with your walking, you might be able to ditch your cane by Christmas," said Samuel.  
Spencer grinned.

"That would be a Christmas miracle for my family and me because Gabriella's almost old enough to be carried around on someone's hip and it would be nice to carry both girls on my hips," said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer was laying on his bed with his bad knee being braced by a pillow while Maeve straddled him just as his work phone rang causing both Spencer and Maeve to groan while Maeve got off her husband so Spencer can reach for his phone. A few seconds later Spencer sighed when he saw a text from JJ.

WE HAVE A CASE IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE AND HOTCH IS STILL ON FAMILY LEAVE. THERE ARE NO OTHER TEAMS AVAILABLE, SO PLEASE MEET ON THE JET ASAP. ~ JJ

"A case?" asked Maeve.

"Nashville, Tennessee and there are no other teams available. I'm supposed to head to the jet ASAP," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were both getting dressed before Spencer limped on his cane towards Stephanie's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in," said Stephanie.

Spencer entered his sister's room and shook his head at the sight of his sister wearing her noise canceling headphones over her ears as she did some typing on her laptop. As soon as Stephanie removed her headphones, she looked at her brother.

"What's up?" asked Stephanie.

"I just got called in for a case and I'll be heading to Nashville, Tennessee," said Spencer.

"OK," said Stephanie.

"I'll be home as soon as possible," said Spencer before he exited his sister's room and headed towards Gabriella's nursery.

For the next two minutes, Spencer watched Jocelyn and Gabriella peacefully sleep in their cribs before he headed downstairs to fetch his revolver just Maeve came into the house and removed her jacket.

"I started your car while putting your go back into the backseat," said Maeve as she gently gave her husband a kiss while making sure she didn't knock down her husband.

"Thank you," said Spencer as he accepted Maeve's help to put on his navy blue pea coat before he walked outside and got into his car.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting between Emily and the aisle on the jet when JJ looked at her teammates.

"Two women dead in two weeks, both killed in their own homes, and no sign of forced entry. Floors were covered in rose petals," said JJ.

"Quite the romantic. Evidence of sexual assault?" asked Rossi.

"None. Both women were last seen leaving their offices on a Friday and never showed up to work on a Monday," said JJ.

"It's Thursday. Why are we only being called in now?" asked Morgan.

"The second body was only found yesterday," said JJ.

Spencer who was quietly reading the file looked at his teammates.

"There may be a socioeconomic pattern emerging. The first victim, Bethany Heminger, lived in Belle Meade, Melissa Johnson in Brentwood.  
Both are affluent neighborhoods," said Spencer.

"Yet there was nothing missing from either home," said Rossi.

"What did these women do for a living?" asked Morgan.

"Bethany was a defense attorney, Melissa a corporate executive," said JJ.

"Two brunettes with similar features in high-powered professions? That's not a coincidence," said Emily.

"These women most likely represent someone he knows," said Rossi.

"All right, so we need to figure out where this unsub is meeting his victims and how he's gaining access to their homes. And if he's staying on pattern, most likely this guy has picked out his next target," said Morgan.

"We should check gardeners, housekeeping staff, pool attendants, floral shops, see if anyone worked both homes," said Rossi.

"Start working up a paper trail, Garcia. Find out where these women were on the days leading up to each murder," said Morgan.

"Like a genie in a bottle-poof!" said Garcia before she signed off.

"All right. Prentiss, you and I are gonna go check out the Johnson crime scene. Rossi, you and Reid talk to the coroner, start working up victimology. JJ, talk to the families and staff and find a connection we can use," said Morgan before looking at his teammates, "We have less than a day before this unsub strikes again. Let's finish this fast," said Morgan.

Everyone nodded in agreement before Spencer looked at his teammates.

"When it came to leaving work early today for physical therapy, I thought that I should tell you guys that my physical therapist hinted about the possibility of me ditching my cane by Christmas instead of January because of the progress I'm making," said Spencer.

JJ, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi all smiled.

"That's great," said JJ.

"Did you tell Maeve?" asked Emily.

"I haven't told Maeve yet because I want to surprise her," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

The coroner pulled a body out of the storage area as he looked at Spencer and Rossi.

"Defensive wounds on both women. More so on the latest victim," said the coroner.

Rossi pointed at the victim he was looking at.

"She fought back the hardest," said Rossi.

"No ligature marks. They weren't bound," said Spencer as he walked to the second body.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"So how does he keep them from running out?" asked Rossi.

"Maybe he blocked the escape route, or maybe the threat of a knife was enough," said Spencer.

"I might be able to answer that. The stab wounds weren't the only injuries," said the coroner as he received papers from his assistant.

"What do you mean?" asked Spencer.

"Melissa Johnson had a concussion. Bethany Heminger, a broken rib," said the coroner.

"An initial assault to prove his dominance, make sure they're too scared to try and escape," said Rossi.

Spencer nodded.

"Something else you should see," said the coroner as he placed the clipboard in Spencer's left hand while he made sure that Spencer had a firm grip.

Spencer quickly read the report.

"Both their stomach contents were the same. Chicken, broccoli, pasta, salad, and red wine," said Spencer.

"He's playing out a fantasy. One he has to control. He sets the scene with flower petals and wine And then he cooks for them," said Rossi.

"Their last supper," said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Spencer followed Rossi on his cane as they approached the room where JJ was working in.

"Find anything?" asked Rossi.

"Several people had access to each home. Housekeeper, gardener, pool cleaner, dog walker, each with their own key and an alibi to match," said JJ.

Spencer made his way towards the empty chair by JJ and the laptop.

"Any cross-over?" asked Rossi.

"None," said JJ while Spencer took a seat next to her, "We even vetted delivery people and utility workers," said JJ.

Spencer looked at Garcia's face on the laptop.

"Garcia, do you have anything?" asked Spencer.

"There's no hits on the prints at all, but I did what sir Derek there asked and I created a paper trail. There's no cross-over between the two victims themselves in the week leading up to their murders, but they did run in similar circles," said Garcia.

"How do you mean? They both have country club memberships, though to different clubs. They went to upscale restaurants, private concert venues, posh hotels. They enjoyed a high-class, highfalutin lifestyle, an expensive one," said Garcia while Morgan and Emily approached Spencer, JJ, and Rossi.

"A lifestyle he'd fit right into. This guy is educated, intelligent, proper. He's a downright gentleman," said Emily.

"The rose petals sent a pretty specific message," said Morgan while Emily sat down, "He's romancing them whether they want it or not. He's  
got the social skills to back it up," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at Garcia.

"Hey, Garcia, take a look at dating services and social networking sites. Look for working professionals and privileged elite," said Spencer.

"Check, check, and checkers. Back in a smidge," said Garcia as she signed off.

Morgan sighed.

"We need more," said Morgan.

Rossi looked at Morgan.

"Have we figured out how he's getting into these homes?" asked Rossi.

"No sign of forced entry anywhere. Yet he's still gaining access to their homes Long before the victims ever get home from work. I mean, this guy needs time to cook And set up his scene. He's either got a key or he can move through walls," said Morgan.

"We need fresh eyes," said Rossi.

Morgan looked at his teammates.

"All right, listen up. I want everybody to go back to the hotel and try to get some rest. We're gonna have to pick this up again in the morning," said Morgan.

"We're giving up?" asked Emily.

"No. We're gonna take a break. We have to give the profile at morning roll and none of us has slept since we got called in last night. Once Garcia can get us a paper trail, then we can expand our canvass. Till then there's really not a lot we can do," said Morgan.

A second later Spencer was using his cane to help himself stand up.

xxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was sitting on the edge of a desk with his hands on the handle of his cane while Rossi looked at all of the officers in the room.

"We believe our unsub is already with his next victim. If he matches the pattern, she'll be a successful woman, Probably brunette, early 30s to mid-40s. She'll be at home in Nashville's upper echelon," started Rossi.

"This means that he fits in. He drives the right car, he wears the right clothes, he's highly intelligent. He probably comes from a place of status," said Spencer.

"This guy's sociable, and he's endearing. You would never suspect that this man is capable of murder. But he will do whatever it takes to protect the fantasy that he's trying to relive," said Morgan.

"It's this fantasy which fuels his drive. He's recreating a romantic evening And repeating it with each of his victims," said Rossi.

"He most likely recently had a relationship taken away from him. So look at men who have lost loved ones Or have gone through a messy divorce," said Morgan.

"But like Bundy, these women are representations of that first loss. Bundy picked victims who had similar features to the woman that abandoned him, and we believe that our unsub is doing the exact same thing," said Spencer.

"These women were confident, successful, and strong, and they fought back. Which means he has the ability to overpower them fairly easily," said Emily.

"He believes or fantasizes he's in a relationship with these women. No matter how fleeting the initial interaction is, it's everything to him. An invitation," said Rossi.

"Our technical analyst has compiled a list of locations that the victims visited prior to their death. These are high-class establishments. We're going to want to visit the same places," said Spencer.

"So, look for men who fit the profile, but also women who match victimology. If somebody's been paying a little too much attention to them, talk to them. Get a read, then jot their name down so that we can check them out," said Morgan.

"All right, folks, pick up your canvassing assignments and get to work," said Detective Kaminski.

"Thank you," said Morgan.

xxxxxxx

Spencer got out of the back seat of an SUV as he, JJ, Morgan, Emily, Rossi, and Detective Kaminski headed towards the latest victim's house.

"House belongs to an Erika Silverman, project director in an international design firm. We're assuming the male victim is her boyfriend Grant Franklin," said Detective Kaminski.

"Male victim?" asked Spencer

"Mm-hmm. they're both pretty beat up. We'll need dental records for a positive ID," said Detective Kaminski.

"Who called it in?" asked Emily.

"UPS guy. Needed her to sign for a package, the door was wide open. We got him out back," said Detective Kaminski.

"JJ, talk to him," said Morgan.

JJ nodded as she walked away.

"Where's Erika Silverman's body?" asked Rossi.

Detective Kaminski pointed up the stairs.

xxxxxx

A few minutes later Spencer stood in Erika's kitchen with his cane supporting him while Morgan looked at the dishes.

"The dinner dishes are washed, but the breakfast plates aren't," said Morgan.

Spencer nodded.

"He didn't clean up this time," said Spencer.

"The boyfriend must have surprised him and disrupted his routine," said Morgan as he started walking in a speed that's easy for Spencer to walk.

Spencer walked in step with Morgan.

"I don't know, I'd say he came pretty close to finishing it. It looks like they watched a movie, had an early breakfast. She was with him all night," said Spencer as he headed towards JJ.

"Great. what is it?" asked JJ as she watched Spencer use the wall to help himself go down the few stairs before passing her.

A minute later Spencer was in the garage grabbing a napkin from his suit jacket when JJ joined him.

"Hey. So, Garcia couldn't find anything about Erika Silverman's whereabouts over the past week. No stores, no restaurants, nothing," said JJ.

Spencer braced himself with his cane as he used the napkin to prevent himself from getting his fingerprints on the car as he opened the driver seat door.

"There may actually be another way to figure out where she's been. Do we know where any of the victims' cars are?" asked Spencer as he eased himself into Erika's car.

"As far as I know, they're in impound," said JJ.

"We need access to all four of them," said Spencer as he looked around Erika's car.

"Four?" asked JJ.

"We should also get Grant Franklin's car. He may have driven Erika somewhere where she met the unsub," said Spencer as he started to go through Erika's GPS history.

xxxxxx

Spencer was sitting at the conference room table while Morgan paged through a file.

"There has to be something in the victimology," said Morgan.

"If Grant Franklin hadn't come home when he did, Erika would probably still be alive. So how did the unsub miss him?" asked Emily.

JJ looked at what she had on Grant.

"It says he was out of town last week visiting family in Indianapolis," said JJ.

"Still, the violence of those kills indicates he knew both victims," said Emily.

"'cause the longer victims are with the killer, the more desperate the attack," said Rossi as he looked at his black notebook, "The unsub stabbed Erika Silverman 17 times in the face, Grant Franklin 34 times to the face and genitals," said Rossi.

"It makes sense. The more he perfects his routine, the more invested he becomes," said Spencer.

Morgan who was still reading a file looked at the detective.

"Detective Kaminski, have your men had any luck canvassing the victims' last known whereabouts?" asked Morgan.

"None. I'm thinking of pulling them off for the night," said Detective Kaminski.

"That's a mistake," said Morgan.

"Why is that? The Vic's dead. If he sticks to the pattern, we've got another week before he strikes again," said Detective Kaminski.

"Because he's never gotten this far before. He's desperate to play out his fantasy. A man like this isn't gonna stick to any timetable. He's gonna try to finish this tonight," said Rossi.

Morgan looked at JJ.

"JJ, we need you on the news. Narrow victimology. Let people know that he's out there right now," said Morgan.

JJ grabbed her phone.

"I'm on it," said JJ as she got up and walked away.

"We still don't know where he's finding his victims," said Emily.

Spencer grabbed his cane and heaved himself up.

"But we do know that Erika Silverman lived in green hills. That's three points and we finally have our geographical comfort zone," said Spencer as he reached a map and pointed at it, "It's a good bet the unsub lives somewhere in this area, and Erika is our key to figuring out where they met," said Spencer.

xxxxxx

Hotch entered the kitchen where he saw Haley making dinner.

"Oh, man, pancakes for dinner. Is there anything better?" asked Hotch.

"Yay!" cheered Jack.

"No, there's not," said Haley.

Hotch looked at son while Jack continued to play with his action figures.

"Hey, Jack, who are these guys?" asked Hotch.

Jack picked up one of his action figures.

"This is you, and this is the bad guy," said Jack as he held up another action figure, "They're fighting," said Jack as he mimicked fighting.

Haley looked at her son.

"Who wins, Jack?" asked Haley.

"Daddy. No one beats daddy," said Jack.

Haley teared up a bit as she watched her son before Hotch looked at his son.

"Hey, Jack. Mommy's almost got dinner ready. I forgot, what do we do before we eat?" asked Hotch.p>

"Wash our hands," said Jack.

Hotch lifted his son out of the chair.

"Good job," said Hotch.

"Come on. Daddy…," said Jack as he ran off.

Haley looked at her ex-husband.

"He built those himself. I hope it's OK," said Haley as she took a deep breath as she looked at her ex-husband, "Even though you promised to make everything up to Jack and me, you have my blessing to return to the BAU," said Haley.

Hotch looked at his ex-wife in shock.

"You don't want me to retire or work for another unit?" asked Hotch.

"Jack just admitted that your his hero, so you shouldn't let your son down," said Haley before smiling a bit, "You consider your teammates, their significant others, and their children part of your family, and I don't want you to abandon them for Jack," said Haley.

xxxxxxx

JJ looked at the laptop in front of her as she looked at Spencer.

"Garcia's got something," said JJ just as there was beeping causing Spencer to turn his chair to the monitor.

"I'm a real genius 'cause this is what I did I took the travel logs from the GPS systems, overlaid their routes against the geographical profile to reveal what the paper trail could not," said Garcia.

"Which was?" asked JJ.

"While Erika Silverman is the only victim who didn't visit a private club, a concert, or go to a fancy restaurant in the days leading upon her death, she did spend a couple of hours at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens on Tuesday," said Garcia.

"Garcia, did either of the other victims go to the park?" asked Spencer.

"No," answered Garcia.

"I don't know if it's relevant, then," said Spencer.

"It is when her navigation system reads in a straight line. To work, back home, to work, back home. I don't think she ever left her house. She even had her groceries delivered," said Garcia.

Spencer turned his chair around and looked at JJ.

"What was she doing on Tuesday?" asked Spencer.

"Let's find out," said JJ.

Spencer smiled a bit as he grabbed his cane.

"At least I'll get to walk around a bit," said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Spencer slowly walked down the stairs while the manager looked at Spencer.

"As you can see, the park attracts a variety of patrons. Older couples, walkers, tour groups. We'll hold an occasional wedding or concerts on our upper lawn," said the manager.

"Did you have any events here past Tuesday?" asked Spencer.

"Tuesday," said the manager as she checked her phone, "Oh, we had a corporate fund-raiser between 4:00 and 7:00," said the manager.  
JJ looked at Spencer.

"That's when Erika Sierman was here," said JJ as she looked at the stairs, "An event up here would be a hard sell for women in heels," said JJ.

"Well, most of our private events hire valets to drive the cars down to the base of the park so they don't have to hike up the hill," said the manager.

Spencer looked at JJ.

"Who has access to your keys but goes unseen?" asked Spencer quietly.

"And to your GPS," said JJ quietly.

"Dealerships program your home address into the navigation system before your car even leaves the lot," said Spencer.

JJ scoffed.

"He had turn by turn directions straight to her front door and the keys to get him inside," said JJ.

xxxxxx

Spencer sat next to JJ as he, JJ, and Morgan as they video chatted with Garcia.

"Culpepper Valet Company handled the fund-raiser on Tuesday, and... The same company had contracts with the hotel lounge that Bethany Heminger frequented and the country club Melissa Johnson was a member at," said Garcia.

"That's our connection," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at JJ.

"JJ, get Rossi and Prentiss to pick up the owner," said Morgan.

"Right away," said JJ as she picked up her phone and got up.

Morgan moved his chair so he could be right in front of the laptop.

"All right, baby girl, talk to me. I need employee records and a list of venues that Culpepper contracted out to this weekend," said Morgan.

"Oh, sugar, check your email. It hit your inbox 60 seconds ago," said Garcia.

"Thanks, Penelope," said Morgan as he signed off and started to open up his email.

Spencer looked at the file in front of him.

"All right, Culpepper contracted out to three venues this weekend, two today," said Spencer.

"We might be able to catch this guy in action," said Morgan.

"Unless he's already with another victim," said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting in the back seat of an SUV that Detective Kaminski was driving while they had the rest of the team on speaker.

"The manager said Belser picked up a shift at the Vonner Street Lounge," said Rossi.

"Yeah, we're headed there right now," said Spencer.

"OK. SWAT's gonna meet us at Belser's apartment," said Emily.

"Garcia, did you find anything else on Belser?" asked JJ.

"OK. He attended Southern Charleston Preparatory Academy on scholarship his parents died in a boating accident six years ago. Belser lost his inheritance in the stock market, and since then, he has been racking up debt faster than he can pay it off. He was engaged to society magazine editor Rose Smith until six weeks ago... When it was called off. And the chapel was already paid for," said Garcia.

"So he spent his entire savings trying to live in the world of his fiancee. She was his lifeline the society he'd grown up in," said Morgan.

"Only to have her leave him and wind up penniless," said Detective Kaminski.

"Hey, Garcia, I don't suppose Belser's car has a lo-jack system on it, does it?" asked Spencer.

Spencer heard some typing.

"No. No such luck, Boy Wonder. Need potential victims' names," said Garcia.

"OK. We'll get back to you," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer stood by Detective Kaminski and a valet manager at the Vonner Street Lounge when Detective Kaminski looked at Spencer.

"VIP?" asked Detective Kaminski.

"Definitely," said Spencer.

The valet manager started to type on his laptop.

"Let me check the register logs," said the manager as he showed Spencer and Detective Kaminski what he found, "This is a list of all of our customers who made charges in our VIP section tonight," said the manager.

Spencer pulled out his phone and called Garcia.

"They have their own attendant. 15 names. Only six were women," said Detective Kaminski.

"Speak Boy Wonder," said Garcia.

"Garcia, we need you," said Spencer.

"Whatcha got?" asked Garcia.

"All right, six names used credit cards at the Vonner Street Lounge in the past three hours," said Spencer as he looked at the list, "Jennifer Ketelson, Kiegan Murphy, Heather Aldridge, Meg Natraj, Ann Herron, and Katie Gotshall," read Spencer.

Spencer heard some typing.

"OK, I'm cross-referencing the geographical profile with financial records. Oh, these three look good, and one a brunette. Her name is Ann Herron. She lives at 431 Pyle Street," said Garcia.

xxxxxxx

Spencer quickly hung up and looked at JJ and Detective Kaminski.

"We got him," said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

A few hours later Spencer, Emily, JJ, Morgan, and Rossi entered the bullpen to find Hotch standing with Garcia.

"I know that you are all tired and wanting to go home, but can we talk for a few minutes in the conference room?" asked Hotch.

Everyone nodded before they made their way to the conference room, and a minute later Hotch looked at his teammates.

"While Haley and I were talking, we ended up watching Jack play with his action figures. And Jack ended up telling us that one of them is me and the other is the bad guy before explaining that I always win. Because of that moment, Haley gave me her blessing to return to the BAU because I shouldn't let Jack down," said Hotch.

Everyone smiled.

"I'll step down when you return," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"When will you be back?" asked Spencer.

"Monday," said Hotch.

Morgan looked at his teammates.

"Let's all head home and our paperwork can wait until Monday," said Morgan.

Spencer smiled.

"At least Maeve and I are able to hit the road for Williamsburg tomorrow morning so we can celebrate our second wedding anniversary a few days early," said Spencer.

"Will this weekend getaway possibly cause you and Maeve to conceive baby number three?" asked Garcia.

Spencer shook his head.

"We're still going to wait until Jocelyn is three and Gabriella is two to try for our third child, but we agreed that if we do end up expecting our third child sooner than we planned, we'll be happy," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

The next evening Spencer and Maeve were eating dinner at a restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia when Maeve looked at her husband.

"Despite the uneventful year we just had when it came to your sister moving in with us, you ending up in the hospital for a respiratory disorder, everything that happened with your father, me giving birth to Gabriella, you getting shot above the left knee, and my parents moving in," said Maeve before shaking her head, "I had a physical yesterday evening and I got shocking news," said Maeve.

"Is everything OK?" asked Spencer.

"With all the stress we've been dealing with the past few months, I found out that my birth control isn't really effective because I found out that I'm almost 12-weeks pregnant," said Maeve.

Spencer's eyes went wide as he quickly did the math before shaking his head.

"We conceived our third child the night you told me that you got the all clear," said Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"With how we got through the challenges we've dealt with the past couple of months, I know that we can do this because we need another good event to outweigh the rough times we had this year," said Maeve.

"I agree," said Spencer as he and Maeve talked about moving Gabriella into Jocelyn's bedroom during the next six months so their upcoming addition can have his or her own room.


	57. Retaliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've read that sometimes the gender of a baby can be noticed at 12 weeks through an ultrasound, so you readers will find out what Spencer and Maeve are having in this chapter!

Spencer and Maeve entered their house before their eyes went wide when they saw Spencer's mom sitting on the couch with Mary, Joe, and Stephanie as they read to Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"How did you get here, mom?" asked Spencer.

"I wanted to see my granddaughters so I called Mary and asked her to check me out for a few hours," Diana before smiling at Spencer and Maeve, "I take it that you two are finally aware that I'm getting another grandchild?" asked Diana.

Mary gave a knowing smile while an excited Jocelyn ran over to her parents.

"Mama. Dada," said Jocelyn.

Maeve quickly scooped up Jocelyn and gave her a kiss before she passed the excited toddler to Spencer.

"I had my suspicions too, Diana," said Mary.

Spencer and Maeve gave each other shocked looks before Maeve looked at her mother and mother-in-law.

"You two knew that I'm 12-weeks pregnant again even though I just found out on Friday?" asked Maeve.

"A mother knows, Maeve," said Diana.

Spencer looked at a grinning Stephanie.

"I take it that you had your own suspicions too?" asked Spencer.

"I have, but I decided not to confront you two until you two said something," said Stephanie.

Maeve looked at her father.

"Did you know?" asked Maeve.

"No, but I'm happy about getting another grandchild to spoil," said Joe.

Mary studied her daughter's stomach.

"I have a feeling that your expecting twins this time, and I won't be surprised if you and Spencer are having fraternal twin boys because my younger brothers are twins," said Mary.

"We'll find out tomorrow at my ultrasound tomorrow morning," said Maeve just as the oven timer went off.

Mary looked at her daughter and son-in-law.

"Dinner should be done, so you two can wait with unpacking your bags until after dinner," said Mary.

A few minutes later Spencer, Maeve, Diana, Joe, Mary, Stephanie, Jocelyn, and Gabriella were sitting around the dining room table eating lasagna or in Gabriella's case pureed peas and carrots.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Dr. Marks was studying the monitor as she did an ultrasound on Maeve before she smiled a bit before looking at Spencer.

"Please come and look at the monitor, and I suggest that your sitting down so you don't re-injure your still healing knee," said Dr. Marks.

Spencer wheeled the stool he was sitting on with his good leg and after studying the monitor for a minute his eyes went wide as he looked at his wife.

"Our mothers were right about you possibly carrying twins, and I can tell that they're boys," said Spencer.

Dr. Marks studied the monitor before smiling.

"You are correct about the twin boys, Spencer," said Dr. Marks.

Maeve laughed.

"There's a history of male twins in my family, so I'm not surprised," said Maeve.

"Are you two going to be done having kids after this pregnancy?" asked Dr. Marks.

Spencer looked at Maeve.

"I think that four biological children are plenty for us," said Spencer.

Maeve nodded in agreement.

"I agree, Spencer," said Maeve before looking at her doctor, "I'm done having biological children after this pregnancy," said Maeve.

"Would you like a C-section this time and a tubal ligation right after so I only have to cut you open once?" asked Dr. Marks.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"I will support any decision you make," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her doctor.

"I want to have my sons delivered by C-section before I have a tubal ligation done," said Maeve.

"OK," said Dr. Marks before smiling a bit, "Do you two have a few minutes to show me some new pictures of Jocelyn and Gabriella before its time for me to see my next patient?" asked Dr. Marks.

Spencer looked at his watch.

"We have about five minutes before I need head off to physical therapy," said Spencer as he and Maeve both whipped out their phones.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Spencer's physical therapy appointment, Spencer and Maeve were sitting in a booth at a diner near Mendel University waiting for their lunch.

"Do you think that we should start discussing names?" asked Spencer.  
Maeve nodded.

"What are your favorite boys names?" asked Maeve.

"I like the names Arthur after King Arthur from "Le Morte d'Arthur" and one of our favorite authors Arthur Conan Doyle and Arthur from "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Joseph after your father and Dr. Joseph Bell who inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write the "Sherlock Holmes" series," said Spencer.

Maeve grinned.

"Perfect," said Maeve.

"What would you like for a middle name for Arthur?" asked Spencer.

"Wyatt after my mom's father," said Maeve.

"Arthur Wyatt Reid," said Spencer slowly before grinning, "Definitely rings a good bell," said Spencer.

"What middle name would you have in mind for Joseph?" asked Maeve.

"Percival so Joseph can be named after a knight from "Le Morte d'Arthur"," said Spencer.

Maeve smiled.

"Joseph Percival Reid rings a good bell," said Maeve.

"Do you think that I should tell my teammates about us expecting twin boys today or do you think that we should tell them through Christmas cards?" asked Spencer.

"You should tell them today because I'm dealing with a higher risk pregnancy this time while Aaron can make sure you get a few weeks off after Artie and Joey are born," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer limped into the BAU on his cane and as soon as he reached his desk, Emily looked up.

"How was physical therapy?" asked Emily.

"Depending on how Friday's appointment goes, I'll get to leave the rehab center without limping on my cane while needing a few additional appointments to work on running," said Spencer.

"That's great," grinned Emily as studied Spencer for a minute, "You look a bit shell-shocked," said Emily.

"I am, but I rather explain in the conference room," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting in front of the TV and DVD player as he looked at his teammates.

"I need to show you guys something," said Spencer as he pulled up the ultrasound photo causing gasps, "Over the weekend Maeve told me that she's almost 12-weeks pregnant, and during Maeve's ultrasound, Dr. Marks and I were able to tell that Maeve's pregnant with twin boys this time," said Spencer.

JJ, Emily, and Garcia all gasped as they quickly got out of their seats and took turns hugging Spencer.

"At least your going to have two of each now," said Emily.

"I know, but we're willing to accept the challenge because of Maeve's parents and Stephanie living with us," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Congratulations," said Hotch.

"Thank you, and with how much time I took off this year when it came to my family and work-related injuries, I hope that there's no problem with me taking a few weeks off again because the due date is on June 30th of next year," said Spencer.

"There shouldn't be an issue for you to take a few weeks off, but I'll double check," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at Morgan.

"You might need to ask Reid for advice," said Rossi.

Morgan shook his head.

"I haven't met the right girl yet," said Morgan.

JJ looked at Spencer.

"Why didn't you find out sooner?" asked JJ.

"Maeve didn't know until Friday, and with how much stress we've been dealing with, Maeve didn't find out until she had a scheduled check-up with her doctor," said Spencer before chuckling a bit, "Mom, Mary, and Stephanie ended up telling Maeve and me that they had their suspicions about Maeve being pregnant again, but they chose to wait to confront us until they realized we found out," said Spencer.

"Are you two going to have more kids after the twins are born?" asked Garcia.

Spencer shook his head.

"We decided that four kids are enough. So this time Maeve's going to have a C-section before her doctor performs a tubal ligation," said Spencer.

"What if you and Maeve want to have more kids?" asked Garcia.

"We talked about the possibility of fostering or adopting an older child after Stephanie eventually leaves for college," said Spencer.

"Am I going to need to find you guys a bigger house?" asked Morgan.

"We decided that we're going to move Gabriella into Jocelyn's bedroom so Arthur and Joseph can share a nursery," said Spencer.

"You and Maeve are naming your sons Arthur and Joseph?" asked Garcia.

Spencer nodded.

"Over lunch, we decided on Arthur Wyatt Reid after King Arthur from "Le Morte d'Arthur" and the author of the "Sherlock Holmes" series, Wyatt after Maeve's grandfather. Joseph Percival Reid after Maeve's father, Dr. Joseph Bell who was the inspiration of "Sherlock Holmes", and Percival from "Le Morte d'Arthur"," said Spencer.

"Aww," said Garcia, JJ, and Emily.

Rossi nodded in approval.

"Both names really ring a good bell, and knowing your mom, she's going to love the names of her grandsons," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer was helping Hotch and Rossi pack up their case files in Lockport, New York when Rossi looked at Hotch.

"First case back, we won, and you'll be home for breakfast," said Rossi.

"We never figured out why Schrader killed Stacy Ryan. She had no connection to his daughter or his ex-wife," said Hotch just as JJ stormed into the room.

"There's been an accident. Emily's in the hospital, Bunting's dead," said JJ.

"Is she all right?" asked Spencer.

"She has a concussion," said JJ.

"Is Morgan with her?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah," said JJ.

"Where's Schrader?" asked Rossi.

"Northbound in a truck," answered JJ.

"A truck?" asked Rossi.

"He has a partner," said JJ.

"What?" asked Rossi.

"We need roadblocks-now," ordered Hotch.

"Do we have a tag?" asked Rossi.

JJ passed a piece of paper to Rossi.

"Uh, Emily murmured a partial," said JJ.

"Better than nothing," said Rossi before he walked away.

"He could be headed to Canada. We need somebody who knows the area," said Hotch.

"I'll get an officer," said JJ before she walked away.

"And JJ-," called out Hotch.

JJ turned around as she walked backward.

"Yeah, you want Schrader's face everywhere," said JJ before she walked away.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Schrader was a bank robber. Now he's murdered a woman, kidnapped his daughter, and killed a cop," said Hotch angrily.

"He's obviously more sophisticated than we originally thought," said Spencer.

"He's got a bigger plan. It's not just about getting his daughter and fleeing the country," said Hotch.

"We never profiled that he'd have a partner," said Spencer.

"We don't know this guy at all," said Hotch as both he and Spencer turned their heads to look at a photo of Dale Schrader.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer leaned on his cane as he drew a circle over Schrader's name on the whiteboard before he turned around and looked at Hotch.

"All right, so Schrader pulled a series of bank heists in the 1990s," said Spencer as he started to pace around a bit, "He was the only one to ever go away for the crimes. He was a model prisoner, only served 11 of his 15 years, was released early on good behavior, and any friends he had are either dead or still in prison," said Spencer as Rossi joined him and Hotch.

"A 3-ton truck was found north of the accident, not too far from Canada," said Rossi.

"We have the heaviest presence at border crossings. He probably knows that," said Spencer.

"I don't think he's gonna sit still for long," said Rossi.

"He might have to, depending on how injured he is," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Hotch.

"What do we know?" asked Rossi.

"Dale Schrader went to prison for robbery. He was hands off. All of his crimes were impersonal. Two days after he's released, he kills Stacy Ryan and he kidnaps his daughter. It's both personal and emotional," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"When he's not attached to the crime, he pulls it off, but the minute he's invested, like with his daughter, He lets his guard down and gets caught. It makes sense," said Spencer.

"So he's not the hard-ass we thought he was," said Rossi.

"But if Jenny were what he wanted, he had her. He could have left," said Hotch.

"Yeah, we thought he took her and ran to Canada, right?" asked Spencer just as JJ started coming towards them.

"That theory made sense. Why didn't he?" asked Rossi just as JJ handed him pictures.

"Pictures from the accident," said JJ.

"Any word on Emily?" asked Hotch.

"Apparently she's arguing with the doctors," said JJ.

"That's good," said Hotch.

Spencer glanced at the pictures that Rossi was looking at.

"This took a lot to pull off. What if he's got a group of guys to call on?" asked Rossi.

"I agree. All those bank jobs were a solo," said Spencer as he looked at another picture, "but this is a lot for one man to orchestrate," said Spencer.

"Figured out why he killed Stacy Ryan?" asked JJ.

Hotch started to dial Garcia's number on the landline.

"We haven't found any connection to Schrader, but he may be connected to the partner," said Spencer.

"How?" asked JJ.

"Killing her might have been advance payment for breaking him out of custody," said Spencer.

At that moment Hotch had Garcia on the phone.

"Garcia, I need everything you've got on Stacy Ryan," said Hotch.

After searching for a minute, Garcia spoke up.

"Stacy Ryan had two times in her life- When she was high and when she was waiting to get high. The only thread I have between them is that her brother spent time with Schrader upstate like... five years ago," said Garcia.

"Why would Schrader kill a junkie?" asked Hotch.

"It doesn't make sense," said Rossi.

"Where's the brother now?" asked Hotch.

"Dead," answered Garcia.

"It doesn't feel like Schrader does anything randomly. Stacy must have meant something to him," said Hotch.

"Yeah, but... What?" asked Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

JJ entered the conference room.

"Schrader's face is all over the news," said JJ.

"He's been on the run for almost two hours and we're no closer to catching him.

"We need to find the partner," said Spencer just as he saw Morgan and Emily enter the room, "Hey," said Spencer.

"Hey," said Emily.

Spencer stood up.

"How are you?" asked JJ.

"I feel like I got hit by a truck," deadpanned Emily.

JJ pulled out a chair.

"Here, sit," said JJ.

"Thanks," said Emily as she continued her phone call with Garcia, "Uh, Garcia, tell everyone what you just told me," said Emily as she took her phone off speaker.

"I have unearthed more of Schrader's past. Now, what we do know is that he robbed 15 banks in the state of New York in the nineties. However, what your resident glamour-puss smarty-pants just found out was that most of that money was never recovered," said Garcia.

"Where is it?" asked Spencer.

"My best guess- only he knows," said Garcia.

"Good reason to stick around Lockport," said Rossi.

"The last robbery, the one that put him away, should have been routine, right? So what happened?" asked JJ.

"Maybe someone turned him in," said Morgan.

"He kept to himself, always worked alone. Who'd turn him in?" asked Garcia.

"We're missing somebody," said Rossi.

"Garcia," said Hotch.

"Yes, checking, sir," said Garcia.

A minute later Garcia spoke up.

"Records leading up to Schrader's arrest show this other bank robber named Dan Otey. And he was looking at copious amounts of time, then he strikes a deal and all of a sudden Schrader is arrested," said Garcia.

"It can't be a coincidence," said Rossi.

"You know, it's not uncommon for criminals to buy jobs off one another. Maybe that's what Schrader did, but Dan Otey sold him out for a lesser sentence," said Spencer.

"It doesn't make sense. Otey was a rat and now he's the partner?" asked JJ.

"Yeah, you're right. Schrader wouldn't trust him. If anything, he'd want him dead," said Spencer.

"Probably, but he'd use him first. He'd tell Otey that he owes him one and that he might save his life if he helps him get out of this jam," said Morgan.

"Where's he now, Garcia?" asked Hotch.

Garcia did some typing.

"Uh, Dan Otey is a local. He lives off of Route 7," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch looked at the board.

"Schrader gets off on power. That and money are what motivate him," said Hotch.

"And revenge. 11 years away, he comes out a murderer," said Morgan.

"Who needs a partner, somebody as bold as him," said Rossi.

"And where did they meet?" asked Spencer.

"Schrader was away and patient. The minute he got out, he hooked up with his partner first, and then he killed Stacy Ryan on his way to kidnap his daughter," said Hotch.

"What's missing from his day?" asked Morgan

"The money," said Rossi.

"He took his daughter but left the money. That doesn't make any sense," said Morgan.

"Did he have another plan on how to support himself in Canada?" asked Hotch.

"He's only known a life of crime. He's incapable of change. Time away proved that," said Rossi.

"Well, Otey's wife said that the partner locked them away, like he didn't want them to get hurt," said Emily.

"He was protective. That's weird, right?" asked JJ.

"They're both dominant personalities, but they sound like they played good cop/bad cop," said Morgan.

Emily looked at Morgan.

"Well, it's been four hours since the accident. You still think I'm in shock?" asked Emily.

"There's one way to find out," said Morgan as he stood up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer followed JJ as they walked towards Hotch, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi.

"Anything on Schrader's case?" asked JJ.

"The usual suspects- judge, lawyers," said Rossi.

"They're all accounted for this morning," said Morgan.

Spencer took a seat next to Morgan.

"If it's revenge, then it's gotta be someone who put him away," said Spencer.

"Well, it's not the officers who arrested him or the judge who sentenced him," said Hotch.

Emily who was staring at the board spoke up.

"Then who is it?" asked Emily.

Hotch looked at Garcia who was video conferencing with them.

"Garcia, I need the names of every law enforcement agent involved in the Schrader case," said Hotch.

"You know everybody," said Garcia.

"Yeah, but I want every single employee the year that he was arrested. OK, give me a minute," said Garcia.

"A whole minute? Come on, baby girl, what, are you losing your touch?" asked a teasing Morgan.

"Oh, watch your pretty mouth. Personnel records come at you now," said Garcia.

A few seconds later Spencer accepted the personal records from an officer and quickly went through them.

"Who's still active?" asked Hotch.

"Most," answered Spencer.

"Would he risk using an active officer?" asked JJ.

"Depends on how much he hates them," said Rossi before looking at Spencer, "Has anyone retired?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah, two of them. Let's see-," as he looked at the two records, "Matt Massey, Jeff Messick. Both married with kids, white, in their 50s," said Spencer.

"Wait, can I see those pictures?" asked Emily.

Spencer passed them to Emily who looked at them.

"No," said Emily before looking at the second one, "No. Why wouldn't he go after one of the officers who arrested him? It makes the most sense for revenge," said Emily.

Morgan who was looking at a record spoke up.

"Hey, wait a minute, guys. Listen to this," said Morgan before he started to read out loud, "There was a witness who never testified on Schrader's behalf," said Morgan as he passed the papers to Hotch.

"Schrader could see that as a betrayal. He gets out of prison and uses him to get what he wants. Garcia, I want you to run a history on a witness from the Schrader case, Joey Short," said Hotch.

Spencer fiddled with the handle of his cane.

"Joey Short. Was born in '66 in NYC. Didn't hold a lot of jobs except for construction. In and out of rehab," said Garcia.

"Where is he now?" asked Morgan.

"His last known address was 10 years ago," answered Garcia.

"Did he do time?" asked Rossi.

"Mm-mmm. No," said Garcia.

"Come on, Garcia. People don't just disappear. This guy's got a history with a lot of holes in it. He went to rehab. You know, maybe this guy had to walk the walk," said Morgan.

"He was undercover," said Hotch.

"That makes sense. Those guys are up for anything, and they take big risks, professionally and personally," said Emily.

"It explains his behavior, too. Good guy doing bad things," said Spencer.

"Garcia, can you get us Joey Short's real name?" asked Morgan.

"It's not here," said Garcia.

"Well, if Schrader can find it, so can we. The guy needed to be Schrader's friend, so they're probably around the same age. Look for academy graduates in the early nineties," said Morgan.

"OK," said Garcia as she started to do typing.

"Did any of them not go into police work?" asked Morgan.

"Baby, I don't follow you," sighed Garcia.

"If he went undercover, then anything tied to the academy would have to be severed. I mean, the guy graduated, he had to immediately start working his history as Joey Short. He went into construction, made his contacts in the bank robbery world, and then he met Schrader, earned Schrader's trust, and then turned him in and got out of the game," said Morgan.

"OK. Here's a couple of guys look like they dropped out," said Garcia.

"You got any pictures?" asked Morgan.

"Sending them your way now," said Garcia.

At that moment the laptop beeped causing Emily to look at the picture.

"That is the guy. That picture is 10 years old, but that's him," said Emily.

"That is Joe Muller. He has a wife and two kids," said Garcia.

Emily looked at her teammates.

"That's definitely the guy. Where is he now?" asked Emily.

A few minutes later JJ was finishing up a phone call.

"OK, thanks," said JJ as she hung up and looked at her teammates, "Muller's not at home. No one is. His wife didn't show up at work, the kids weren't at school yesterday or today," said JJ.

"Schrader probably has them hostage," said Rossi.

"Yeah, but where?" asked Morgan.

"What could Joe Muller do for him?" asked Emily.

"The only thing that's left. He can get him the money," said Spencer.

"Well, no one even knows where it is," said Emily.

"Schrader knows," said Spencer.

"Where do these guys hide money?" asked JJ.

"Someplace safe," said Spencer.

"Would he be bold enough to hide it a safe deposit box?" asked JJ.

"A thief using a bank? Yeah, maybe," said Spencer.

"Schrader can't walk into a bank. His face is everywhere. No one would think twice if Muller walked in," said JJ.

"He'd have to have a key," said Spencer.

"Where's the physical evidence from the Schrader case?" asked Emily.

"We don't have it," said Morgan.

"Well, if we can figure out where Schrader hid the money, we'll know where he's going," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer fiddled with the handle of his cane as he listened to Joe Muller talk.

"The only person who knew where my family was and now he's dead. I had every chance to kill him. But I couldn't. Because he had my family. Two days. Somewhere," said Joe.

Emily held up a picture.

"And this photograph is the only proof of life?" asked Emily.

"Where's my phone?" asked Joe.

Spencer quickly grabbed Joe's phone and passed it to him and a few seconds later Joe was playing a voicemail.

"Joe, honey, it's me. He got us. All of us. I don't know where we are. God, I am so sorry," said Molly.

"Help us, daddy!" cried a boy.

Just do what he says, OK? Please just do whatever he says," cried Molly.

"I'm gonna get Garcia to trace this," said Morgan as he picked up a phone.

"Unknown name, unknown number," said Joe.

"She might be able to help," said Morgan before he walked away.

"There was only one phone call?" asked JJ.

"I tried to get him to let me talk to them again, but he wouldn't," said Joe.

"There must not be anyone there watching them," said JJ.

"So he hid a family where no one hears them call for help," said Rossi.

"Someplace remote. That cabin?" asked Spencer.

"No. The locals tore it apart. There's no one there," said Emily.

Joe started to pace.

"Where are they?" asked Joe.

"You saw Schrader since he's had your family. You saw something or heard it. There's got to be some clue," said Hotch.

"When was the last time you saw your family?" asked Hotch.

Joe flashed back to the last time he saw his family.

"You notice any cars on the street?" asked Hotch.

"Nothing," said Joe.

"Our routine's the same every day. The kids have to be at school by 8:15, then Molly heads to work," said Joe.

"She didn't make it to either yesterday. What was her route?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, north on Route 7, east on 22," said Joe.

"Is that route isolated during the morning commute?" asked Rossi.

"No," said Joe.

"If he was watching, there's a good chance she never left the driveway," said Hotch.

"I drove out first. I just left them there," said Joe.

"Where did he find you?" asked Spencer.

"At the hardware store. He told me how for 11 years he'd been trying to figure out how he got locked up. He knew Otey had ratted him out for the robbery, but that wasn't enough to put him away. He said I was the piece that didn't fit. He figured out I was a cop," said Joe.

"And he took your family," said Hotch as he grabbed a photo, "Did you ever see this woman?" asked Hotch as he showed Joe a picture of a woman.

"Yeah. I think she's some junkie. I saw her right after he told me…," said Joe as he repeated what Dale said and what he witnessed.

After Joe was finished, Hotch looked at him.

"You didn't know what she was talking about?" asked Hotch.

"No," said Joe.

"He could have left the body in the alley," said Hotch.

"Why didn't he?" asked Emily.

"He didn't want to draw attention to that place," said Rossi.

"Where was it?" asked Emily.

"Uh, south of Van Wick," said Joe.

"Bad area?" asked Rossi.

"Abandoned. Junkies took over," said Joe.

"Perfect place to leave hostages," said Spencer.

"Can you take us back there?" asked Emily.

"Wait. You think she knew about my family," said Joe.

"Her murder was the only thing that didn't fit, and now it makes sense. Schrader killed her to shut her up," said Emily as she stood up.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer tiredly entered his house and he smiled tiredly at his father-in-law, Jocelyn, and Gabriella.

"Hey," said Spencer.

"Dada!" exclaimed Jocelyn as she got off the couch and ran to her daddy.

A few seconds later Spencer bent down a bit and scooped up his oldest daughter.

"Daddy missed you," said Spencer as he kissed Jocelyn's cheek.

"I miss you too, Dada," said Jocelyn.

Joe walked over with a babbling Gabriella in his arms.

"Someone else missed you too, Spencer," said Joe.

Spencer kissed Gabriella's cheek.

"I missed you too, Gabby," said Spencer before yawning, "I'm going to go take a shower before I crawl into bed to catch up on some sleep," said Spencer.

"You shouldn't spend the rest of the day sleeping or you won't be able to sleep at all tonight," said Joe.

"I know," said Spencer before handing Jocelyn to his father-in-law, "Daddy will see you in a couple of hours, Josie Posie," said Spencer.

"OK Dada," said Jocelyn.

20 minutes later Spencer exited the master bathroom in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt when he found Jocelyn sleeping in the middle of his bed before he saw a note on his nightstand.

JOCELYN ENDED UP FALLING ASLEEP WHILE YOU WERE IN THE SHOWER, AND I THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD APPRECIATE TAKING YOUR NAP WITH JOCELYN.

JOE

A few minutes later Spencer was asleep in his and Maeve's bed with a sleeping Jocelyn curling into him without hurting his bad knee.


	58. The Uncanny Valley

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place nearly a month after the last chapter so Spencer's finally off his cane, Christmas and New Years have passed, and Maeve's 16-weeks pregnant with Arthur and Joseph.

Spencer was sitting at his chess board when Maeve looked at her husband.

"Have you ever gone to the park near your old apartment to play chess?" asked Maeve.

"I haven't because I want to devout all of my free time to you and the girls," said Spencer.

Maeve gave her husband a look.

"I'm kicking you out of the house for the next couple of hours so you can let your former chess opponents know that your OK," said Maeve.

"Are you sure?" asked Spencer.

"Jocelyn and Gabriella are napping. Stephanie's at Ramona's house. My parents are in the living room watching TV just in case we need them," said Maeve before pointing at the chess board while rubbing her 16-week pregnant stomach, "I know that you've gone on a chess spiel, but until our children are old enough to play chess, there are other kids at the park who loves to learn how to play chess from you," said Maeve.

"What are you going to do if I don't go to the park near my old apartment?" asked Spencer.

Maeve smirked.

"I will make sure that you are banned from drinking coffee for the remainder of this pregnancy," said Maeve as she rubbed her stomach.

Spencer gulped as he looked at his wife.

"When I'm done at the park, would you like me to pick you up anything?" asked Spencer.

"Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream because I'm craving chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream with popcorn, pickles, and chocolate syrup on top of the ice cream," said Maeve sweetly.

Spencer grimaced as he stood up from the chair by his chess board before he walked towards his wife with a minimal limp.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours," said Spencer as he kissed his wife.

"Even though you've been off the cane for three weeks, please be careful," said Maeve.

"I promise," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Spencer was sitting on a ledge reading one of the books that he brought with him while one of his past opponents played chess against himself when Eric looked at Spencer.

"I see checkmate in five. What do you see?" asked Eric.

Spencer studied the board for a bit.

"I see it in three," said Spencer.

Eric studied Spencer for a bit before he moved certain pieces and looked at Spencer.

"We've missed you out here," said Eric.

"Thank you. Thanks. I had to take a little break," said Spencer.

"How come?" asked Eric before looking at Spencer's wedding band, "Even though you told me that you got married and started a family, I know that you would have found time to come here," said Eric.

Spencer thought about how he hasn't heard from Gideon since the one time Gideon came to check on him.

"I used to play with a co-worker friend of mine. He's probably the best mind I ever went up against. One day, he just decided that he didn't want to play anymore," said Spencer.

"So you gave up, too?" asked Eric sarcastically.

"Just the opposite. I attempted to play through every permutation of moves on a chessboard," said Spencer.

"That's an infinite number of games," said Eric.

Spencer made eye contact with Eric.

"It's not infinite. It's just- it's exponentially large," said Spencer.

"You couldn't have played through them all," said Eric.

"There's an average of 40 moves per chess game, and I'll tell you something- the more I played, the more I realized that every single match, every single chess game, is really just a simple variation on the exact same theme. You know?" asked Spencer as he noticed that Eric was staring at him in shock, "It's aggressive opening, patient mid-game, inevitable checkmate, and I realized why my friend quit. He was tired of repeating the exact same patterns and expecting a different outcome," said Spencer.

"So you have a lifetime," said Eric while Spencer's phone rang causing Spencer to grab his phone out of his pocket, "of chess strategy in your head and you're just sitting on it," said Eric.

Spencer sighed sadly when he saw a text from JJ.

GOT A CASE. ~ JJ

"I still use it. I just, uh... I apply it differently," said Spencer as he started to pack up his books, "I have to go. It was good seeing you," said Spencer as he hurried away.

A few seconds later Spencer had Maeve on the phone.

"On your way home yet?" asked Maeve.

"Just the opposite because I just got called into work," said Spencer.

"I knew that serial killers would eventually end their vacation since the holidays are officially over," said Maeve.

"I know, and I'm sorry that I couldn't get your ice cream," said Spencer.

"It's OK, Spencer. I'll ask my dad to run to the store for me," said Maeve.

"As soon as I know where I'm going, I'll call you," said Spencer.

"You better, and please stay safe," said Maeve.

"I promise," said Spencer.

"I love you, Spencer," said Maeve.

"Love you too," said Spencer before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Nearly an hour later Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates when JJ showed a picture of a young woman.

"Rita Stuart, 25, second victim in Atlantic City," said JJ.

Rossi noticed where Rita was sitting.

"Pretty public spot for a dump site," said Rossi.

JJ took a seat between Spencer and Rossi.

"You know, technically, I think it would qualify more as a disposal site. You don't leave a body on a merry-go-round out of convenience," said Spencer.

Emily noticed the outfit Rita was wearing.

"He took some time with her appearance, didn't he?" asked Emily.

"Yeah. Her nails were polished, her hair was cut, clothes were brand-new," said JJ.

"Wants her to look her best when found. That's a lot of remorse," said Morgan.

"Who is victim number one?" asked Hotch.

JJ pulled up a photo of a different woman who was dressed up like Rita.

"Stacia Jackson, 29. She was found at a local playground," said JJ.

Rossi noticed that Stacia had a different skin color.

"A change in victimology," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at JJ.

"What's the connection between these women?" asked Hotch.

"There is none. Rita was married, Stacia was single. Rita worked at a diner, Stacia was a corporate lawyer. According to their credit cards, they never came within 10 miles of each other," said JJ.

"Both women were taken two months ago?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah. They lived such completely different lives, the police didn't tie their abduction together until now," said JJ.

Spencer looked at the reports he was reading.

"Was there any evidence of sexual assault?" asked Spencer.

"There was no evidence of violence of any kind," answered JJ.

"So how did they die?" asked Emily.

"Rita had a stroke, Stacia had a brain hemorrhage," answered JJ.

Spencer's eyes went wide as he read the toxicology report.

"Look at this, the unsub gave them a battery of drugs- Atracurium, doxacurium," read Spencer as he looked at his teammates, "These are neural inhibitors. They block signals from the brain to the muscles," said Spencer.

"He put them in medical comas for two months," said JJ.

"Actually, they weren't in a coma. You'd need phenobarbital to keep them unconscious, and they didn't have that," said Spencer.  
Hotch, Morgan, JJ, Emily, and Rossi looked at Spencer in shock.

"So, wait a minute. These victims were paralyzed but they were still conscious?" asked Morgan.

"They could open their eyes, hear, probably even feel stimulation," said Spencer.

"Physical immobility but mental awareness. This unsub wants total domination over them," said Rossi.

"And he turns their bodies into prisons to do it," finished Hotch before he gave a departure time.

A minute later Spencer had Maeve on the phone.

"Where are you off to?" asked Maeve.

"Atlantic City, New Jersey," said Spencer.

"Want to talk to the girls before you head to the jet?" asked Maeve.

"Yes please," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer heard Jocelyn's voice.

"Hi Dada," said Jocelyn.

"Hello Jocelyn," said Spencer as he grinned when he heard Gabriella babble, "Hello Gabriella," said Spencer.

"You go bye-bye, Dada?" asked Jocelyn.

"Daddy's going away for a few days, but I promise to call at bedtime and read you a bedtime story," said Spencer.

"Yay!" cheered Jocelyn.

"Aye," said Gabriella.

"Daddy is heading to the jet right now, so I will call later," said Spencer.

"Please stay safe, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"I promise, Stephanie," said Spencer before he exchanged love yous with Maeve, his daughters, and Stephanie.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting between JJ and a window when Rossi looked at his teammates.

"Keeping women in a conscious paralysis reads as sadism," said Rossi.

"Definitely dehumanizing, Reducing them to objects," said Morgan.

"But there's nothing else about this profile That takes us down that path," said Rossi.

"These women were found in excellent condition. There was no evidence of bed sores, they were well fed through an IV," said JJ.

"His access to IVs and drugs- He almost certainly has medical training," said Spencer.

Emily thought about the condition of the women.

"Are we sure this is a he? The care this unsub shows these victims, although they are dehumanized, The profile says female," said Emily.

"What about the postmortem posing? That's a lot of dead weight for a woman to carry," said Hotch.

"These women are petite. They're under 100 pounds," said JJ.

"All right, if we reconsider the gender of the profile, what changes?" asked Hotch.

"Nothing. If anything, it fits better," said Morgan.

"Men kill to fulfill a sexual compulsion. Women don't," said Rossi.

"You see this in angel of mercy killers, like Genene Jones and Amy Archer. They didn't care about race or hair color. It's men that do," said Spencer just as the laptop in front of Morgan beeped.

"Damn straight. Men do," said Garcia.

Morgan grinned and Garcia's new hair color.

"Well, hello, red. Look at you." said Morgan as he moved the laptop so everyone could see, "Guys," said Morgan.

"Wow," said Emily.

"Wow," said JJ.

"Garcia, what did you find out about the clothing the unsub's dressing the victims in?" asked Hotch.

"At first only that both garments were made from chiffon, but with the wonder twin powers of the Atlantic City police and my impeccable eye for fashion, we have also determined that these garments fit ridiculously well. They're super flattering to each victim's exact measurements, kind of exactly like the unsub whipped them up herself," said Garcia.

"Maybe that's what connects the victims," said Emily.

"How so?" asked Hotch.

"Maybe she isn't just killing petite women because they're easier to abduct and pose but because of a physical type. She wants a body type," said Emily.

"Sewing clothes for a specific size of woman," added Morgan.

"Please tell me she is not killing these women because she needs human models. I mean, there's gotta be more to it than that," said JJ.

"There probably is. But at least we have a start on the victimology," said Rossi.

"Prentiss and Morgan, I want you to interview the victims' families. Talk to them about lifestyle choices. Any body image issues these women may have had," said Hotch.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid, go to Rita Stuart's autopsy, see if the drugs point to any specific medical training the unsub might have had," said Hotch before looking at Rossi, "Dave and I will go to the disposal site. And, Garcia," said Hotch as he looked at Garcia.

"Sir," said Garcia.

"I want you to check missing persons reports for the last two months. See if any abductions match what we know. We need to find out If the unsub's already taken another victim," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood with his arms crossed as the medical examiner lifted up Rita's body.

"Once I have the knees bent, I can get leverage under her," said the medical examiner as she carried Rita's body to a table near Spencer, "Normally, an assistant helps me. But I can do it by myself if I need to," said the medical examiner.

Spencer walked towards the medical examiner.

"I'm assuming the unsub would have this training, too. Let me ask you this- is there anything specific about it?" asked Spencer.

"No, any caregiver out there can do this- Docs, nurses, orderlies," said the medical examiner.

"Where do you think she's getting the drugs that she's using? Do you think she could be manipulating a doctor or a pharmacist, maybe?" asked Spencer.

"He'd be criminally negligent if she was," said the medical examiner.

"But it is possible. I mean, doctors order things through residents, nurses forge signatures, prescriptions fall through cracks?" asked Spencer.

"That's a lot of drugs and a lot of cracks. She keeps these women paralyzed for two months," said the medical examiner.

"Your report said both of them had hair extensions clipped in," stated Spencer as he leaned forward and looked at Rita's hair.

"Yes, to hide the fact that clumps of their real hair had fallen out," said the medical examiner.

"But if they were fed through IVs, that wasn't from malnutrition, right?" asked Spencer.

The medical examiner looked at Rita's body.

"You see this a lot in bedridden patients. Loss of motor function. Especially in a young woman like this," said the medical examiner.

Spencer nodded as he thought about the times that his mother was bedridden during her bad days.

"Of course. Psychic shock. Yeah, the mental effects take a physical toll. One last question- in your professional opinion, do you think the hair extensions were clipped on before or after death?" asked Spencer.

"Before," answered the medical examiner.

"And you seem pretty certain of that?" asked Spencer.

"You know the old wives' tale about your hair and nails growing after death?" asked the medical examiner as Spencer nodded,

"What's really happening is that dehydration is shrinking your skin, pulling it back. Based on where she put these extensions, they were definitely still alive," said the medical examiner.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was standing in the conference room that he and his teammates were given to use as he explained what he found out to Hotch and Rossi.

"Now, we know this unsub is stuck in a rich fantasy, right? An incredibly detailed delusion. We don't know what the delusion is, but we know that it involves remaking these women, and it begins the moment she has them drugged," said Spencer.

"So she has them paralyzed and she can do whatever she wants, why is she killing them?" asked Hotch.

"Well, I don't think she means to. The brain is a machine designed to respond to stimuli. If you keep the brain awake but the body immobile, it breaks down, loses its hair. After two months, it eventually strokes out," said Spencer.

"So death isn't this unsub's goal, it's an unfortunate side effect," said Rossi.

"Exactly," answered Spencer just as Emily and Morgan entered the room.

"What did you find out?" asked Hotch.

"Both Rita Stuart and Stacia Jackson were clothes hounds, but because they were petite women, they had a lot of their stuff altered," said Morgan.

"Could be how our unsub is finding her victims. She gets her hands on their measurements," said Emily.

"But we already exhausted tailors, alteration shops. There's no overlap," said Morgan.

"The tailors might send specialty items out to third parties. Dig deep into extended employment records and see who they might be subcontracting to," said Hotch.

JJ entered the room.

"Garcia needs to talk to us," said JJ.

Hotch pressed a button on the land-line.

"Go ahead, Garcia," said Hotch.

"Hello, my pretties. I have finished my missing persons' sweep. I've got nothing on the medical vehicle, but two new matches on the clothes make the woman front. Cindy Admundson. She was abducted outside a thrift store, and Maxine Wynan was last seen at the Hillridge Mall," said Garcia.

"That sounds like our girl," said Morgan.

"Any surveillance footage at the mall?" asked Rossi.

"No. It was an outside parking lot. So sorry," said Garcia.

"The new abductees- what's their physical type?" asked Hotch.

"They look pretty tiny to me. I'm gonna send you pictures. Also, if it pleases the court, I would like to direct your attention to exhibit "A," The calendar map," said Garcia.

"What about it?" asked JJ.

"Both of these new victims were abducted one week ago, exactly one day before the bodies of Rita Stuart and Stacia Jackson, respectively, turned up," said Garcia.

"She doesn't let a body go until she has a replacement," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer and Emily followed Detective Cotrone down the stairs to the latest body that was sitting on a bench.

"Victim is Mary Newsome. Abducted two months ago. She was found on this bench first thing this morning," said Detective Cotrone as the trio approached the body.

Emily crouched down a bit.

"OK, well, it looks like her style. It's chiffon, and it's sewn to fit," said Emily.

"If she's disposed of this body, it means she's recently taken a new victim," said Spencer as he looked at the detective.

"We'll call Hotch, we'll comb through missing persons reports from the last 48 hours," said Emily.

Spencer walked closer to Mary's body.

"I'll start pulling them," said Detective Cotrone.

"Thank you," said Emily.

Spencer noticed something with Mary's hair.

"Mm-hmm. Hmm," said Spencer as he reached into his suit jacket pocket and grabbed a pencil.

"What?" asked Emily.

Spencer started to look at Mary's scalp.

"These aren't hair extensions," said Spencer.

"Maybe her hair was too brittle," said Emily.

"Maybe. I don't know," said Spencer as he continued to move the hair around, "You know what? This is a wig. Kanekalon, I think," said Spencer.

"What's that?" asked Emily.

"Uh, synthetic hair. There's nothing special about it. It's used in wigs all over the world," said Spencer as he noticed stitches, "But look at this," said Spencer.

Emily moved the hair and gasped when she saw the stitches.

"Ooh. Are those stitches?" asked Emily.

"On her scalp. She sewed this in," said Spencer as he and Emily exchanged horrified looks.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood between Emily and Morgan while Hotch looked at the officers who came to hear the profile.

"The unsub we're looking for is a woman. She's a collector. It's a psychopathology similar to hoarding," started Hotch.

"So when we say collector, we're not talking about stamps or baseball cards. It's not what your kids, or even you, might pursue as a normal hobby," said Rossi.

"This is an attachment to objects that's become obsessive, by someone who is antisocial and extremely introverted," said Hotch.

"These people attach a part of themselves to their collection. If you try to separate them from it or take it away from them, they will react violently, even psychotically," said Emily.

"They've suffered damage to their prefrontal cortex. That's the part of the brain that regulates basic Freudian fantasy/reality. They can still function, like drive a car, go to work, even do their taxes," said Spencer.

"In fact, she excels at goal-oriented jobs, like the precision of sewing. Or the details of abduction," said Morgan.

"But they've lost their ability to categorize the difference between living and dead, uh, belonging and loss. That has been irreparably destroyed," said Spencer.

"So, what's she collecting, women?" asked Detective Cotrone.

"Actually, we think she's collecting dolls," said Rossi.

"Technically, replacing them. We believe that she lost the originals sometime within the last three months, and this is what served as her stressor," said Spencer.

"She searched for a replacement, and when she couldn't find them, she started abducting the closest possible surrogate," said Rossi.

"Women of different ethnicities but of similar physicality," said Emily as she pointed at the pictures.

"The drug-induced paralysis is part of the fantasy. She puts her victims in a position where they can't talk back so she can fetishize them like the objects she's lost," said Morgan.

"Um... Look. I respect your analysis, But this woman kidnapped six women and killed three of them. And you're telling us this is about dolls?" asked Detective Cotrone.

"This unsub stitched a wig onto the scalp of her latest victim. It's a technique used to attach hair to porcelain dolls," said Emily.

"And keep in mind, collectors and serial killers do share certain traits. Uh... A lot of serial killer takes trophies attaching the same significance to them that this collector does to objects," said Spencer.

"But this unsub's intent isn't violence. She needs this collection to be complete so she could feel in control of her life, probably to overcome some trauma she experienced," said Rossi.

"She really only feels that control when the collection is complete, which is why she's repeating an abduction pattern with living victims. If she loses a doll, or in this case, if she loses a woman who represents a doll, She has to replace it," said Spencer.

"This woman works alone. We know she has medical training. Look for nurse's aides or orderlies who we fired for a lack of social grace she can't fake a bedside manner," said Hotch.

"We believe she's currently working as a tailor or a seamstress, and we're following those leads now. But do let us know if you notice any overlap in your suspect pools. Thank you," finished Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was looking at the dolls as he thought about the collectible doll that Stephanie had in her bedroom as he listened to the manager talk.

"Look, collectors are good, honest people. Just because you enjoy dolls doesn't make you a freak or a pedophile," said the manager.

"We appreciate that, sir, but the woman that we're looking for has lost her ability to control her obsession," said Morgan.

Spencer approached Morgan and the manager.

"She's killed three women trying to recreate a type of doll she had as a child," said Spencer.

"Describe the line to me," said the manager.

"Well, there's a pattern to the victims. They're in their 20s, and they're petite," said Spencer.

"Most doll lines revolve around infants. Is she dressing them like babies?" asked the manager.

"No, she's not. Their wardrobe consists of chiffon dresses, worn by one blond woman, a redhead, and a black woman," listed Morgan.

The manager's eyes went wide.

"The dresses-is she sewing them herself?" asked the manager as he headed towards the counter.

Spencer and Morgan exchanged glances.

"How did you know that?" asked Morgan.

The manager opened up a drawer.

"It's the Walois Line. A local company, back in the late eighties," said the manager.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"Probably when our unsub was prepubescent," said Spencer quietly.

The manager pulled a magazine out of the drawer.

"Yeah," said the manager as he passed the magazine to Morgan who started to look at it, "They promoted feminism and multiculturalism. Strong, independent girls from different backgrounds who could still be friends," said the manager.

Morgan noticed a birth certificate and showed it to Spencer.

"Reid," said Morgan as Spencer looked at the birth certificate, "Birth certificate to fill out. A form to describe their lives. And a kit to sew your own clothes," said Morgan.

"JJ said she's been at it for a while. She's probably been sewing since she was a little kid," said Spencer.

Morgan turned the page as he saw a notice about a contest.

"Wait a minute. Sir, what's this contest that they held?" asked Morgan.

"That was to see who could come up with the most imaginative doll. Sew a dress. Write an essay to describe her. If you won the contest, you'd have your doll featured in next year's line," said the manager.

Spencer thought about what the children could have written about.

"I assume that didn't end well, did it?" asked Spencer.

The manager closed his eyes.

"No, it did not," said the manager.

"It's a classic tool child psychologists use. Tell me a story with these dolls," said Morgan.

"When the company got essays with thinly-veiled references to physical or sexual abuse, they turned the entry forms and the dolls over to the police. The publicity killed the line," said the manager.

Spencer looked at the manager.

"You said the company was local, right?" asked Spencer.

The manager nodded causing Spencer to look at Morgan.

"They might still have the clothes in evidence," said Spencer quietly.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through the essays with Morgan as he thought about the reading he was going to need to do balance out the disturbing content when JJ joined them.

"How are the essays going?" asked JJ.

"Makes for some pretty depressing reading," said Morgan as he pointed where Emily was sitting going through clothes, "Prentiss is having a good time," joked Morgan.

JJ leaned against the wall that separated Emily from Spencer and Morgan.

"Hey," said JJ.

Emily looked at the dolls she was looking at.

"These dolls are all like little time capsules, only the eighties fashion wasn't so kind to them. I'm surprised how many little girls knew how to make shoulder pads," said Emily as she looked at an outfit.

Spencer looked at JJ.

"How's it going on your end?" asked Spencer.

"I got a list of vendors the victims went to- tailors, seamstresses, that sort of thing," said JJ.

Emily came over with an outfit.

"Hey, JJ, you said something about a handkerchief hem, right?" asked Emily.

JJ looked at the outfit and nodded.

"That's exactly like what she sews for her victims," said JJ.

Spencer looked at Emily.

"What's the name on the entry?" asked Spencer.

"Samantha Malcolm," said Emily.

JJ pointed at the piece of paper in her hands.

"She's on my list," said JJ.

Morgan started to go through essays.

"Wait a minute, guys. I have her essay around here somewhere. Right here," said Morgan as he started to read the essay, " Sally doesn't like the room with the lightning." That can't be good," said Morgan.

A few minutes later Spencer was standing next to Hotch as Garcia talked to them on the phone.

"OK, guys, I just got Samantha Malcolm's medical records, and... Oh, my god, she was doomed. Like Emily Bronte doomed, like Shakespeare doomed, like red-shirted ensign in "Star Trek" doomed," rambled Garcia.

Hotch sighed as he decided to get Garcia back on track.

"Garcia, what happened to her?" asked Hotch.

"Oh, uh sorry, uh, well, for the first 10 years, nothing, and then she started a battery of electroshock treatments," said Garcia.

"At 10? Who subjects a child to ECT?" asked Spencer.

"That would be her father, Dr. Arthur Malcolm. He runs an inpatient mental health facility for troubled young people called new lives," said Garcia while Spencer started to pace in a speed that wouldn't damage his still-healing knee, "At first, the essay that Samantha wrote raised some flags, but her father explained that the therapy was to deal with the recent death of her mother. After that, he started her on a serious regimen of anti-psychotic drugs, which he weaned her off of a few years ago," said Garcia.

"It explains her familiarity with medication," said JJ.

"Where is she now?" asked Emily.

"Uh, her father declared her incompetent, so he's still the legal guardian. Everything is in his name. And all of her records list new lives as her residence," said Garcia.

Spencer continued to pace as he thought about his anger towards Dr. Malcolm.

"She couldn't keep victims in an inpatient facility. She needs privacy," said Rossi.

"Garcia, what about real estate holdings in her father's name?" asked Hotch.

"Just his own. But new lives has a bunch of outpatient and halfway houses all over town," said Garcia.

Spencer stopped pacing while Hotch looked at JJ.

"JJ, where does she work?" asked Hotch.

"I have her placed at 3 different shops around town," answered JJ.

"All right, let's split up and cover the shops and the facility," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch with anger showing in his eyes.

"I want to go to New Lives. Whether or not she's there, I want to talk to the father. There are literally hundreds of therapies to help kids through loss. Electroshock is not one of them," said Spencer angrily as he started to walk away.

"Take Rossi," said Hotch.

Rossi stood up before he followed Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

After explaining why they were there, Dr. Malcolm looked at Spencer and Rossi.

"I am very confused, gentlemen. What does this have to do with Samantha?" asked Dr. Malcolm.

"We need to talk to her. Is she here?" asked Rossi.

"No, she's at work," said Dr. Malcolm.

"Does she live here, or did you move her into one of your halfway houses?" asked Rossi.

"As a matter of fact, she is in one of my houses," said Dr. Malcolm.

"Well, we'll need the address," said Rossi.

"And I'll need to know what this is about," said Dr. Malcolm.

Spencer walked towards the dollhouse.

"She might be tied to a series of abductions," said Rossi.

Dr. Malcolm scoffed.

"That's not possible. It's not my daughter," said Dr. Malcolm.

"Is Samantha on her own at this house? There are no other patients, right?" asked Rossi.

"She thought that was best, and I agreed," said Dr. Malcolm.

Spencer continued to look at the dollhouse in Dr. Malcolm's office as he listened to Rossi and Dr. Malcolm.

"Yeah, but let's face it- You're happy that she's out of your hair," said Rossi.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Dr. Malcolm.

"Because if you had been visiting her recently, doctor, you would know what she's been doing," said Rossi as he watched Spencer go through a few games.

"Samantha has always been troubled," said Dr. Malcolm.

Rossi decided to raise his voice.

"Three women are dead because of her," said Rossi.

"She's not capable of that," said Dr. Malcolm.

"Are you certain. I mean, the effects of electroshock, especially at that age, are permanent. But maybe you knew that," said Rossi.

"My wife died when Samantha was 10, and she never recovered," said Dr. Malcolm while Spencer decided to make his way towards the toys on the bookshelf, "I tried everything. Child psychiatry, pet therapy, nothing helped. She was cutting herself. She was in pain. That's the end of this meeting," said Dr. Malcolm as watched Spencer look at the toys on the shelf behind him as he straightened his lab coat.

"Where's your daughter, doctor?" demanded Rossi.

Spencer started to examine the toys behind Dr. Malcolm.

"And, Agent Rossi, if you try to talk to her, a mentally ill woman, without her knowing what she's doing-," said Dr. Malcolm.

Rossi decided to interrupt Dr. Malcolm.

"Do you know about the women she's keeping?" asked Rossi.

Spencer lifted up a chess piece causing him to see that there was no dust under the chess piece.

"And have no medical or legal counsel present, you'll have no case. Do you understand me?" asked Dr. Malcolm.

"None. We'll keep the police here in case Samantha drops in for a visit," said Rossi before looking at Spencer, "Let's go, Reid," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Dr. Malcolm.

"Hey, a really fast question. Why are these toys here?" asked Spencer as he gestured to the toys.

Dr. Malcolm glanced at Rossi who decided to stay put.

"I use them in my therapy," said Dr. Malcolm.

"No, I understand that, but why are they way up on this shelf," said Spencer as he gestured to the shelf, "away from where any kids can actually reach them?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Malcolm looked at Spencer.

"They're reminders of patients that I've helped," said Dr. Malcolm.

"Let me ask you something," said Spencer as he grabbed a toy, "What was the name of the girl you helped with this one?" asked

Spencer as he placed a stuffed unicorn on the desk.

Dr. Malcolm stayed silent for a few seconds before answering.

"Jenny Larson," said Dr. Malcolm.

"Hmm. And this one?" asked Spencer as grabbed a stuffed dog off the shelf and placed it on the desk, "What was the name of the girl you helped with this one?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Malcolm stayed silent for a few seconds again before answering.

"Abigail Moore," said Dr. Malcolm.

Spencer quickly grabbed another toy and placed it on the desk.

"How about this one?" asked Spencer.

"Linda Krauss," said Dr. Malcolm.

Spencer felt rage burning through him as he tried to keep himself from grabbing his revolver and shoot Dr. Malcolm between the eyes or in the heart as he realized that Dr. Malcolm is a pedophile.

"These girls are what, they're like 9- 9 or 12 years old, I'm assuming?" asked Spencer angrily.

"My Ph. D. is on the effect of trauma on prepubescent girls. I do not appreciate what you're implying," said Dr. Malcolm.

"Oh, I'm not implying anything. I'm making an inference. An inference is an educated guess. And based on that, I form a hypothesis. For instance, my hypothesis here is that after you raped your daughter, you submitted her to electroshock treatment to make sure she stayed quiet," said Spencer angrily.

Dr. Malcolm looked at Rossi to see if he was backing Spencer up.

"This is outrageous," said Dr. Malcolm before he focused on Spencer.

"And then, out of guilt, you bought her toys, more specifically, you bought her a line of dolls. Because that's what serial molesters do. They give gifts. So you continued the pattern with your other patients, And once they left your care, you added their toys to your collection," said Spencer as disgust laced through his voice.

Rossi noticed the same anger that was flashing through Spencer's eyes back at the police station.

"I'm sorry, you can't back up your story, doctor," said Dr. Malcolm as he used sarcasm for Spencer's title.

Spencer gave a bitter chuckle.

"This is why I love my job, doctor," said Spencer as he used the same sarcasm before he lowered his voice, "Because my lab, it's a jury of your peers. My tests will be Jenny Larson, Abigail Moore, and Linda Krauss," said Spencer as he sat down on Dr. Malcolm's desk and leaned forward, "The DA will put them on the stand, and I'm going to personally bring these dolls in, and we're going to watch how they react," said Spencer angrily.

At that moment Rossi decided to intervene.

"Or you could tell us where your daughter is and we'll tell the DA you cooperated. But once we walk out this door, that deal comes off the table," said Rossi.

After a few seconds later Spencer got off the desk and headed towards the door with Rossi, and as soon as Spencer was out the doorway, Dr. Malcolm decided to speak.

"2529 Adams Street," said Dr. Malcolm.

Spencer stepped back into the room.

"You'll tell them, right? That I cooperated," said Dr. Malcolm.

"You want to know how I figured you out?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Malcolm nodded while Rossi decided to listen with interest while Spencer limped a bit towards Dr. Malcolm as he pointed at the shelf.

"Those toys. You take care of them," said Spencer as he rested his hands on the desk, "These ones you treasured. But you know what? The collection's not complete. Where are they?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Malcolm sighed as he got up and grabbed the suitcase that contained his daughter's dolls. As soon as Spencer had the case, Rossi reached into his back pocket and grabbed his handcuffs and handcuffed Dr. Malcolm while Spencer looked at Dr. Malcolm.

"You are under arrest for raping your daughter, Jenny Larson, Abigail Moore, Linda Krauss, and a bunch of other patients," said Spencer as he continued to read Dr. Malcolm the Miranda rights before Rossi led Dr. Malcolm out of the office and handed him towards an officer and explained the situation.

A few minutes later Spencer was in the front seat of an SUV and alerting the rest of his teammates that they have an address before looking at Rossi.

"I'm not sure if I want to name one of my son's Arthur anymore because of what Arthur Malcolm did to his daughter and a bunch of his patients," said Spencer.

"Arthur is a very fitting name for one of the twin boys that Maeve's currently pregnant with because he's being named after an author that you and Maeve both love and a character from one of the books that your mother has read to you when you were a child," said Rossi before smirking a bit, "I know that you most likely thought about Jack the Ripper when Hotch and Haley named their son Jack, so please don't let this job stop you and Maeve from naming one of your sons a name you both love," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"When it comes to this being my first case since I got the all clear to walk without my cane, I want to see if I can talk Samantha down," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer's still healing knee.

"I know that you and everyone else are worried about me because I'm finally a field agent again after my last confrontation with an unsub, but Samantha just wants her dolls. If I give her dolls back to Samantha, there should be no issues with talking her down and saving Bethany, Cindy, and Maxine," said Spencer.

"You better be careful," said Rossi.

"I promise," said Spencer as he pulled out a picture of Jocelyn and Gabriella to help him get rid of his current anger.

"I'm glad that you didn't let being a father to two daughters stop you from trying to physically attack Dr. Malcolm," said Rossi.

Spencer scoffed.

"Part of me wanted to shoot Dr. Malcolm between the eyes or in the heart, but hopefully he'll get what he deserves while he's in prison," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer quietly entered the room where Samantha, Bethany, Cindy, and Maxine were in and looked at Samantha who was holding scissors.

"Samantha?" asked Spencer softly.

Samantha gasped when she saw Spencer causing her to stand up and place scissors near Bethany's head while Spencer walked slowly into the room.

"Hi. Uh, my name's Spencer. I'm with the FBI. I know what your father did to you, and I want you to know that he can never, ever hurt you again," said Spencer gently.

"He never touched me. He's a good father. He loves me," said Samantha quickly.

"I know that he probably forced you to say those things, and he punished you if you got it wrong, sent you to the room with the lightning," said Spencer gently.

Samantha nodded as she thought about the electroshock treatment she received.

"Yeah," whispered Samantha.

"The dolls that your father gave you after he hurt you, what would happen to them?" asked Spencer.

"He kept them in his office with the other toys," said Samantha.

"That's where he let you play with them?" asked Spencer as he continued to use the voice he used for Jocelyn, Gabriella, Jack, and Henry.

"But when I moved out, I had to take my friends with me. I couldn't leave them behind," said Samantha.

"Of course. And so you went you get them. What-what did you find?" asked Spencer gently.

When Samantha refused to answer, Spencer answered his own question.

"He gave them to another girl, didn't he?" asked Spencer.

"Mm-hmm," nodded Samantha.

Spencer decided to change his tone a bit.

"Do you want them back?" asked Spencer.

"He said I couldn't. He said they were gone for good," said Samantha.

"He lied. He's been lying to you for a long time. Do you want to see them?" asked Spencer.

"Can I?" asked Samantha excitably.

"Yeah. Yeah, do you want to play with them?" asked Spencer as he grabbed the suitcase that contained the dolls.

Samantha grinned as she hurried towards Spencer who crouched down a bit with his hands on his knees while Samantha excitably opened up the case. As soon as Samantha had a doll in her hands, Spencer turned around a bit and placed his wrist that contained a microphone on his watch and spoke into it.

"Clear. We need medical here," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Rossi, paramedics, and Detective Cotrone came into the room. Before Detective Cotrone could handcuff Samantha, Spencer placed a hand on the detective's chest.

"Hold on. Hold on one second," said Spencer firmly as he crouched down to Samantha's eye level, "Hey, Samantha? Listen. You need to go with these men, but your friends can go with you, OK?" asked Spencer gently.

"They won't take- they won't take them away?" asked Samantha.

"I promise no one will ever take them away again," said Spencer gently.

A few seconds later Samantha was putting one of her dolls back into its case before she allowed Detective Cotrone to lead her away while Spencer clumsily stood up to his full height as he watched paramedics assist Bethany, Maxine, and Cindy while Rossi approached him as the oldest and youngest member of the team watched paramedics help Bethany walk.

"Well done, Agent Reid," praised Rossi.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was on the couch of the jet taking a nap while Rossi sat at a small table with Hotch sitting across from him.

"You should have seen Reid's confrontation with Dr. Malcolm," said Rossi quietly as he explained what happened.

When Rossi was finished, Hotch looked impressed.

"He has definitely grown a lot since his very first case," said Hotch.

"He has definitely grown a lot since I first saw him in the bullpen with a noose around his neck and a mask on his face," chuckled Rossi before thinking of an earlier conversation with Spencer, "I also told Reid that this case shouldn't stop him and Maeve from naming one of the twin boys that Maeve's currently pregnant with Arthur because they're naming their son after Arthur Conan Doyle and King Arthur from one of the many books that Diana Reid read to her son," said Rossi quietly.

"I agree," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few days later Spencer was pushing a stroller that contained Jocelyn and Gabriella who were both dressed up warmly for the mild mid-January weather towards the table where Eric was playing chess against himself and he studied the board before he decided to alert his presence.

"Checkmate in 12," said Spencer.

Eric grinned when he saw Spencer with a toddler and a baby girl who were both bundled up.

"No way," said Eric.

17-month-old Jocelyn grinned at Eric.

"Hi," said Jocelyn as she waved at Eric.

Six-month-old Gabriella smiled at Eric.

"Let me show you," said Spencer as he adjusted the double stroller so Jocelyn and Gabriella could watch them play before he looked at his daughters who were both looking at him with unsure looks on their faces, "Daddy's going to play chess with one of his friends. Can you please cheer for me, Jocelyn?" asked Spencer as he removed his messenger bag from around his shoulders and gave his daughters each a kiss before sitting down and moved a chess piece and pressed the timer.

Jocelyn threw her arms into the air.

"Go, daddy," cheered Jocelyn as she and her baby sister watch her daddy quickly play chess as a bunch of people came to watch her daddy play.


	59. Stephanie Turns 15 & Risky Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts the same evening as the ending of the last chapter because I decided that Stephanie's birthday shall happen on January 16th.
> 
> Maeve is 17-weeks pregnant in this chapter.
> 
> Trigger warnings on suicide being mentioned in this chapter, so please read at your own risk.

Spencer entered the house with Jocelyn walking beside him and Gabriella on his hip and he smiled when he saw Stephanie sitting on the couch with Jeremy, Ramona, Holly, and Erica.

"I'm glad that you four were able to make it to Stephanie's birthday dinner this evening," said Spencer before he looked at Holly, Erica, and Ramona, "And I'm also glad that you three were able to come to Stephanie's birthday slumber party tonight," said Spencer.

Stephanie came over to help her brother get her nieces out of their snowsuits and as soon as Jocelyn was out of her snowsuit, she ran over to Stephanie's friends and boyfriend.

"Hi," said Jocelyn.

"Where did you go with your daddy?" asked Holly.

"Pway ess at park wit daddy," said Jocelyn.

Spencer walked over with Gabriella on his hip.

"I took them to the park where I usually play chess at," said Spencer just as the doorbell rang.

"Must be the pizza guy," said Stephanie.

A few minutes later Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Joe, Mary, Stephanie, Holly, Erica, Ramona, and Jeremy were gathered around the dining room table eating pizza while Mary fed her youngest granddaughter some pureed peas and meat.

xxxxxx

Later on that night Spencer took a crying six-month-old Gabriella into the kitchen where he found Stephanie sitting by the kitchen island eating some a piece of her birthday cake as she looked at the last picture of herself with her mother.

"Are you OK, Stephanie?" asked Spencer as he made his way towards the fridge and pulled out a bottle of breast milk that Maeve pumped and started to heat it up, "Daddy's fixing you a bottle right now, Gabriella," soothed Spencer.

"Even though you and Maeve allowed Erica, Holly, and Ramona to sleepover on my birthday, I can't sleep like my friends right now," said Stephanie.

Spencer looked at the last photo of Stephanie with her mom before glancing towards the living room that Stephanie, Holly, Erica, and Holly commandeered for their slumber party.

"Even though you've been putting a happy face for Maeve, your nieces, your friends, my in-laws, and me today, its OK if your sad too because this is your first birthday without your mom being here," said Spencer as he hugged his sister while he continued to hold Gabriella on his hip.

xxxxxx

The next day during lunch, Spencer looked at his sister.

"Maeve and I have one last gift for you that we wanted to wait with giving you until after your friends left," said Spencer as he passed a manila envelope to his sister.

A few seconds later Stephanie's eyes went wide when she saw a text book for a local driving school and paperwork that Spencer already signed.

"We thought that you would like to start taking classes so you can earn your learner's permit by the time your 15 and a half years old so you can try to earn your driver's license after your sweet 16," said Maeve.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," exclaimed Stephanie as she pulled her brother into a hug before gently hugging her sister-in-law, "One of my dreams is driving my nieces and nephews around after I earn my license," said Stephanie.

xxxxxxxxx

A few days later Spencer was sitting next to Hotch on the jet when Garcia looked at Hotch.

"Sir, it's not that I'm not glad to be coming with you, because I am. I just don't understand the why," said Garcia.

"One of the aspects of an equivocal death investigation when suicide is a probability Is an indirect personality assessment. Our victims are all internet generation kids. There should be invaluable personal data on their computers to mine for the evaluation," said Hotch.

"If they committed suicide, evidence of it will probably in their cyber world," said Morgan.

"So I'm gonna snoop through dead kids' computers?" asked Garcia.

"This plane seldom makes pleasure trips," said Rossi grimly.

"We've all been over the files. Let's talk about victimology," said Hotch.

"OK. All four kids were decent students, From different neighboring towns but the same school and the same county," said Rossi.

"Active in sports and community," said Morgan.

"Intact families, no mental disorders, no precipitating events," said Emily.

"These are just average good kids. There has to be some underlying issue," said Morgan.

Spencer stopped thinking about Stephanie as he focused on the case.

"Besides relative proximity there's no obvious connection between any of them," said Spencer.

"It seems to rule out an overt suicide pact," said Hotch.

"The first few days leading up to a teenager's suicide are usually very telling. Their behavior is transparent. There's a multitude of indicators," said Spencer.

"Yeah, but the most common don't exist here," said JJ while everyone looked at her, "There's no prior attempts, no period of deep depression, no withdrawal from family members, no spontaneous proclamations of love," said JJ.

"Spontaneous proclamations of love?" asked Emily.

Spencer, Hotch, Emily, Morgan, Rossi, and Garcia all gazed at JJ.

"Sometimes a suicidal person, in the days leading up to the act, will just blurt out "I love you" to family, sort of like a goodbye," said JJ.

After a moment of silence, Hotch looked at his team.

"We'll start with the latest two victims. If they were suicides, let's find out what drove them to it," said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer was pulling out his wallet and looked at a copy of Stephanie's school portrait that he keeps in his wallet.

"Thinking about your sister?" asked Hotch as he gazed at the picture of Stephanie that was in Spencer's hands.

"Just thinking about making sure find a day for Stephanie and me to do something that won't damage my still healing knee after this case while I constantly check on her while we're in Wyoming," said Spencer.

xxxxx

Spencer got out of an SUV as he followed his teammates towards Sheriff Rhonda Samuel.

"Hello. Rhonda Samuel," said Sheriff Samuel as she shook hands with JJ.

"Hi. Agent Jareau. We spoke on the phone," said JJ.

"Thanks for coming out. My county's getting pretty shook up. I got this reporter won't stop calling. I'm holding him off, but he's connecting the dots on the number of suicides," said Sheriff Samuel as she noticed the glances that everyone were exchanging, "Should I call him back?" asked Sheriff Samuel.

"No, not just yet. We need to be very careful about when we release this information," said JJ.

"Sensationalizing these deaths may cause a domino effect with other kids," said Morgan.

"The term is suicide contagion. The spread of suicidal thoughts among a group of people that sometimes results in copycat acts. It's especially prevalent in teen cases, and studies suggest that media coverage is sometimes associated with more deaths," said Spencer.

"Is there a good place for me to set up?" asked Garcia.

"Don't have much of a command center," said Sheriff Samuel.

"Oh, fret not. I got my own command center. I just need your juice," said Garcia.

"You got it," said Sheriff Samuel.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer and Morgan stood in front of Ryan's parents when Mrs. Krouse looked at Spencer and Morgan.

I knew he didn't kill himself. He wouldn't do that to us," choked Mrs. Krouse.

Spencer and Morgan both gulped as they exchanged glances.

"I'm sorry?" asked Morgan

"Uh, that's, uh, that's why you're here. The FBI wouldn't be investigating a suicide, right?" asked Mr. Krouse.

Spencer gulped as he took a deep breath.

"That's not exactly true. Uh, sometimes we do what's called an equivocal death investigation to try to figure out the manner of death. It may turn out that-," said Spencer.

"Our investigation will try and sort it all out for you," said Morgan.

Mrs. Krouse choked a bit before looking at Spencer and Morgan.

"I'm sorry," said Mrs. Krouse before she walked away.

xxxxxxx

Morgan was looking through Ryan's closer as he looked at Spencer.

"There's no secret hiding places. Or drug paraphernalia," said Morgan as he walked out of the closet.

Spencer was holding a picture of Ryan with a girl as he thought about the picture of Stephanie with Holly, Erica, Ramona, and Jeremy together at their school's homecoming dance before he looked at Mr. Krouse.

"Is this Ryan's girlfriend?" asked Spencer.

Mr. Krouse broke a bit.

"Uh, Shaunna. They seemed really good together," said Mr. Krouse.

"Did he ever date Trish Leake?" asked Spencer gently as he set the photo down.

"I never heard of Trish Leake Until... When we met her parents at the hospital, uh, Friday," said Mr. Krouse.

Morgan was looking at a few documents.

"Seems like he got pretty good grades. And this letter from the football coach?" asked Morgan.

Mr. Krouse sniffled as he wiped his nose.

"Uh, Coach Barswell wanted him to... be in varsity next year. Quarterback," said Mr. Krouse.

"Uh, where is Ryan's computer?" asked Spencer softly.

"Um, we have-we have one in the family room," said Mr. Krouse.

"He didn't have his own?" asked Spencer.

"Uh... We were worried about, uh, unsupervised online time, so we wanted him in the middle of everyone. I can-I can go show you," said Mr. Krouse.

"Actually, if you just get us the, uh, network IP address, I believe our technical analyst can go over it off site," said Spencer.

"If it helps prove that Ryan didn't kill himself, you can have anything you need," said Mr. Krouse.

xxxxxx

Spencer and Morgan entered the bullpen of the police department when they heard Garcia.

"Oh, god," said Garcia.

"What is it?" asked Hotch.

"She was on a choking game site the night she died," said Garcia.

"A what?" asked Rossi.

Uh, it's a game kids play where they choke themselves to get a buzz, to get high," said Garcia.

"They call it the good kids' high. You get lightheaded And a sense of euphoria even though no actual drugs are involved. It's something kids in high school play," said Spencer as he noticed the questioning looks, "Letters were sent home two weeks ago from Stephanie's school because one of the students at Stephanie's school died while playing that game," said Spencer.

"Did Ryan have a computer?" asked Hotch.

"Not in his room," said Morgan.

Garcia looked at Spencer and Morgan.

"What about a gaming system?" asked Garcia.

Spencer thought about Ryan's room.

"Yeah, he did," said Spencer.

"Teenagers will find a way to get online," said Garcia.

Spencer reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper.

"I have the, uh, IP address," said Spencer as he passed the paper to Garcia.

"Oh. That will help," said Garcia as she typed in the address, "Bingo. Ryan was on the same site on the same night," said Garcia.

Morgan shook his head.

"It wasn't suicide," said Morgan.

Everyone looked at Morgan.

"Hang on, this is a text to voice icon. Let's see what happens," said Garcia.

"Come on, try it. We all do it. I dare you," said a computerized voice.

Everyone closed their eyes.

"I dare you?" asked Sheriff Samuel.

"Someone was orchestrating this, purposely getting the kids to choke themselves," said a disgusted Emily.

xxxxxxx

"There's a whole subculture around this game. They make up names for it, they do it at parties, "said Garcia.

"But someone is daring these kids in this area to play the game," said Rossi.

Garcia noticed a few names of schools.

"It's a contest. And there are rules. Come on, Evans High, this is the big one. Garfield edged out Casper High last week. You gonna let them diss us?" asked Garcia as she read everything out loud.

"Diss-sounds like a kid," said Emily.

"Who else would pit schools against each other?" asked Hotch.

"Reckless teenage competition," said Rossi.

"The school that logs the most high time this Friday wins," said Garcia.

"Friday, tomorrow," said Emily.

"Get your friends on board. Practice makes the high last longer. Gotta do it alone and video it with your webcam and upload it to the site for it to count," read Garcia.

"Doing it alone requires ligatures. He's basically encouraging them to play the deadliest form of the game with no one there to revive them," said Spencer.

"Garcia, shut the site down," ordered Hotch.

"Sir, I can totally do that, but I don't think you want me to," said Garcia.

"Why?" asked Hotch.

"Right now this site is our only way to track the unsub, and if I cut into it, he will certainly know we're watching him, in which case he'll shut it down and he'll write a simple change in code, bring it back up In a more covert fashion. Plus there's no telling how many servers it's replicated on, anyway," said Garcia.

"You're right. We're ready to give the profile," said Hotch.

xxxxxxxxxx

Spencer, Hotch, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi stood in front of the police officers in the police department as they started to give the profile.

"We believe the unsub responsible for these deaths may be a teenager," started Hotch.

"He's a loner. He doesn't participate in team sports or group activities. He's withdrawn, very low self-esteem.

"His only form of pure interaction is online. He engages in activity that draws attention to himself Yet isolates him from his peers," said Spencer.

"In real life, he considers himself a loser. In cyberspace, he can pull strings. Makes him feel powerful," said Rossi.

"Does this kid know that other kids are dying because of him?" asked a deputy.

"He's choking himself and daring others to do it, so we're most likely looking at reckless homicides here," said Morgan.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Spencer stood in front of a class at James E. Evans high school as he pointed at the power point presentation he made.

"Two different mechanisms, strangulation and hyperventilation, create the same effect- oxygen deprivation in the brain," said Spencer as he pointed at the screen while Morgan walked over to two teenagers who were laughing at something on their phones.

"Um…," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at one of the male student.

"Hey, kid. Not a good idea. Let me see it," said Morgan as he held out his hand for the phone.

As soon as Morgan was handed the phone, Morgan read the text out loud.

""what planet is this dude from?"," read Morgan while students start to laugh, ""He doesn't want us to win the contest."" read Morgan.

Spencer decided that he needed to correct everyone's attitudes.

"Um... I-uh-uh- I think the more accurate statement would be, "he doesn't want us to participate in the contest at all."" said Spencer as he walked towards the empty desk, "This was Ryan's desk, right? This is where Ryan sat?" asked Spencer.

After a few nods, Spencer decided to continue as he thought about what he learned about Ryan.

"You guys remember Ryan. He, uh, played football. Took-took Shaunna to prom. I'm assuming that some of you were probably even friends with Ryan. Ryan wanted to win the contest, too, but the way Ryan choked himself, he cut off all the oxygen to his brain, Which sent a distress signal to his heart, Slowing it down. Then his brain, in an effort to preserve itself, shut off all no n-essential bodily functions," said Spencer as he walked around the desk, "His arms gave out. His legs gave out. Which means he couldn't loosen the tie around his neck, at which point panic set in, and in Ryan's case, it escalated to cardiac arrest. Which means that his heart stopped. Brain damage began, and within four minutes, he is completely and totally brain dead. He died scared and probably in a lot of pain and unable to stop what he thought he had complete control of. All because he wanted to participate in what I consider to be a pretty- pretty lame game. So, I mean, your text is actually completely accurate. I don't want you to win the contest, because I don't want you to play the game," said Spencer.

Spencer watched everyone's reaction and inwardly smiled as he realized that he got to the point before one of the students looked at his classmates.

"You all believe this crap?" asked Christopher.

All of the students glared at Christopher.

"You don't?" asked Morgan while Christopher shook his head, "Why don't you come up here and tell us what you think," said Morgan.

"Whatever," said Christopher as he got up and started to run out of the classroom.

"Hey. Hey!" shouted Morgan as he ran after Christopher.

Spencer quickly bolted out of the classroom as he ran at a pace that wouldn't wrench his bad knee before he reached Morgan and Christopher on another floor.

"Just relax," said Morgan as he held down Christopher.

"Let me go!" shouted Christopher.

"Then stop fighting. Stop fighting. Stop it," said Morgan firmly.

"Let me go," said Christopher.

"It's all right," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"You OK?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah. I'm fine," said Morgan before he looked at Christopher, "Why'd you run?" asked Morgan.

Spencer bent down a bit as he realized that there were different stages of bruising on Christopher's neck.

"Morgan, look at his neck," said Spencer.

"Let me look at your neck," said Morgan as he tried to remove the necklace that Christopher was wearing.

"Don't touch that!" shouted Christopher.

"Hey, what did I say? Relax," said Morgan as he moved the necklace.

Spencer's and Morgan's eyes went wide at the different stages of bruising on Christopher's neck.

"Different colors mean different stages of healing," said Spencer.

"You've been doing this to yourself for a long time, haven't you?" asked Morgan before he looked up at Spencer, "There's no telling how much his brain has suffered," said Morgan.

"We should get him to the hospital," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer stood outside of the room where Christopher was being examined in when Sheriff Samuel approached Spencer.

"Dr. Reid. You think it's him?" asked Sheriff Samuel.

"He's a pretty likely candidate," said Spencer quietly just as they heard a man.

"I'm Wilson Summers. The school called and said my son was injured," said Wilson.

Sheriff Samuel looked at Wilson.

"Will," said Sheriff Samuel.

Wilson looked at Sheriff Samuel.

"You know him?" asked Spencer.

"Professionally. He works for the fire department," said Sheriff Samuel.

Wilson made his way towards Sheriff Samuel and Spencer.

"Sheriff," said Wilson.

Sheriff Samuel gestured to Spencer.

"This is Dr. Reid," said Sheriff Samuel.

Spencer shook hands with Christopher's father.

"Ahh. Is my son all right, doctor?" asked Wilson.

"Actually, um, I'm not that type of doctor. I'm with the FBI," said Spencer.

"FBI?" asked Wilson.

"Your son Christopher has been choking himself," said Spencer.

"I don't understand," said Wilson.

"You know the kids that have died recently?" asked Sheriff Samuel.

"The suicides," said Sheriff Samuel.

"They may not be suicides. It's a game that kids his age tend to play where they force themselves to pass out for the, uh, the buzz that it gives them.

How long has Christopher been dressing in the Gothic fashion? The black nails and the eyes and…?" asked Spencer.

"A while. He's been having a rough time," said Wilson.

"Why's that?" asked Spencer.

"His mother died a few years ago, and he's been wearing black ever since," said Wilson.

Spencer nodded while Sheriff Samuel looked at Wilson.

"Does Christopher spend a lot of time on the computer?" asked Sheriff Samuel.

Wilson laughed.

"Just every waking…," said Wilson before he realized what he was asked and looked at Spencer, "Why?" asked Wilson.

"We think your son may have created a website encouraging kids to compete in this choking contest," said Spencer.

"What are you saying?" asked Wilson just as a nurse brought Christopher out in a wheelchair.

"Dad," said Christopher.

Wilson made his way towards his son.

"Hey, buddy," said Wilson.

Morgan looked at the nurse.

"Take him inside," said Morgan.

The nurse took Christopher into a room while Morgan looked at Wilson, Your son needs to go in for some tests," said Morgan.

Sheriff Samuel looked at Wilson.

"Will," said Sheriff Samuel as she waited for Wilson to give her eye contact, "When he's done, we're gonna need to talk to him down in my office," said Sheriff Samuel.

xxxxx

Spencer was sitting in a chair across from Christopher as he started a conversation.

"Christopher, we know you've been going through a lot since your mother died," said Spencer.

"When bad things happen to us, we get frustrated, kid. Sometimes we act out and we do things we're not proud of," said Morgan.

xxxxxxxxxx

"I want you to know that we're going to be confiscating your computer," said Spencer.

"Our analyst is going through all of it," said Morgan.

"So that we can uncover the truth," said Spencer.

"Sure you will," said Christopher sarcastically before looking at Spencer and Morgan, "Truth," said Christopher.

Spencer squinted at Christopher.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer was by the computers with JJ, Garcia, and Morgan when JJ noticed something on the computer.

"There's another video going up," said JJ.

"That's four kids playing in half an hour," said Morgan while Garcia typed.

"How many kids go to this school?" asked JJ.

"Its catchment is the whole county. It's almost 2,000. Garcia, we really need to gain administrative access to the website," said Spencer as he placed a piece of paper in front of Garcia, "I've written down a number of things Christopher may have used as the password. I've already eliminated birthdays, holidays, pet names, and pop culture icons," said Spencer.

Garcia shook her head as she thought about Stephanie being a good influence on Spencer.

"No, there was something pathetic about him, not criminal. When he was leaving, he said he misses his mom," said Garcia as she looked at Spencer, "What's his mother's name?" asked Garcia.

"Cynthia Summers," said Spencer.

Garcia typed in the name and smiled as she got in.

"That's it," said Garcia.

"All right, log in as administrator, shut down the main source," instructed Spencer.

"Already on it, my friend," said Garcia as she shut down the main source, "Kids are still posting videos through independent servers," said Garcia.

"Pull up the website history. See if you can learn anything from historical posts," instructed Spencer.

Garcia followed Spencer's instructions.

xxxxxxxxxx

Spencer quickly read through the transcripts as he did a linguistic analysis as he looked at Garcia.

"Wait, all these transmissions are transcripts of the same administrator?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, there's only one handle," said Garcia.

Spencer went through another transcript before speaking up.

"This is weird. In the posts his voice changes. At times he's using more articles, more precise verbiage, Like he's trying to throw us off," said Spencer as he set another transcript down.

"That's pretty sophisticated behavior for a kid," said Morgan.

"A writer can disguise his own writing style to make himself appear younger or less educated," said Spencer.

"Yeah, but it's virtually impossible to pull off making yourself appear older and more educated than you actually are," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at a transcript.

"There are actually two distinct writing style. Two writers using the same screen name- One teen and one adult," said Spencer as Hotch, Rossi, Emily, and Sheriff Samuel approached them, "Christopher was being manipulated by an adult," said Spencer.

"The mother's death is a textbook case of munchausen by proxy," said Hotch.

"Surreptitious poisoning," said Emily.

"The kid has been choked and revived on multiple occasions," said Rossi.

Spencer thought back to meeting Wilson at the hospital causing him to look at Sheriff Samuel.

"You said the father worked for the fire department, right?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, for a couple of months now," said Sheriff Samuel.

"In what capacity?" asked Spencer.

"As an EMT," said Sheriff Samuel.

Emily realized where Spencer was going.

"EMT. That's our unsub," said Emily.

"Christopher didn't even understand the wiping systems on his computer," said Garcia.

"So the father poses as a classmate and invites local kids to join the game," said Hotch.

"Bumps up the stakes and encourages them to use their riskiest methods," said Morgan.

"He works on Friday nights," said Sheriff Samuel.

"Which means he gets called out to do the rescues. He's not just collecting video tapes. His munchausen has evolved," said Spencer.

"I'll put out an APB for his truck," said Sheriff Samuel.

"He'll find a place to download the video tapes. They're his trophies," said Spencer.

"After that, he'll clean up his mess," said Rossi.

"Christopher's the only witness against him," said Hotch.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer followed Emily into a room where Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, and Sheriff Samuel was in as they heard Sheriff Samuel talk.

"I was right here. I never even looked around," said a guilty Sheriff Samuel.

"Well, we only had consent for the laptop, and he knew it was encrypted," said Emily.

"We didn't have probable cause for a warrant. Mr. Summers didn't have a chance to come back and get his trophies. He'll definitely try to download the videos tonight," said Hotch.

"This kid was doing everything he could just to survive. The extreme abuse conditioned him to shield his father," said Emily.

Hotch thought about when Christopher saw his father.

"When his father came in the room, he seemed genuinely relieved," said Hotch.

"His burden had been lifted," said Spencer.

"He was elated when his father rescued him. We need to rethink everything. Now, let's focus on the behavior. What's the pattern? Things boil over, the father moves on. New town, new sadistic MO," said Hotch.

"Christopher knows his father's pattern," said Spencer as he used his eidetic memory to remember his and Morgan's attempt to question Christopher before he looked at his teammates, "In his mind, it will never end," said Spencer.

"Unless Christopher's decided to end it," said Hotch as he called Garcia and put his phone on speaker, "Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"Yes, sir?" asked Garcia.

"When you were talking to Christopher, Did he say anything to you to suggest that he was giving up?" asked Hotch.

"Giving up?" asked Garcia.

"Was he trying to say good-bye?" asked Hotch.

"I don't understand," said Garcia.

"Did he give you anything?" asked JJ.

"Yeah. How did you know that?" asked Garcia.

"What did he give you?" asked JJ.

"When-when we were talking, He gave me this pirate's earring," said Garcia.

"He's made up his mind. Suicide- The only victory over his sadistic father," said Spencer.

"He may also see it as reuniting with his mother," said Emily.

"The father's going to want to download those videos from somewhere, Garcia and we got to stop that process," said Morgan.

"I'm already on that. I replaced the website with a phishing site. I'm downloading it to the servers now. When he logs onto that website, he's going to be rerouted to our server, and we can capture his information," said Garcia.

"Stay on that site, Garcia," said Hotch.

"Yeah," said Garcia.

"It will buy us some time. Where are they headed?" asked Hotch.

"Wait. What about the mother? It's all about the mother. Garcia, where is Cynthia Summers buried?" asked Emily.

"Give me a second," said Garcia as she started to type.

"You know, for Christopher, a cemetery would be a place of refuge, but for the father…," said Morgan.

"He's revisiting a body disposal site," said Hotch.

"Oaklawn cemetery, halfway between here and Glenrock," said Garcia.

Spencer nodded.

"OK. He would willingly go there with his father," said Emily.

"Well, the father still needs to download the videos," said Hotch.

"And he might need a power source," said Morgan.

"There's a chapel. They use it for burials," said Sheriff Samuel.

"Let's go. Garcia, we'll call you from the car," said Hotch before he hung up.

xxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was sitting across from Emily as he felt about the excitement about getting home in time for lunch when he saw Emily fiddling with some wood.

"What is that?" asked Spencer.

"It's called a star puzzle. It's basically impossible to figure out. You have to put all of the pieces back together to form a perfect star. But the origin of it is, um, kind of a romantic tale," said Emily as she sat back as Garcia, Morgan, and Rossi decided to listen, "There was this young prince who wanted to win the heart of the fairest maiden in the land, so he climbed to the top of the tallest tower in the kingdom, and he caught a falling star for her," said Emily while Spencer grabbed a piece of the puzzle and looked at it, "Unfortunately, he was so excited, he dropped it, and it smashed into all of these pieces, so he frantically put it back together again to prove his undying love to her, and he succeeded, and they lived happily ever after," recited Emily.

Spencer pushed up his glasses that he switched to after wearing the same contacts for two days.

"That doesn't make any sense," said Spencer.

"What do you mean?" asked Emily.

"You can't catch a falling star. It would burn up in the atmosphere," said Spencer.

Emily chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, but it's not literal, Reid. It's a fable," said Emily.

"But there's no moral. Fables have morals," said Spencer.

"OK. So it's just a romantic little story," said Emily while Spencer decided to grab all of the pieces of the puzzle and started to use his engineering skills to put them together, "And the point is, it's basically impossible to do because you have to take all of those pieces And put them together exactly…," said Emily as she saw Spencer put the completed puzzle onto the table.

Emily clapped her hands together.

"There's a lot to hate about you, Dr. Reid," said Emily.

Morgan chuckled while Spencer dipped his head.

"Play poker with him sometime," said Rossi as he thought about the poker games he played.

"Try playing chess with him," said Morgan.

"Or Go," said Garcia.

Spencer dipped his head and as soon as Hotch walked past him, Rossi, Emily, and Garcia; Spencer got up and made his way towards the couch and grabbed a few pillows for his head and knee and laid down and closed his eyes as he thought about the possibility of taking Maeve and the girls to visit his mom after lunch and spending Sunday with Stephanie.

xxxxxx

A few hours later Spencer entered Hotch's office with his finished paperwork.

"I finished my paperwork for this case, so I'm going to head home for lunch before I go visit my mom," said Spencer.

"OK, and I'll see you on Monday," said Hotch.

"Even though I've been taking a lot of time off for my knee, mind if I take Monday off? I'm going to take my sister on an all day date tomorrow and on Monday I want to spend some time with Josie and Gabby," said Spencer.

"Sure," said Hotch before noticing something in Spencer's eyes, "Are you OK? You seemed a bit down during most of the flight back here," said Hotch.

Spencer took a deep breath.

"I ended up completing Emily's star puzzle in about 10 seconds causing her to say 'There's a lot to hate about you, Dr. Reid' causing Rossi, Morgan, and Garcia to bring up games that I always win. I know that they were teasing, but I ended up thinking about how classmates in high school were to me," said Spencer as he dipped his head a bit.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"I consider you a really important member of my team and a second son to me, and I know that you can't help yourself for being a genius because you were born that way. I have learned a lot from you when I started working with you when you were a 21-year-old cadet in the academy, and I never regret being a part of helping you become the man you are today. Your one of the strongest people I have ever met because you survived all of the obstacles you've dealt with and still have the ability to smile and laugh and I admire you for that," said Hotch before taking a deep breath, "Instead of taking next week Monday off, why don't you take all of next week off and spend time with your family," said Hotch.

Spencer looked up.

"Are you sure?" asked Spencer.

"You've dealt with a lot of stress last year, so taking a week off for your mental health won't be bad," said Hotch before he smirked, "And if there's a case next week, I'll order everyone not to call you for help like I did after Jocelyn and Gabriella were born and they'll remember how valuable you are to my team," said Hotch.

Spencer softly chuckled.

"Hopefully when you come back the following Monday, I'll see the enthusiasm I've witnessed you showing every time you made a milestone in your recovery after getting shot over four months ago, when you talk about your daughters, or had a good weekly visit with your mom," said Hotch.

"Should I tell the team that I'm taking a week off?" asked Spencer.

"Please don't because that will be part of the lesson we're going to teach Prentiss, Garcia, Morgan, and Rossi about how comments can hurt people even if they're only teasing and I have a few ideas up my sleeve for Monday," said Hotch.

"What do you mean?" asked Spencer.

"I'm not going to tell you because you'll think I'm being cruel, but your phone might blow up with phone calls or text messages apologizing for what was said during the flight home," said Hotch.

xxxxxxx

An hour later Spencer entered his house and he smiled when Stephanie who was sitting on the floor with Jocelyn and Gabriella whispered in their ears causing the 17-month-old toddler and six-month-old baby girl to look towards the door as their eyes went wide.

"Daddy," said Jocelyn as she scrambled up to her feet and ran towards her daddy.

Gabriella grinned as she got onto her hands and knees and started to crawl towards her daddy.

As soon as Jocelyn and Gabriella reached their daddy, Spencer bent down and scooped up his daughters.

"Daddy missed two so much while I was in Wyoming," said Spencer as he hugged his daughters tightly and kissed them just as Maeve came into the living room.

"Lunch is ready," said Maeve.

Spencer made his way towards Maeve with his daughter's on his hips.

"I missed you," said Spencer.

"I missed you too," said Maeve as she kissed her husband.

A few minutes later Spencer was eating lunch with Maeve, Jocelyn, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary as he fed Gabriella her pureed carrots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will deal with Spencer spending time with Stephanie and his week off, and I have it that Spencer hasn't told Maeve that he has a week off yet because he's going to surprise her.
> 
> Even though I know that Emily, Morgan, Rossi, and Garcia were most likely teasing during that scene during the flight home, but I always hated that scene because of how hurt Spencer looked. So you readers will find out what Hotch has up his sleeve during the next chapter.


	60. Time Off & Hotch's Prank

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts 45 minutes after the last chapter.
> 
> I hope that everyone loves what else I planned for this chapter because there's one season 8 episode that I refuse to watch.

After putting Jocelyn and Gabriella down for their naps, Maeve looked at her husband.

"Is everything OK?" asked Maeve.

Spencer told Maeve about what happened on the jet and his conversation with Hotch and when he was finished, Maeve pulled her husband into a hug.

"I'm upset about Emily making that comment too even if she was teasing you," said Maeve before becoming serious, "Its a good thing that you have next week off is because mom and I have next week off too," said Maeve.

"Why?" asked Spencer.

"Remember the dissertation written by 22-year-old Diane Turner that I asked you to read and give a linguistic profile on last month?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded as he remembered reading Diane's dissertation on Spontaneous Cellular Death in Suicide Patients,

"I told you that Diane must have gone through some type of tragedy and never healed properly," said Spencer.

"While I was teaching my biology class yesterday, two men from a hospital came to pick up Diane and she ran off. After chasing Diane through the school, the two men from the hospital and some of the campus police tried to talk Diane down from jumping off the roof before Diane decided to kill herself by jumping off the roof," said Maeve as tears fell down her face, "It turns out yesterday morning that a student accidentally went into Diane's dorm and she saw the pictures of Diane's parents dead bodies and pictures of dead bodies. What caused her to call the campus police was that she saw pictures of you, our daughters, and me with my head covered with a big X with notes about wanting to kill me after Arthur and Joseph were born. There were notes mentioning that she was also going force you to marry her and raise the kids that should have been Diane's with her while having a few more kids," said Maeve.

Spencer's eyes went wide.

"Why didn't you tell me yesterday on the phone?" asked Spencer.

"You were in Wyoming and my mom was with me the entire time, but I promised her that I would tell you after you came home," said Maeve before taking a deep breath, "Because of Diane's suicide, the university has been closed down for a week so everyone can take a break from their schoolwork, research, or teaching while everyone talks to a counselor. I see the campus's psychologist on Monday morning at 8 AM before I have the rest of the week off," said Maeve.

Spencer hugged his wife tighter.

"Are you going to be OK after learning that you were just stalked by a student?" asked Spencer.

"I will be because the campus police said that this student saved my life even though I'm upset that Diane isn't going to get the help she needs," said Maeve.

Spencer quickly decided to change the topic for Maeve's benefit.

"I still have my meeting with Hotch and Tony Alexrod from the NSA on Monday morning," said Spencer.

"Have you decided if you want to occasionally consult for the NSA?" asked Maeve.

"I decided to consult for them," said Spencer before coming up with an idea as he grinned.

"What?" asked Maeve.

"What do you say about just you and me catching a flight to New Orleans Monday afternoon so we can visit Ethan?" asked Spencer.

Maeve grinned.

"Perfect," said Maeve just as Joe and Mary came into the living room.

"What's perfect?" asked Joe.

"It turns out that Spencer is also taking next week off. So if it's not a problem with you two, Spencer and I are going to travel to New Orleans for a few days," said Maeve.

Joe looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"You two deserve a vacation that doesn't involve attending a lecture," said Joe.

"I'll pay for the plane tickets and hotel," said Mary just as the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," said Spencer.

30 seconds later a surprised Spencer was letting Hotch into the house.

"Is everything OK?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, but I decided that I should tell you my plan here instead of at the office," said Hotch before noticing no Jocelyn and Gabriella, "Where are the girls?" asked Hotch.

"Upstairs taking a nap and when they wake up, I'll be calling the hospital to see if my mom's up for visitors. So if she's having a good day, we'll be spending a few hours with my mom," said Spencer.

Hotch gave Spencer a rare smile as he thought about how Spencer has been much happier since his mother decided to transfer to a hospital in Virginia.

"If this visit happens, please make sure you tell her I bid hello," said Hotch.

"I will," said Spencer before becoming serious, "What's your plan?" asked Spencer.

"You, Maeve, and I should head to your office to talk," said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer, Maeve, and Hotch were sitting in Spencer's office when Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Other than making a call to Human Resources about needing a workplace harassment seminar next week to remind everyone that teasing comments that can sometimes hurt people, what do you say about pretending that you left the BAU to work for the NSA even though your only taking a vacation for a week?" asked Hotch.

Spencer and Maeve exchanged glances before Spencer looked at his unit chief.

"Because of your NSA contact trying to convince me to consult for the NSA once a month?" asked Spencer.

"Yes and I'm going to see if my contact is willing to show up at the BAU Monday morning if your willing to come in for about 10 minutes and I'm planning on letting JJ in on this prank because she wasn't part of what happened on the jet," said Hotch.

"It helps that I already made my decision to consult for the NSA, so we'll just have to tell Tony what we're doing to put on a show for the team before Maeve and I disappear for a few days," said Spencer.

"Are you two going somewhere?" asked Hotch.

"A student committed suicide yesterday, so other than being required to speak to the school's psychologist, the university will be closed next week. So its a blessing that Spencer has next week off too so we can go on a babymoon before I'm forbidden to travel by plane," said Maeve as she rubbed her nearly 18-week pregnant stomach.

"Where are you two traveling to?" asked Hotch.

"New Orleans because my friend Ethan has been wanting me to come down and visit for a few days," said Spencer as he rubbed Maeve's growing stomach, "This trip will give me the opportunity to tell Ethan that we decided that he'll be one of the twin's godfather while my friend Parker is the other twin's godfather," said Spencer.

"With how much Ethan and Parker helped you when you were in high school, I agree that they deserve the honor to be godfathers to the twins," said Hotch.

"Before you ask about godmother, we already agreed that Stephanie and Haley shall be the twins godmother," said Maeve.

"Stephanie's going to be excited," said Hotch.

"I know," said Spencer.

"Why Haley?" asked Hotch.

"When it came to being a desk agent for the first six months, she helped me adjust to living in a new city before you and Gideon decided that I was ready to start traveling with the team," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxxx

The next day Spencer looked at Stephanie as they ate lunch at Paddy's.

"Are you wondering why I told you that we're having a brother/sister date?" asked Spencer.

"Because of the case you just worked on in Wyoming?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes," said Spencer.

"Even if you're worried that I might have thought of suicide after my mom died, please don't. You helped give me a family that I wished for after my mom took me away from our father and I do want to get married and have kids of my own someday," said Stephanie just as a little boy ran over to them.

"Uncle Pencer. Stephanie," said Jack.

Spencer grinned at Jack.

"What are you doing here, Jack?" asked Spencer.

Hotch and Haley came running over.

"Now we know why Jack got so excited and ran away from us," said Hotch.

"Its OK," said Spencer before looking at Jack, "Please don't run off from your parents like that again, Jack. You could have gotten hurt while running through a crowded diner," scolded Spencer.

"Sorry uncle Spencer," said Jack.

"Its OK, Jack," said Spencer before he noticed that Hotch and Haley were holding hands, "Even though you two been divorced for nearly two years, is there something you've been keeping from everyone, Hotch?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie looked at Jack as she reached into her messenger bag and pulled out a coloring book and some crayons.

"Look what I have for you, Jack. Do you want to color in a picture for me?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes," grinned Jack as he climbed onto the booth that Stephanie was sitting in and grabbed the coloring mat and crayons.

As soon as Jack was distracted, Haley looked at Spencer.

"Because of last year's events, the three of us have been attending counseling together for Jack's sake. Therapy has been beneficial for the three of us while Aaron and I realized that we still love each other. And because of Jack calling Aaron his hero, I realized that I can't make Aaron quit doing what he loves so I asked him that he at least comes home before dinner every night," said Haley.

"Hopefully everything works out for you two," said Spencer.

"Did you two just get here?" asked Haley.

"Five minutes ago," said Spencer.

"Mind if we sit with you and Stephanie so I can see some new pictures of your daughters and talk about the twins that Maeve's pregnant with?" asked Haley.

Spencer looked at his sister.

"What do you think about my boss, Haley, and Jack eating lunch with us before we continue our date, Stephanie?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie looked at Hotch and Haley.

"You guys and Jack can sit with us," said Stephanie.

A few minutes later a waitress was taking Spencer's, Stephanie's, Hotch's, Haley's, and Jack's orders while Stephanie colored pictures with Jack. After their meals were ordered, Hotch looked at Spencer.

"How did your visit with your mom go yesterday?" asked Hotch.

Spencer leaned forward as he lowered his voice.

"She was having a bad day, so we couldn't see my mom," said Spencer.

"Hopefully she's lucid during the next time you try to visit her," said Hotch.

"Even though she's been having more good days than bad, I know that she still has some bad days," said Spencer before looking at Haley, "It's a good thing your here right now because I might as well tell both you and Stephanie some news," said Spencer.

"What?" asked Stephanie and Haley in unison.

"Even though Maeve's 18-weeks pregnant now, Maeve and I both wanted you two to be Arthur's and Joseph's godmothers," said Spencer.

"I'm honored, Spencer," said Stephanie as she gave her brother a side hug.

"Why me?" asked Haley.

"When I graduated from the academy and got placed into the BAU, you insisted that I stay in your guest bedroom while helping me find an apartment. And during the six months I spent working as a desk agent in the BAU so I could take extra profiling classes and while I worked my way to being a field agent, you took it upon yourself to help me adjust to living in a new city," said Spencer.

xxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was sitting in Hotch's office with Hotch and Hotch's NSA contact Tony Alexrod when he looked at the man who approached him about becoming a consultant for the NSA.

"I've talked to my wife, and we agreed that I can consult for the NSA once a month," said Spencer just as he glanced towards the window and smirked a bit as he realized that Morgan, Emily, Garcia, and Rossi were standing around Emily's desk glancing up at Hotch's office, "It seems like we gained the audience we were hoping for, Hotch," said Spencer quietly.

Hotch looked at his NSA contact.

"Do you think you can help Reid and me put on a show to make it look like he's leaving when he's only going to start consulting for the NSA next week Monday?" asked Hotch.

Tony nodded.

"I can," said Tony.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"I know that I don't have to remind you on what to say when we leave my office with Tony," said Hotch.

Spencer tapped his head.

"Eidetic memory," said Spencer before looking at his watch, "Maeve's and my flight leaves at noon, so I'll only have 10 minutes to talk to the team before I have to get home," said Spencer.

"I have to get a meeting with your director, so I'll walk out with you two," said Tony.

A few seconds later Spencer, Hotch, and Tony were leaving Hotch's office together and Tony looked at Spencer.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, and I'll see you next week Monday," said Tony.

Spencer shook hands with Tony as he decided to use a voice that would be loud enough for his eavesdropping teammates to hear.

"Your welcome," said Spencer before Tony walked away.

Hotch looked at Spencer before inwardly smirking at the looks on Emily's, Garcia's, Morgan's, and Rossi's faces as he decided to speak a bit louder.

"Why don't you take this week off and I'll have someone clean out your desk and I'll bring everything to your house," said Hotch.

"I appreciate you doing that to me, Hotch," said Spencer.

"What's going on?" asked Garcia.

"I rather talk in the conference room," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was standing next to Hotch in the conference room while JJ, Emily, Garcia, Morgan, and Rossi were sitting down when JJ who knew what Spencer and Hotch were doing looked at Spencer.

"Is everything OK, Spence?" asked JJ.

"After having to spend three months on crutches and a cane, I decided that it was time for me to leave the BAU so I can work a safe job that would allow me to go home to my family every night. So when I told Hotch that I'm thinking about transferring to the NSA, he called his NSA contact and set up a meeting," said Spencer.

Garcia looked at Hotch as she tried to hold back tears.

"You didn't think to stop him?" asked Garcia.

"When it comes to Reid being married and going to be holding his third and fourth child in June, I'm not going to stop him from leaving the BAU. I told him that there might be a time that he needs to pick his family over this job and he should pick his family while there's any job he can work with his intelligence," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his watch before looking at Hotch.

"I need to get going so Maeve and I can catch our flight to New Orleans," said Spencer.

"Why are you and Maeve going to New Orleans?" asked JJ.

"My friend Ethan has been begging me to come down and visit. So when it comes to being able to walk on my two feet again and Maeve only having a few more weeks before she's banned from flying, we decided to go down to New Orleans and tell Ethan in person that he's going to be one of the twins godfather while Stephanie already knows that she's her nephew's godmother," said Spencer before leaving the conference room.

As soon as Spencer was out of earshot, Hotch looked at Emily, Morgan, Garcia, and Rossi.

"I hope you guys are happy with yourselves," said Hotch.

"What?" asked Emily.

"I confronted Reid about why he was feeling down when we got back on Saturday because I was wondering where the Reid who was enthusiastic about finally becoming a full field agent again while being excited about becoming a father to twin boys went. He told me what happened on the jet, and I didn't even beg him to rethink his decision because he thought that he was happy with his life until those comments on the jet. So I hope that you guys are aware that cases will last much longer without Reid now," said Hotch sternly.

"I should have never made that comment to him," said Emily.

"I shouldn't have added on," said Garcia causing Rossi and Morgan to nod in agreement.

At that moment JJ couldn't help herself and burst out laughing.

"I can't believe that you guys fell for it," laughed JJ.

"What?" asked Emily.

"Reid isn't leaving the FBI, but he's going to be consulting for the NSA once a month," said Hotch.

"Why would you guys pull off a prank this cruel?" asked Garcia.

"I wanted to show you guys what might happen if teasing comments end up being hurtful again next time and it helps that Reid is a good actor," said Hotch before becoming serious, "Pretending that Reid left the BAU was one of the first lessons I have planned, and the second lesson will involve a workplace harassment seminar tomorrow," said Hotch.

"I should really call Reid and apologize," said Emily.

Hotch held up his hand.

"Reid and Maeve are going on vacation until Thursday, so please don't interrupt Reid's vacation by calling him. You guys can apologize to him when they get back, and if I find out that if any of you make a comment like that again, I'll be writing you up," said Hotch.

xxxxxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer grinned when he saw Ethan waiting for him and Maeve at the airport and took in Spencer's appearance.

"You definitely filled out a bit more since the last time I saw you," said Ethan before he shook his head when he saw Maeve's pregnant stomach before glancing at his childhood friend, "I should have known that you would be getting Maeve pregnant again so you can create an army of geniuses, Spencer" joked Ethan.

Spencer and Maeve shook their heads.

"This time I'm 18-weeks pregnant with twin boys," said Maeve.

"After your twin sons are born, are you two going to have any more baby geniuses?" asked Ethan.

"I'm done having biological children after Arthur and Joseph are born, but we've talked about fostering or adopting an older child in the future," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Ethan was taking Spencer and Maeve to the rental he rented for them when he noticed the small limp that Spencer was walking with.

"Even though I came to visit you the day after your birthday so I could meet Gabriella, I'm glad to see you walking on your own two feet again," said Ethan.

"Jocelyn and Gabriella were huge motivations on why I fought to recover as quickly as I did," said Spencer.

"The babies and I are hungry for jambalaya," said Maeve.

"I know just the place," said Ethan as he rattled off an address as he helped Spencer load the two suitcases into the car.

xxxxxxxxxx

An hour later Maeve was digging into the jambalaya that she ordered while Spencer looked at Ethan.

"Even though the twins are not supposed to be here until June, Maeve and I want you to be one of the twin's Godfather with Parker," said Spencer.

"Really?" asked Ethan.

"Even though we were competitive against each other growing up, you became a big brother to me like Parker did," said Spencer.

Ethan got up and hugged Spencer.

"I'm honored," said Ethan.

"We don't know which twin you'll be godfather to, but you need to come up to DC as soon as I give birth," said Maeve.

"I promise," said Ethan.

xxxxxxx

A few days later Spencer and Maeve were entering their house with Joe when he saw Emily sitting on the couch with Jocelyn and Gabriella on her lap.

"Mommy. Daddy," said Jocelyn as she climbed off her godmother's lap and ran towards her parents.

A few seconds later Spencer was scooping up his nearly 18-month-old daughter.

"Daddy missed you so much, Josie," said Spencer as he blew a raspberry on the toddler's stomach causing the toddler to squeal with laughter.

Emily came over with Gabriella on her hip.

"Mind if I talk to you, Reid?" asked Emily.

Spencer nodded and a minute later Spencer and Emily were in the library when Emily looked at Spencer.

"I know that Morgan, Garcia, and Rossi left you voicemails, but I decided that I needed to talk to you in person. I'm so sorry about the comment I made on the jet hurt you. I ended up forgetting that you already dealt with people hating you for being a genius in high school and that you can solve puzzles faster due to your engineering skills," said Emily.

"Apology accepted," said Spencer as Emily pulled him into a hug.


	61. Parasite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maeve's 19-weeks pregnant in this chapter and I ended up changing one of Morgan's lines because of disliking the scene that dealt with Morgan asking Spencer to be normal for once.

Spencer got off Jocelyn's twin size bed that had railings on each side as he glanced at the other bed that was the second half of the bunk bed that Joe and Mary bought that already had sheets and a comforter on for when Gabriella was ready for a big girl bed.

"Good night, Jocelyn. Daddy loves you," whispered Spencer as he gave his oldest daughter one last kiss before he quietly left his oldest daughter's room before he walked towards Gabriella's nursery where Maeve was giving Gabriella a bedtime snack, "Hey," said Spencer.

"Jocelyn's asleep?" asked Maeve quietly.

"Yes," said Spencer before shaking his head, "I can't believe that Jocelyn ended up switching to a twin sized bed while we were in New Orleans while she's a few days away from turning 18-months-old," said Spencer.

"Me too," sighed Maeve.

"At least we're all set on beds for Jocelyn's and Gabriella's room for when Gabriella grows out of her crib, but it's going to be a few years before we turn Josie's and Gabby's beds into bunk beds," said Spencer.

Maeve nodded in agreement as she passed Gabriella to Spencer.

"Someone wants her daddy to burp her," said Maeve.

Spencer started to burp Gabriella while Maeve looked around her youngest daughter's nursery.

"This weekend we should work on moving Gabriella's crib and furniture to Jocelyn's room so you and dad can start working on painting this room white," said Maeve as she rubbed her 19-week pregnant stomach.

"What color do you want Joe and me to paint our sons' nursery?" asked Spencer.

"Blue, but I don't know what we should do for the theme yet," said Maeve.

"What about a nursery based on the Disney movie "A Sword in the Stone"?" asked Spencer just as he and Maeve heard a burp,

"Good job, Gabriella," said Spencer.

Maeve smiled at her husband.

"Perfect," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Maeve was sitting at her desk grading a surprise quiz she gave her students when there was a knock on her open office door causing her to see a young woman.

"Come in," said Maeve.

"Dr. Donovan, I'm Vanessa Wilson and I was the one to accidentally go into Diane Turner's dorm and realized that she was really sick while stalking you and your family," said Vanessa.

Maeve gestured Vanessa to sit down and as soon as Vanessa sat down, she looked at the young student.

"I was hoping to thank you for alerting the campus police about me being stalked," said Maeve.

"Are you going to be OK?" asked Vanessa.

"Even though I freaked out a bit when I was told about Diane stalking me, I'm going to be OK because I've talked to the school's psychologist while I have my family by my side," said Maeve.

Vanessa looked at a picture of a grinning little girl who had shoulder length curly hair as she sat behind a baby girl who had red curly hair before looking at Maeve's growing stomach.

"How old are your daughters and do you know what you're having?" asked Vanessa.

"My oldest daughter Jocelyn will be 18-months-old this Wednesday and my youngest Gabriella will be seven-months-old on the 15th," said Maeve before rubbing her baby bump, "I'm having twin boys," said Maeve.

Vanessa pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose before grinning.

"Congratulations," said Vanessa.

"Why haven't I seen you on campus last term?" asked Maeve.

"My boyfriend is currently training to be a Marine at the Marine Corps Quantico Base in Quantico, and I transferred to this school over Christmas so I could be close to my boyfriend while I work on my BA in chemistry," said Vanessa.

"My husband is an FBI agent who is stationed at Quantico," said Maeve just as her stomach growled causing her to look at the clock before looking at Vanessa, "As one of my ways to thank you, why don't I treat you for lunch in the cafeteria," said Maeve.

"OK," said Vanessa.

Xxxxxxxx 

Meanwhile, at Quantico, Spencer was sitting at the conference room table with his teammates when JJ came into the room with another agent.

"Everyone, this is Agent Russell Goldman from the San Diego White Collar team. You've already met Agent Hotchner," said JJ as she gestured to Hotch before gesturing to Rossi, "These are Agents Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, and Reid," said JJ.

"A pleasure," said Agent Goldman.

"So we're working a white collar case?" asked Morgan.

"Not exactly," said JJ.

"I've been following our con artist for five years. Two nights ago, I think he killed someone," said Agent Goldman.

JJ pulled up some pictures of a woman.

"Carla Marshall of Miami was found dead in her home. Asphyxiation by strangulation. She also had trauma wounds to the head," said JJ.

Spencer looked at JJ and Agent Goldman.

"Why do we think the con man killed her?" asked Spencer.

"Last week Carla contacted a fraud website to report a scam. The complaint ended up on Goldman's desk," said JJ.

"We spoke on the phone at length. Her story matched my guy to the "t." She planned on confronting him that night. I told her to cease all communications and wait for me, I'd fly to Miami and set up a sting. But that never happened," said Agent Goldman.

"Do you have physical evidence confirming it's your guy?" asked Morgan.

"No, but for her to be murdered the night that we spoke, I don't think it was a coincidence," said Agent Goldman.

"There was no sign of forced entry, theft, or sexual assault," said Hotch.

"And judging from the MO, the motive was personal," said Spencer.

Emily looked at Agent Goldman.

"What's his hustle?" asked Emily.

"Investment fraud. Basically, he's a smaller Madoff," said Agent Goldman.

"To give you an idea of how convincing he is, this is a sampling of his work going back 14 years," said JJ as she pulled up photos of victims.

"He's prolific," said Spencer.

"He's scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars from people, but he's never been violent before," said Agent Goldman.

"Con men usually don't murder, but when they do, it's to conceal their crimes," said Rossi.

"Con man's a nice name for these guys. They profile as psychopaths," said Morgan.

"They see their cons as theater and themselves as a sort of puppeteer. They have to have absolute control over their victims and their cons," said Spencer.

"Maybe that's why he started killing because he lost control?" asked Emily.

"The question is, how out of control is he?" asked Morgan.

"Well, if he's spiraling, he's a danger to everyone around him," said Hotch.

"And because he's so charming, the victims never see it coming," said Rossi.

A minute later Spencer was sitting at his desk sending Maeve a text message.

THE REST OF THE TEAM AND I ARE GOING TO BE HEADING DOWN TO MIAMI, FLORIDA WITH A WHITE COLLAR AGENT FROM SAN DIEGO. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU AND THE KIDS. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Agent Goldman looked out the window of the jet before looking at Spencer, Hotch, Emily, JJ, Morgan, and Rossi.

"I can't believe you guys have your own jet," said Agent Goldman.

"We take turns piloting. You want to give her a try?" asked Emily.

"Really?" asked Agent Goldman.

"No," said Emily causing some smiles.

"What kind of forensic countermeasures does he use to hide his trail?" asked Morgan.

"Fake IDs, disposable phones, prepaid credit cards, foreign bank accounts," listed Agent Goldman.

"You can't track his accounts overseas?" asked JJ.

"We can, but it takes months to get the records, and it only takes him seconds to transfer money again and again," said Agent Russel.

"By the time you figure out it's in the Bahamas, he's already moved it to Switzerland or somewhere else," said Spencer.

"I've always been too far behind him," said Agent Goldman.

"Well, we're a lot closer now because of Carla. What made her suspicious in the first place?" asked Emily.

"She needed to get her father into a retirement home, and when she called this guy Grant Dale to free up her money, he never returned her phone calls," said Agent Goldman.

"A con man's first instinct is flight, not fight," said Morgan.

"What makes him kill, though, isn't financial, it's psychological," said Rossi.

"That's what we need to concentrate on. Why Carla and why now? Morgan and Prentiss, go to her house. Agent Goldman, why don't you join them," said Hotch.

"I sent his case files to the field office. Shouldn't I stay with you and help you sift through them?" asked Agent Goldman.

"I'd like to go through them independently, come up with our own theories, see if any behavioral patterns emerge that'll help us get ahead of him," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer, Hotch, Rossi, and JJ followed Agent Cal in the Miami Field office towards a conference room.

"Agent Goldman's files are in that room down the hall," said Agent Cal.

"Thank you," said Hotch.

"Let me know if you need anything," said Agent Cal.

"Thank you," said JJ.

Less than a minute later Spencer, Hotch, JJ, and Rossi entered the conference room and their eyes went wide at the number of boxes on the table.

"You're kidding me," said Rossi.

"We have to go through all of this?" asked JJ.

Spencer's lips twitched up a bit as he thought about dealing with a paper trail.

"White collar cases often come down to a paper trail," said Hotch.

"Maybe it won't be so bad. I mean, at least it's well organized," said Spencer.

"That's his job. He sits at a desk all day and accumulates paper evidence," said Rossi.

"All right. Dave, you work victimology. Reid, see if you can find anything in his travel patterns. JJ, let's get a timeline up on the board," said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer was grabbing a box.

Xxxxxxxx 

Rossi was writing on the whiteboard as he looked at Spencer and Hotch.

"The CIA assigns an agent two or three aliases at most. Any more than that, and it's difficult to keep the names straight," said Rossi.

Spencer was looking at their unsub's website on the Bureau laptop in front of him.

"This guy's juggling 10," said Spencer.

"Being all these people, that's gotta start fracturing him somehow," said Rossi.

"If his memory is strained, it could be causing him to lose control," said Spencer.

"We have the current aliases. We just need to know who the clients are," said Hotch just as JJ entered the room.

"Got Carla's phone records. She made several calls to an unknown number the night she died. I tracked the number. It was a disposable phone that hasn't been used since," said JJ.

"That's gotta be the unsub's number. He tossed it after he killed her," said Rossi.

"Over the past few months, she routinely called this number really late at night," said JJ.

Spencer looked at JJ.

"How late?" asked Spencer.

"Like bedtime late," said JJ.

"You don't do business with your investment manager at bedtime," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was leaning back in his chair with his feet resting on the table as he quickly read files in less than five seconds when Morgan who wasn't enjoying the paper trail, looked at Spencer.

"You're not enjoying this, are you?" asked Morgan.

"I like a good paper trail. I find it meditative," said Spencer.

Morgan shook his head.

"Sometimes I'm jealous of your reading speed, Reid," said Morgan.

Spencer grinned.

"Maeve, Stephanie, and my in-laws all wish that they could read quickly like I do," said Spencer just as Hotch joined them.

"Sometimes I wish that I had your reading speed too, Reid," said Hotch before becoming serious, "He just burned another alias," said Hotch as he grabbed a marker.

Spencer got his feet off the table as he watched Hotch cross off a name.

"You know, if this guy's on a mission to eliminate all these aliases, he's gonna systematically assassinate his victims," said Morgan.

"Carla lived in Miami," said Hotch as he pointed at the map, "This victim, Frank McKelson, lived north in Ft. Lauderdale. The victims could be anywhere in South Florida," said Hotch.

"If he's working harder because of the economy, it makes sense that he would expand his operating zone," said Spencer.

"Prentiss and Rossi are on their way back. We need to give the profile," said Hotch.

Spencer stood up and made his way towards the whiteboard.

"There's something else about San Diego. I noticed in his earlier crimes he only stays in each city an average of 14 to 18 months. Then he's in San Diego for 3 1/2 years and then never in the same city for that long again," said Spencer.

"All right, so what is it about San Diego that made him stay longer?" asked Morgan.

Spencer stayed silent for a moment.

"Keep following that, Reid. See where it takes us," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

After speaking to a few victims, Spencer paced in a speed that wouldn't hurt his still-healing knee as he mumbled to himself just as Hotch came into the room.

"Figure something out yet?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Think about the changes Maeve and I ended up making while we were expecting Jocelyn?" asked Spencer.

"You two moved out of your apartment and bought one of the houses that Morgan restored while buying an SUV that fits seven people," said Hotch before he realized what Spencer was about to tell him, "You think this con artist most likely has a wife and child?" asked Hotch.

"Yes," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "Even though Maeve and I weren't planning on having more kids for a few years, we're excited about the upcoming births of Arthur and Joseph," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about everything that Spencer and Maeve went through in 2009.

"After the year you and Maeve just had last year, I'm glad that the upcoming births of your twin sons are giving you and Maeve something good to start off this year with," said Hotch.

"Speaking of Jocelyn, I can't believe that she's going to be 18-months-old tomorrow while she is sleeping in twin sized bed now," said Spencer.

"I know that you and Maeve started working on potty training Jocelyn at the beginning of this year, but when did Jocelyn stop sleeping in her crib?" asked Hotch.

"Joe, Stephanie, and Jeremy ended up putting together separated bunk beds in Jocelyn's room while Maeve and I were in New Orleans because Jocelyn escaped from her crib five times during the five days that Maeve and I were in New Orleans last week," said Spencer.

Hotch smiled a bit.

"Seems like Jocelyn is going to end up being a magician like you because of becoming an escape artist six months before turning two," said Hotch as he clapped Spencer on the shoulder just as Morgan and Emily arrived with lunch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting with his teammates when Agent Goldman came into the room.

"Agent Jareau said you have something," said Agent Goldman.

Spencer looked at Agent Goldman.

"I spoke to his victims. Before San Diego, they described him as driving exotic sports cars. After San Diego, they described him as driving larger sedans and SUVs. Before San Diego, he lived in condos, referred to them as bachelor pads. After San Diego, spoke of living in gated communities with large yards," said Spencer.

"What forces a man to stay put in one place for a while, downgrade his car, upgrade his house?" asked Rossi.

"You think he has a family?" asked Agent Goldman.

"These are lifestyle changes a new dad would make," said Rossi.

"Why would he start a family?" asked Agent Goldman.

"Because he wants to appear normal, and a family does that for a psychopath," said Hotch.

"Wives usually serve a purpose, as a caretaker or homemaker," said Rossi.

"They value their offspring as an extension of themselves and it also feeds their narcissistic ego," said Spencer.

"These are interesting theories, but how does this help us?" asked Agent Goldman.

"As a forensic countermeasure, con men put everything in their wives' names. Bank accounts, cars, homes," said Rossi.

"And if his wife isn't complicit in his crimes, she'll still be using her real name," said Spencer.

"If we find the wife, we can find the unsub," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer ducked underneath the crime scene tape as he made his way to Emily and Agent Goldman.

"JJ said a man reported his wife missing last night. Description matches the body. Name's Lorraine Horton," said Spencer.

Agent Goldman looked at Spencer.

"Do we know anything about her investment history?" asked Agent Goldman.

"The team's looking into it right now," said Spencer.

"OK, so he killed his first victim in Miami and then left town, came to Ft. Lauderdale, killed his second victim here, but he didn't leave town for his third," said Emily.

"Is there a significance to him staying in Ft. Lauderdale?" asked Agent Goldman.

"Guys, what if his family lives here? That's why he's trying to eliminate threats to himself here, 'cause this is his home where he needs to protect his identity," said Spencer just as Emily called Garcia causing Spencer and Agent Goldman to hear Emily's side of the conversation.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over two hours later everyone was gathered in the conference room.

"We've been asking ourselves how he finds his victims now," said Rossi.

"We just found out Lorraine got a large windfall from selling her mother's house. Carla Marshall, the first victim, was in real estate," said JJ.

"When you sell a house, your property becomes public record. Your name goes on these lists," said Rossi.

"Lists compiled by lead brokers and sold to the real estate companies," said Agent Goldman just as JJ's cell phone rang.

"Hey, Pen," said JJ.

"Oh, man, it is raining snipe all up in here. Did you know that your boat owners Frank and Dina McKelson sold a house in Hawaii about eight months ago?" asked Garcia.

"Do any of them have a direct connection to Carla Marshall?" asked Spencer.

"Ah, Carla generated these letters advertising the swanky beachfront condos Her company sells... Stay with me... Lorraine Horton, the lady who was murdered this morning, her address, along with the McKelsons' address, are buried in a spreadsheet in Carla's laptop," said Garcia.

"That's how the unsub found his victims. He used Carla to get her leads," said Rossi.

"That's why he targeted her," said Emily.

"She gave him access to a list of people with a large amount of liquid assets," said Morgan.

"We need that list," said Garcia.

"Already flying to you. But that is not all, folks. I think I may have found the wife. I did I search on women who've lived in Ft. Lauderdale for the last eight to 12 months, who rent houses and cars and have a history in San Diego. Came up with about a dozen names, but... Ooh, la la, only one of them works in real estate," said Garcia.

"Who?" asked Emily.

"Her name's Rebecca Hodges. She has a nine-year-old son, John Davison Hodges, born in San Diego, father on birth certificate listed as William Hodges," said Garcia.

"William," said Agent Goldman.

"I got the address of the house she's renting, too," said Garcia.

"Let's head over there. Morgan, pull the son out of school. JJ and Reid, go over the list of potential victims. If anybody knows the unsub, send units to them," ordered Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at a desk as he finished up a phone call.

"Thank you. Yeah, thanks so much," said Spencer before hanging up as he got up and headed towards JJ, "I just confirmed another potential victim. I sent a unit over," said Spencer.

"I can't get a hold of this one couple, Hector and Brooke Sanchez," said JJ.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at the conference table as he looked at JJ.

"What about that one couple from earlier?" asked Spencer.

"His office said he's out of town. I haven't been able to get a hold of her yet," said JJ just as Spencer's cell phone rang.

"It's Morgan," said Spencer as he answered his phone as he put it on speaker, "Hey, Morgan," said Spencer.

"Yeah, Reid, listen, I'm at the son's school. The principal says that JD Hodges was pulled out of class 45 minutes ago," said Morgan.

"By who?" asked Spencer.

"The unsub. They're in the wind, kid. He's gonna try and leave with his family," said Morgan.

"All right, thanks, I'll let everyone know," said Spencer just as JJ got Garcia on the phone.

"Garcia?" asked JJ.

"What up, JJ?" asked Garcia

"Can you find out if Rebecca Hodges has a cell phone? We want to try and track where she is right now," said JJ.

"Uno momento," said Garcia as she did some typing before her computers beeped, "Something's weird," said Garcia.

"What?" asked JJ.

"The wife has two cell phones listed in her name," said Garcia.

"One could be hers, one could be his?" asked JJ.

"He put them both in her name," said Spencer.

"Yeah, but they're both active in the same quadrant right now," said Garcia.

"Where?" asked JJ.

"Some posh Ft. Lauderdale neighborhood," said Garcia as she realized something, "Wait a second. A couple of our potential victims' list lives in the same area. Hector and Brooke Sanchez," said Garcia.

"That's the woman I can't get a hold of," said JJ.

Spencer quickly got Hotch on the phone.

"Hotch," said Spencer.

"Got an address?" asked Hotch.

"JJ couldn't get a hold of Hector and Brook Sanchez and Rebecca Hodges is currently at that address," said Spencer as he gave the address of Hector and Brook Sanchez.

"OK, got it, Reid. Direct everyone to the Sanchez house. Thanks," said Hotch before he hung up.

Spencer quickly alerted the rest of the team of the address they needed to go to.

Xxxxxxxx 

As they were flying home from Florida, Spencer who was stretched out on the couch massaging his knee the way his physical therapist showed him looked towards Hotch who was sitting across the aisle from him working on some files.

"Hotch?" asked Spencer.

Hotch looked towards Spencer and noticed that his youngest agent was massaging his bad knee.

"Is your knee bothering you?" asked Hotch.

Spencer shook his head.

"No, but I'm doing the exercises that I'm suppose to do everyday," said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Even though the damage from getting shot could have ended my days as a field agent and cause me to spend the rest of my career in the FBI working a desk job, I know that White Collar Crimes would be one of the units that I would transfer to," said Spencer.

Hotch smiled a bit as he thought about the excitement Spencer showed at getting to deal with a paper trail.

"Because of you enjoying the paper trail we dealt with?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"I agree that White Collar Crimes would be a good alternative unit to work for if the time comes for you to leave the BAU before you retire," said Hotch.

"Even though I just started consulting for the NSA once a month and have a growing family to go home to; do you think that I could consult for White Collar Crimes after I finish my stack of consults on paperwork days as long as I go home in time for dinner?" asked Spencer.

"Consulting for them might stop unit chiefs from White Collar Crimes task forces from giving you job offers," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three hours later Spencer quietly entered Jocelyn's nursery and smiled at the sight of Jocelyn peacefully sleeping in her bed before he headed towards Gabriella's nursery and smiled at the sight of his youngest daughter sleeping in a position with her little bum in the air causing him to slightly smile. After watching Gabriella sleep for a minute, he made his way towards the master bedroom before he saw Stephanie sitting in front of the computer typing away.

"Hey," said Spencer.

"Welcome home, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"What are you doing?" asked Spencer.

"I'm working on an essay on a short story that my English class and I have been reading the past few weeks," said Stephanie.

Spencer looked at the clock.

"With it being 9:30 PM, don't stay up too late," said Spencer firmly.

"I promise, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"Is Maeve in bed?" asked Spencer.

"She's taking a bubble bath right now," said Stephanie.

"I should go check on her and help her get out of the tub," said Spencer.

Stephanie grabbed her iPod and earbuds.

"I might as well listen to some music just in case you and Maeve end up having sex," smirked Stephanie.

Spencer blushed a bit as he left the library and 20 seconds later Spencer was inside the master bathroom.

"Welcome home, Spencer," said Maeve.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

"I just got into the tub 10 minutes ago, so please join me," said Maeve.

Spencer grinned as he quickly stripped out of his clothes before he joined his wife in the tub.


	62. Snowed in & Public Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts on February 5th of 2010. Jocelyn is still 18-months-old and Gabriella is still six-months-old in this chapter.
> 
> Apples to Apples is my favorite card game.

Spencer looked out the window and shook his head as he thought back to the blizzard that happened the weekend before Christmas.

"This winter has been the worst winter I've ever dealt with since moving out here, so its a good thing that Hotch ordered everyone to leave headquarters after lunch today," said Spencer.

Stephanie who was giving her youngest niece a bottle of formula looked at her brother.

"And I'm happy that school got released early today too," said Stephanie.

Maeve rubbed her nearly 20-week pregnant stomach and groaned when she felt a kick.

"Mothers from the multiples support group I attended the past seven weeks were right that twins kicking you are more painful than singletons," said Maeve just as some popping noises happened before the power went out causing both Jocelyn and Gabriella to start crying causing Spencer to scoop up his 18-month-old daughter, "Its OK, Josie Posie. The electricity went out and we'll have lights again after this blizzard," said Spencer as he hugged Jocelyn tightly to himself.

Stephanie who was calming down her nearly seven-month-old niece looked at her brother.

"It's a good thing that we already lit candles and had a fire going prior to the electricity going out," said Stephanie.

Spencer nodded before looking at his father-in-law who got up to collect Jocelyn from him.

"Are you sure that you and mom are OK with sharing a sleeping bag instead of sleeping on the mattress that we brought down?" asked Spencer as he passed Jocelyn to his father-in-law.

Mary looked at her son-in-law.

"You and Maeve deserve to be more comfortable because your bad knee is still healing and my daughter being pregnant with twins," said Mary.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"When we all camped out down here during the blizzard that happened before Christmas, you complained about your knee being sore when we woke up. So sleeping on a mattress down here should be more comfortable for your bad knee while my back will appreciate sleeping on a mattress than a pile of blankets for padding," said Maeve.

"Good point," said Spencer.

Stephanie looked at her oldest niece.

"Would you like to sleep with me tonight, Jocelyn?" asked Stephanie.

Jocelyn nodded while her growing brown curly hair bounced while Mary looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"Gabriella can sleep with Joe and me tonight," said Mary.

Spencer opened his mouth to protest while Maeve looked at her husband.

"We shouldn't argue with my parents, Spencer," said Maeve.

Stephanie looked at her brother and sister-in-law.

"No having sex while Jocelyn, Gabriella, Mary, Joe, and I are all camping out in the living room too," said Stephanie.

Spencer and Maeve both blushed while being grateful that the darkness from the electricity going out and the curtains being closed hid their red faces before Spencer decided to distract himself by pulling a coin out of the pocket of his sweatshirt. A few seconds later he was doing sleight of hand tricks with the quarter causing Maeve to smile as she watched Jocelyn and Gabriella both stop crying as they focused on their father doing sleight of hand tricks.

"Why don't you put on a magic show, Spencer," said Maeve.

Spencer grinned in agreement.

"And after the girls are asleep, we can get everything taken out of the refrigerator and freezer into the coolers and onto the back patio so everything doesn't spoil since its predicted that we'll be going 24 hours without electricity again," said Joe.

Spencer nodded as he thought back to doing the same thing with their perishables during the blizzard that happened before Christmas when he got back from Lockport, New York.

"OK," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was standing in front of the fireplace while Maeve, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary sat on the couch with Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"Ready?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer was stumping Maeve, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary with a card trick.

Xxxxxxxx 

20 minutes later Jocelyn and Gabriella were both asleep in a playpen while Spencer, Maeve, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary headed into the kitchen where a bunch of coolers were already sitting in the kitchen.

"Why don't I make hot chocolate on the gas stove while you guys get the perishables into the coolers and fill them with snow," said Maeve.

"I'll help you, Maeve," said Mary.

"I want to make popcorn too," said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer, Stephanie, and Joe were working together on removing all the perishables out of the fridge and freezer into coolers filled with some snow that had already fallen while Maeve and her mother made hot chocolate and popcorn over the stove.

Xxxxxxxx 

After all the perishables were put outside and Maeve and Mary were done making hot chocolate and popcorn all the adults and Stephanie were sitting in a circle on the living room floor playing Apples to Apples as they talked about what perishables they should use to make their meals until the electricity returns.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later, Spencer woke up to Maeve shifting around on the mattress trying to find a comfortable position.

"You OK?" asked Spencer softly.

"Artie and Joey are making my lower back hurt," whispered Maeve.

Spencer looked towards where Joe and Mary were sharing a sleeping bag with Gabriella sleeping between them while Stephanie shared a sleeping bag with Jocelyn.

"Let me give you a back massage, Maeve," whispered Spencer.

Maeve turned onto her side allowing Spencer to start massaging his wife's lower back while she had to use a pillow to muffle the moans from her husband's magic hands.

After Spencer was done giving Maeve her massage, Maeve lifted up the blankets and looked at her husband's left knee that contained the brace she told him to put on and the homemade heating pads that her mother placed around Spencer's bad knee to keep his knee from locking up.

"How's your knee doing?" asked Maeve quietly.

"Its aching a bit," whispered Spencer.

"Why don't you take some Ibuprofen and I'll massage your knee before we go back to sleep," whispered Maeve.

"OK," said Spencer as he got up and grabbed the cane that Maeve convinced him to use until the power was back on.

A few minutes later Maeve was massaging her husband's bad knee.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning the Reid family and the Donovan family who were all bundled up in layers were eating breakfast around the dining room table when a maple syrup covered Jocelyn looked at her parents.

"We see Nana D?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer shook his head.

"We can't go to Alexandria to visit grandma Diana today because all of the roads are shut down until the blizzard is over and roads are cleaned up," said Spencer before thinking about how he used the land-line to contact Hotch's, JJ's, Garcia's, Morgan's, Emily's, and Rossi's land-lines to let everyone know that he, Maeve, his daughters, Stephanie, and his in-laws are all doing OK while making sure that the rest of the team were warm in their homes, "Because of having a working land-line, we can call grandma's hospital's land-line and see if grandma Diana is well enough to talk," said Spencer.

"OK," said Jocelyn.

Xxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer smiled when he heard his mother's voice through his land-line while being grateful that he had permission to talk to his mom for more than three minutes.

"Spencer?" asked Diana.

"Hi mom," said Spencer.

"I was wondering if you were on another adventure or at home with your family while we deal with this nasty blizzard outside," said Diana.

"I was sent home after lunch yesterday and the roads leading to Quantico are shut down until the roads are all cleaned up," said Spencer.

"Are you and the rest of your family staying safe and warm, Spencer?" asked Diana.

"The electricity went out before Jocelyn and Gabriella fell asleep for the night and we all camped out by the fireplace last night," said Spencer.

"What about food?" asked Diana.

"All the perishables are in a cooler outside and we have a gas stove that can be lighted with a match so we can cook meals and make hot chocolate," said Spencer.

"Good," said Diana.

"How are you doing, mom?" asked Spencer.

"I'm taking my medication and cooperating with my doctor and nurses, but I'm sad about you, Maeve, and my granddaughters not being able to visit me today because of the weather," said Diana.

"I'm sad about our visit being canceled too, but everyone's safety is more important," said Spencer.

"What if there's another bad guy that you and your teammates need to catch?" asked Diana.

"JJ just has to tell the officer or FBI agent that called her for help that we're grounded in DC until the blizzard is over and the roads and runways are cleaned up," said Spencer before feeling the sleeve of his thickest sweater being pulled causing him to see Jocelyn, "Jocelyn wants to say hi to you," said Spencer.

"Please put her on," said Diana.

Spencer quickly put the land-line on speaker and a few seconds later he was scooping up Gabriella who crawled over to him.

"Jocelyn and Gabriella are by me," said Spencer.

"Hello Jocelyn. Hello Gabriella," said Diana.

"Hi Gramma," said Jocelyn.

Gabriella squealed and babbled.

"Are you two girls staying warm with your mommy, daddy, grandma Mary, Grandpa Joe, and auntie Stephanie?" asked Diana.

"Yes," said Jocelyn.

Maeve joined her husband and daughters.

"Both girls are dressed in layers and wearing their winter hats while the rest of us are wearing layers too, Diana," said Maeve.

"How are you feeling, Maeve?" asked Diana.

"Despite the lower back pain I'm dealing with, I'm doing OK," said Maeve before Diana decided to bring up plans for Valentine's Day before she had to hang up.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few days later Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates being briefed on a case that they would have left for a few days earlier but couldn't because of the blizzard.

"This is Captain Paul Collins. He's the third victim in two weeks in Providence, Rhode Island," said JJ.

"Captain?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, he just returned home two weeks ago from his fourth tour in Iraq. He's a decorated war hero," said JJ.

"Was he targeted because he's in the military?" asked Morgan.

"No. Just like the first two victims, he was targeted because he was convenient. He was killed at a church during an early service," said JJ.

Spencer looked at the crime scene photo.

"Neck was cut open, severed the carotid artery. Bled out in a matter of moments," said Spencer.

"Right in front of his daughter," said JJ.

Spencer grimaced as he thought about Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"Murder in a church is highly symbolic. Is there a religious agenda involved?" asked Emily.

"The detective on the case, Jake Moreland, ruled that out because of the first two victims. The first victim, Mike O'Donnell, was found under a sink in the men's room at a restaurant," said JJ.

Spencer squinted a bit.

"What kind of restaurant?" asked Spencer.

"Local place, white tablecloths and jug wine. The second victim, Karen Lagrassa, was killed at the laundromat. All three had their throats slashed," said JJ.

"Aside from MO, the victimology's all over the place. It's like this guy doesn't care who he's killing, just how," said Morgan.

"And he's doing it in public without compunction for who sees him," said Rossi.

"Do we have a sketch?" asked Hotch.

JJ grabbed the sketch of their unsub that was faxed to her.

"All anyone can agree on is that it's a white male between 25 and 40," said JJ.

"Well, that narrows it down to all of Providence," said Emily.

"Hard to fault the witnesses given how bloody these murders must be," said Rossi as he looked at the crime scene photo.

"What bothers me is the cooling-off period is getting shorter and shorter, but no attempt to hide who he is or what he's doing. I mean, an unsub this bold could be suffering from a major psychotic break," said Morgan.

JJ thought about the instructions she gave Detective Moreland a few days ago when she explained that she and the team couldn't come right away because of the blizzard.

"I already asked Detective Moreland to pull recent releases on prisons and mental hospitals," said JJ.

"We need to get to Providence ASAP. Whether he's suffering a psychotic break or not, This could be the start of a spree," said Hotch as he scooted his chair back.

"And anyone is a potential target," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was hanging up his winter jacket causing Maeve who was watching the evening news looked at her husband.

"I thought that you had a case?" asked Maeve.

"Not leaving for Rhode Island until 8 AM tomorrow morning because the pilots don't want to take off until daylight due to the ice that's still on the runway from the blizzard," said Spencer as he rubbed his wife's 20-week pregnant stomach, "I'm sorry that I'll be missing your 20-week doctor appointment tomorrow," said Spencer.

"Its OK, Spencer," said Maeve before yawning a bit, "We should get some sleep before you leave for Rhode Island," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Emily walked out of the galley and made her way towards the rest of her teammates.

"Why is he using a knife? Guns assure the highest number of fatalities. If all he's interested in is quantity, he could be doing this more efficiently," said Emily as she sat down across from Spencer and JJ.

"He could be training. Spree killers often to dry runs before they start their rampage," said JJ.

"Most spree killers have lost control by the time they begin," said Hotch.

"They're always male. If they don't fall into the school shooter category, they're older, 40s and 50s, socially isolated," said Morgan.

"The stressor's usually the dissolution of their last social outlet," said Emily.

"George Hennard was inspired by James Huberty. Between the two of them, they shot 43 people at fast food restaurants," said Spencer.

"Well, if he's practicing for his mass murder, he's definitely getting bolder about it," said Emily.

"And bloodier," muttered Morgan.

"Right now, the shock and awe of the bloodletting seems to be what he's going for. But soon, that won't be enough," said Rossi.

"That makes sense with regards to his fantasy life. If he is planning something big, he'll spend his daydreaming of it, getting back at slights both real and imagined," said Spencer.

"Without a specific target victim, we need to concentrate on the crime scenes and see what they tell us," said Hotch before looking at Emily, "Prentiss, you take the laundromat. I'll have Detective Moreland meet you there," said Hotch.

"I'd like to take a look at the church if you don't mind," said Rossi.

"Good. JJ, you and Morgan interview Captain Collins' wife. She got the best look at the unsub. See what she remembers. Reid and I will run point from the police station," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was looking at the board when Detective Moreland came into the room with a box of files.

"To be honest, Agent Hotchner, when they told me BAU was coming, I expected more than two agents," said Detective Moreland.

"The rest of the agents went straight to the crime scenes. I believe there will be information there that may determine where the unsub will strike next. As soon as you can, I'd like you to meet Agent Prentiss at the laundromat," said Hotch.

Spencer heard footsteps approaching him causing him to look back at Detective Moreland.

"Yeah, sure. Any idea on where he may hit next? We can double patrols," said Detective Moreland.

"It's honestly too early to tell," said Spencer truthfully.

Detective Moreland looked at Spencer.

"Well, your gut must be telling you something," said Detective Moreland.

Spencer pointed at the geographical profile.

"Well, this far, he's struck at a restaurant bathroom, a laundromat, and a church. He chooses his victims not out of preference, but of favorable circumstance. With each kill he's growing bolder, telling us he doesn't care who sees him," said Spencer.

"So next time it'll be even more public?" asked Detective Moreland.

"Yes," said Hotch as he dialed Garcia's number, "Our technical analyst is compiling a list of public events that your department should be monitoring. Garcia, are you there?" asked Hotch.

"Wired for sound, and ready for action," said Garcia.

"What have you got so far?" asked Hotch.

"Well, you got your "Sesame Street on Ice", your Harlem Globetrotters, your Beatles cover bands, not to mention the dozens of college bars and late-night hangouts frequented by the youth of America. No event is too big or too small," said Garcia.

"Good. Keep going," said Hotch.

"Aye, aye, captain," said Garcia before hanging up.

As soon as Detective Moreland left the room, Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Maeve and I are allowing Josie to watch "Sesame Street"," said Spencer.

"Is she liking it?" asked Hotch.

"Maeve and I ended up buying Josie a tickle me Elmo," said Spencer.

"Jack still has his tickle me Elmo," said Hotch.

"Watching "Sesame Street" with Jocelyn brings back some happy memories of watching "Sesame Street" with my mom since she approved educational TV shows like "Sesame Street" and "The Electric Company" when I was a kid," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was standing with his teammates as they looked at the officers who came to listen to their profile.

"We suggest that you think of this unsub not as a slasher but as an arsonist. Because the gratification he's getting isn't from the physical act of murder But from the public's reaction to it," said Hotch.

"Arsonists draw attention to themselves through the fires they set. The locations they choose are highly symbolic to them. While this unsub will never set an actual fire, he has the same psychosis as one who does," said Emily.

"Our unsub fits that model. His locations have been pillars of the community. The victims he picks aren't as important as the effect of killing them outside of your favorite restaurant or place of worship," said Spencer.

"By picking locales with the highest visibility, he's creating the highest level of fear in that neighborhood, which reinforces his feeling of power," said Morgan.

Detective Moreland looked up from the notes that he was taking.

"Yeah, but arsonists don't set out to hurt people. This guy clearly does," said Detective Moreland.

"That's true. And this unsub definitely falls in the category of a sociopath," said Morgan.

"His victims are there only to achieve his goal. He doesn't have the ability to empathize with them. To him, they're just tools for him to use, no different than a can of gasoline and a match," said Emily.

"But even how he kills tells us something. Slashing a throat is a messy, visual act. It's designed to create attention, just like a fire," said Rossi.

"Arsonists are often mission based. They need to make sure their first fire has burnt out before they set another one. They're also highly disciplined and focused. If conditions aren't right to set a fire, Or in this case, slash a throat, they'll move on," said Spencer.

"In addition to his need to kill, he has self-control. He has a short cooling-off period because he's enjoying what he's doing. This, in turn, feeds his ego and keeps him covering his tracks," said Hotch.

"This makes him even more dangerous. If he gets frustrated, encounters too many obstacles, or suffers a blow to his narcissistic ego, he could go on an all-out rampage," said Rossi while Detective Moreland checked his cell phone.

"Focus on men between jobs instead of working consistently, he is hunting at his next location," said Emily while Hotch pulled his ringing phone out of his pocket.

"And he's revisiting his old scenes. We recommend you…," said Rossi just as Hotch looked at his team.

"He's killed again," said Hotch.

"Yeah. Farmers market at Third and Shelby," said Detective Moreland.

"The press are already on their way," said Hotch.

"We could use that. They'll feed his ego. He'll want to stay and watch," said Rossi.

"Ladies and gentlemen, when you get to the crime scene, we need you to canvass the crowd. Pay particular attention to onlookers who might be More interested in the scene itself than the victim. And get photographs of everyone," said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer was following Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Officer Gardella who was watching Spencer put a photo of Officer Liddy's dead body onto the board looked at Spencer and his teammates.

"Those gotta be on the board, too? What's the next great bit of advice from the FBI, huh?" asked an angry Officer Gardella.

Spencer turned his head from the board and looked at the angry officer.

"Take it easy, Gardella. This ain't the time or the place," said Detective Moreland.

"If we hadn't listened to them, Liddy and I would be having our morning cup of coffee," snapped Officer Gardella.

"We profiled that he was mission oriented, and this kill doesn't fit that pattern," said Hotch.

Spencer pivoted himself from the board and looked at everyone.

"The murder of Officer Liddy is a significant departure even for someone as unpredictable as this unsub," said Spencer as he sat down between Hotch and Rossi.

"This was a murder of self-preservation, just to get away," said Emily.

"This location is not his MO, secluded, with no audience, stabbing, not cutting," said Rossi.

"So?" asked Officer Gardella.

"So he's out prowling the streets right now looking for another victim so the city will pay attention to him," said Rossi.

"You've been handed a list of locations that we think might be of particular interest to the unsub. We're asking you to double and even triple your surveillance in these areas," said Hotch.

Detective Moreland nodded.

"Keep your wits about you, guys," said Detective Moreland.

"Detective, we'd like to speak to you," said Hotch.

"Sure. That's it, fellas. Thank you," said Detective Moreland as he colleagues left the conference room.

"Detective, the story has become about Officer Liddy. We need to get the attention back on the unsub or we're afraid that he may lash out," said Hotch.

"Up till now, the unsub has been disciplined enough to avoid killing if the circumstances weren't right. Like an arsonist who won't set a fire if there's someone there to see him leaving while smoke is billowing out the windows," said Spencer.

"What if we say that one of the buildings didn't burn? How would the unsub react to that?" asked Rossi.

"He'd be compelled to come back and finish the job," answered Spencer.

"Then we pick one of the previous locations, show that the community has rallied around it, that they're not afraid of him," said Rossi.

"OK, so we need to find a location with the greatest symbolism up to this point," said Emily.

"That's easy," said Rossi as he held up a picture of the Collins' family church before holding up a picture of Captain Collin, "And we use the city's fallen hero as inspiration," said Rossi.

"Should we get the chief of police or the mayor to make a statement? It could help with inspiring people," said JJ.

"We've got something better. Captain Collins' widow," said Rossi.

JJ shook her head.

"I...I cannot ask her to do that," said JJ.

Hotch who understood what Rossi wanted to do spoke up.

"She's highly visible, and she's someone with whom the entire city can sympathize," said Hotch.

"When she tells the city not to be afraid to come back to church, the unsub can't ignore that," said Rossi.

JJ thought about the time she has spent with Meg and Sophia and that she didn't want to make Sophia an orphan.

"And what happens if this draws the unsub to Meg?" asked JJ.

"We keep her with us. We'll take the bastard down," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was by Detective Moreland's desk with Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi.

"Comrades, I have amassed employment records for police hangouts. What do you want me to look for?" asked Garcia.

"White males 25 to 30," said Hotch.

"I'm gonna need more than that," said Garcia.

"Arsonists typically have a stronger relationship with their mothers than their fathers, so let's look for single-mother households with a history of abuse, bad divorce, or paternal violence," said Spencer.

"Manifestations in the son, too, Garcia, like juvenile arrests, petty crimes, a significant drop in grades," said Morgan.

"Thank you, boys. That will do," said Garcia as she started to type before she noticed something, "Oh, this looks like something," said Garcia.

"What do you have?" asked Rossi.

"Connor O'Brien. His dad went to prison for... Oh, lordy...not only setting mom's apartment on fire but making it look like it was an accident so he could collect on the insurance," said Garcia.

"Burned his kid's mother for a few bucks?" asked Detective Moreland.

"Yeah. And then Connor testified against his father at the trial. He was 10," said Garcia.

"Where's O'Brien now?" asked Hotch.

"He works at the Quality Cafe," said Garcia.

Detective Moreland looked up at Spencer, Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi.

"Guys, it's across the street," said Detective Moreland as he quickly got out of his chair.

"Thanks, Garcia," said Hotch.

A few seconds later Hotch, Rossi, Detective Moreland headed across the street.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing with his right leg on a chair when Detective Moreland approached him and his team.

"Yeah, thanks, Eddie," said Detective Moreland as he hung up, "Damn it," said Detective Moreland.

"Where?" asked Hotch.

"Library about a mile from here. Mother was found next to her crying baby," said Detective Moreland.

Spencer and JJ both exchanged looks as Spencer thought about his 18-month-old daughter, nearly seven-month-old daughter while JJ thought about her nearly 15-month-old son.

"Is the baby OK?" asked Rossi.

"Not a scratch, but they haven't found the knife yet," said Detective Moreland.

Spencer pushed his thoughts about Jocelyn and Gabriella away as he focused on the unsub.

"It's his memento now. He won't stop until he's killed as many people as possible," said Spencer.

"We have to go to our original plan... Create an event he can't resist coming to. He has to believe he was unsuccessful," said Rossi.

"If he won't go back to his apartment, I don't think he's gonna revisit the crime scenes," said Hotch.

"The mother from the library, she's already gone?" asked JJ.

"She bled out at the scene. The EMTs stopped working on her," said Detective Moreland sadly.

"Tell them to keep trying to resuscitate her," said Rossi.

"But she's dead," said Detective Moreland.

"Yeah, but the unsub doesn't know that. Tell the press she made it, she's hanging on for dear life. And we organize a candlelight vigil for her tonight," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"If he's mission-oriented and he thinks she's still alive, he'll have to come back for her," said Spencer.

"And we'll be there," said Rossi.

"Let the husband know what's going on so he's aware," said Hotch.

"Have the press there. Tell them to go live and to keep the focus on us as much as they can," said Rossi before he, Hotch, and Spencer quickly left the room.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting next to JJ who was signing a First Communion card for Sophia as he thought about getting to spend a few hours in bed with Maeve.

"Uhh! It's hard to believe that guy was so starved for attention that he murdered all those people just to one-up his father," said Emily.

Spencer accepted the card and pen from JJ as he started to sign his name.

"I spoke with Detective Moreland about Connor's father Billy O's. He said the older police knew to give him a wide berth," said Rossi while Spencer passed the card and pen to Emily, "He didn't say much, but when he did... People listened," said Rossi while Emily quickly signed the card and passed it to Morgan.

"The adult version of a bully," said Morgan as he started to sign the card.

"There are lots of ways that sons defeat their fathers," said Hotch.

"I just keep getting PhDs," grinned Spencer.

"Does the son of a sociopath ever really have a chance?" asked JJ while Morgan passed the card to Hotch.

"You know, O' Brien committed his crimes in the same jurisdiction as his father. It's only a matter of time before he's put in the same prison," said Morgan before looking at Spencer, "I hope that I'm not overstepping any boundaries, but do you know what your father is doing with his life since he got out of prison a few months ago?" asked Morgan.

"He's a dishwasher at one of Las Vegas's diners while having to take anger management classes and picking up trash and volunteer at soup kitchens for community service," said Spencer.

"What about coaching little league?" asked Morgan.

"He's been banned from coaching and attending games because a lot of parents were disgusted with my father when they found out that he left me in a dangerous situation for eight years," said Spencer.

"Good," said Hotch causing everyone else to nod in agreement.

"Even though you filed a restraining order against your father, are you ever going to tell him that he'll be a grandfather to twin boys this June?" asked JJ.

"I don't know yet, but I might send him a picture through his parole officer after Arthur and Joseph are born," said Spencer before Rossi decided to bring up the upcoming Valentine's Day.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three days later, Spencer, Maeve, Stephanie, and Jeremy were entering a restaurant together for their double date.


	63. Mosley Lane & Solitary Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts on March 6th of 2010 and I changed one of Spencer's lines because of the timeline I have this episode taking place in and when I had Spencer join the BAU and I combined Solitary Man in this chapter. So please be prepared for Maeve saying a certain swear word when it came to a stunt of Rossi's during certain scene in Solitary Man.
> 
> These are the ages I have of the BAU children.
> 
> Jack Hotchner: Four-years-old.
> 
> Jocelyn Reid: 19-months-old.
> 
> Gabriella Reid: 7-months-old
> 
> Henry LaMontagne: 15-months-old (Even though JJ said 17-months, it would have been April when the winter carnival happened in this story if Henry's 17-months so its still February in this story)

Spencer was sitting on the couch in his mother's hospital room with his arm wrapped around Maeve's nearly 23-week pregnant stomach as he watched his mother read to Jocelyn and Gabriella while Gabriella crawled on her grandmother's bed.

"I'm glad that mom decided to move out here," said Spencer quietly.

"Me too," said Maeve just as Spencer's phone vibrated causing the 28-year-old genius to see a text from Hotch.

GET TO QUANTICO ASAP BECAUSE AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD GIRL WAS ABDUCTED FROM A WINTER FESTIVAL IN ASHBURN, VIRGINIA. ~ AH

"Spencer?" asked Maeve.

"An eight-year-old girl was abducted from a winter festival that's happening in Ashburn, Virginia. So I have to head to Quantico because the first 24 hours are critical," said Spencer.

Maeve rubbed her stomach while looking towards Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"Then hurry to the BAU, Spencer. And I'll call my parents to come pick Josie, Gabby, and me up," said Maeve as she pulled out her phone and called her father.

"Is everything OK, princess?" asked Joe.

"Spencer just got called in for a local Amber Alert, so he has to head to the BAU ASAP. Can you please come to the hospital and pick up the girls and me so Spencer can take the SUV down to Quantico?" asked Maeve.

"I'm leaving right now," said Joe before hanging up.

Spencer made his way towards Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"Daddy has to go help save another little girl like you two girls. I love you girls," said Spencer as he gave his daughters each a kiss that they returned before Spencer looked at his mom, "Sorry that our visit has to be cut short," said Spencer.

"Its OK Spencer, and can you please scratch out that animal's eyes out for me?" asked Diana.

Spencer shook his head before he gave his mother a kiss.

"I love you, mom," said Spencer.

"Love you too, Spencer," said Diana.

Xxxxxxxx 

Nearly an hour later, Spencer's heart dropped when JJ held up a picture of a little girl.

"Aimee Lynch, 8-years-old, was taken an hour ago from a winter festival in Ashburn," said JJ.

"Any witnesses?" asked Emily.

"Her mom Barbara was right next to her when she vanished," said JJ.

"There must have been hundreds of people there. No one saw anything?" asked Emily.

JJ shook her head.

"It's a temporary gathering, with little to no security," said Spencer.  
Morgan looked at Spencer.

"All right, Reid, you and I are going to head to the family's house," said Morgan before looking at Emily and JJ, "The two of you, I want you to work with Garcia. We need to look at every local abduction or attempted one in the past year, see if there's any overlap," said Morgan.

"Good news is that we're barely into the second hour," said JJ.

Spencer, Morgan, and Emily looked at their watches.

"Yeah, well, odds are we've only got 22 hours to find Aimee alive, so let's do this," said Morgan before heading to the door while Spencer quickly followed him.

A few minutes later Spencer was looking at the latest professional photograph of Jocelyn and Gabriella together while Morgan looked at Spencer.

"Are you going to be OK with dealing with a child abduction case?" asked Morgan.

"I should be because Jocelyn and Gabriella are safe at home with their mother, aunt, and grandparents," said Spencer.

"What were you doing when we got called in?" asked Morgan.

"Maeve, the girls, and I were visiting my mom when we got the call about Aimee," said Spencer.

"How's your mom doing?" asked Morgan.

"She's doing well and she told me to scratch whoever took Aimee eyes out for her," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer and Morgan exited the Lynch family home and approached Aimee's father Frank who was smoking a cigarette.

"So that's it, then?" asked Frank.

"No, it isn't," said Morgan.

"Well, why are you leaving?" asked Frank.

"Every available cop in the state is out looking for your daughter," said Morgan.

"Who's been gone for more than 24 hours. I think we both know what that means," snapped Frank.

Spencer took a deep breath as he thought about Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"Percentile-Wise we do, but every case is based on its own merit," said Spencer calmly.

"Well, what merit in this case?" asked Frank.

"Sir, Aimee was taken at high risk by whoever took her," said Morgan.

"It means it was organized, meticulously planned, and likely more than one person," said Spencer.

"And this suggests they intend on keeping her," said Morgan as Barbra Lynch approached them.

"Keeping her? For what?" asked Barbra as she looked at her husband, "Frank?" asked Barbra.

"Keeping her means that she's alive, and I think that's really all you need to focus on right now," said Spencer as he took a deep breath, "If I was in your footsteps and my two daughters were abducted, I would be holding onto hope about them still being alive," said Spencer before he started to walk away.

"Are you leaving?" asked Barbra.

Spencer stopped walking.

"Ma'am, our profile remains, as do hundreds of officers and many agents looking for your daughter. Now, if there's any information pertaining to Aimee, then we'll be back," said Morgan.

Spencer took a deep breath and looked at Frank.

"Mr. Lynch, I think you should know that nothing could have stopped these people from taking your daughter," said Spencer gently.

"Yeah," sniffled Frank as he rubbed his nose and glared at his wife, "Well, I would have never let go of her hand," snapped Frank before walking away.

"Frank, please. Frank," said Barbra as she hurried after her husband.

Spencer and Morgan looked at each other before they started to walk.

"We've done all we can," said Morgan.

Spencer thought about the smiling faces of Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"It doesn't make walking away any easier," said Spencer sadly.

"No, it doesn't," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later, Hotch looked at his dejected team.

"Look, we all think that Aimee could be alive. No one's given up on her. That's why there are hundreds of volunteers and officers combing every inch of the county," said Hotch.

"But they're dragging the rivers and digging up the woods. That's not gonna help us if Aimee is still with the unsub if she's still alive out there," said Emily.

"What about Charlie? Is he still alive?" asked Morgan.

"Sarah believes it," said JJ.

"Eight years she's been saying the same thing, JJ?" asked Morgan while JJ nodded, "Have you thought about why you suddenly believe her? Do you think it might be because you're a mother?" asked Morgan.

Spencer, JJ, and Hotch all glared at Morgan.

"It's...it's because another woman just walked in here with the same exact ruse used 8 years ago. I can't deny that. Can you?" asked JJ.

"All I'm saying is, if we go from a single abduction to multiple abductions over 10 years, that changes everything. We all have to be convinced that's what it is, based on an unbiased profile," said Morgan.

Emily decided to intervene to prevent Spencer, JJ, and Hotch from getting more pissed at Morgan.

"OK. Distraction of a lost child. eight-year-old victims taken from public places with little to no security. That's not just the same ruse. That's a signature. And I'm not a mother," said Emily.

"Charlie would be 16 now. We all know that preferential offenders typically dispose of their victims before they reach puberty," said Hotch.

"Maybe he serves another purpose," said JJ.

"Aimee's mom said the unsub was slight. It wouldn't be easy to keep a teenager under her thumb," said Rossi.

"Except that she's had him since he was eight-years-old. By now, he's completely submissive to her," said Emily.

"Keeping him could explain why Charlie's body was never found," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Garcia.

"Garcia," said Hotch.

"Sir," said Garcia.

"Go back 10 years nationwide. Start with abductions in target-rich environments. Rule out any with bodily recovery, dead or alive," said Hotch.

"I'm gonna let Sarah know," said JJ.

"Ok. We need to check out Aimee's abduction site with new eyes," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"Mother's intuition can be very powerful because my mom saved my life when she realized that a man I was playing chess with was a pedophile and she knows when there's something wrong with me without me telling her anything. And my experience as a father has already helped me out on cases too," said Spencer before looking at Emily, "Even though you said that your not a mother, don't forget that Maeve and I named you Jocelyn's godmother," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer was leaning forward with his hands on the table when Garcia looked at him.

"Since 2000, over 200 children's bodies have not been found," said Garcia sadly.

"Nationwide. What about Virginia?" asked Spencer.

"Of the missing and presumed dead, there are 12. Uh, Charlie's been on that list for eight years, Aimee just joined it," said Garcia.

Spencer headed towards the map of Virginia.

"So Aimee was taken from Ashburn, Charlie from Leesburg, eight years ago," said Spencer as he grabbed a small post-it note and stuck it onto the map, "both within a half mile of the highway. What about the others?" asked Spencer.

"Karla Hartaway was abducted in 1999, age eight, from Garrison. Stephen Shepherd, abducted in 2003, also eight, from Arlington. Danny Kenman…," said Garcia as she continued to recite the names, cities, and abduction cities while Spencer plotted them.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at his desk eating some lunch that he got from the cafeteria when JJ approached him with a woman.

"You should remember Sarah Hillridge," said JJ.

Spencer shook hands with Sarah.

"I do," said Spencer.

Sarah noticed Spencer's wedding band.

"I see that you got married since the last time I saw you," said Sarah.

"Been married for over two years," said Spencer.

"Any kids yet?" asked Sarah.

Spencer gestured to his desk causing Sarah's eyes to go wide when she saw a toddler who was a splitting image of her father while a red-haired baby girl sat on an auburn-haired woman's lap.

"The toddler is Jocelyn and she's 19-months-old and the baby girl is Gabriella and she's seven-months-old. My wife's also 23-weeks pregnant with twin boys," said Spencer.

"Congratulations," said Sarah before smiling at the picture of Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, and Gabriella together, "Beautiful family you got there," said Sarah.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

After families were interviewed, the team and Sarah Hillridge were in the conference room.

"11 families have confirmed the same woman, 40 to 50 years old, calling for children. In some cases, she even had a child with her, said JJ.

"She actually used the kids for the abductions? Were they her own or the ones kidnapped?" asked a shocked Sarah.

"We don't believe she's a mother. Most predisposed female offenders are not," said Emily.

"But they are the most violent," said Spencer.

"Y-You said that she's working with someone?" asked a stuttering Sarah.

"It's likely a subservient male. But the woman separates herself from her partners. She chooses the victim while they do the riskiest part... They grab the child and manage the getaway," said Hotch.

JJ pulled out a picture of a drawing of Charlie.

"This is what he looks like as a teenager," said JJ as she held up the photo.

Morgan looked at the photo.

"Um...um, he's tall and thin. His hair is, um, darker than it was. But...but that's him. That's...that's Charlie. Why would they take the risk of letting him out in the world?" asked Sarah.

"They've had him in their control for eight years. He's either got Stockholm or he's being threatened. "Get us another kid and we won't kill you."" said Rossi.

JJ noticed a look on Sarah's face.

"Sarah... Let's take a break, OK?" asked JJ.

"OK. OK. Thank you. Thank you," said Sarah as she left the room with JJ.

As soon as JJ and Sarah were out of earshot, Morgan looked at his teammates.

"All right. So living and working in northern Virginia. It's most likely in isolation. I mean, there's no way to explain a houseful of kids at the neighborhood block party," said Morgan.

"Managing this many children isn't easy. And there have to be incidents where things didn't go as planned. We should start with domestic calls and disturbances. Concentrate on families who were visited by social services," said Hotch.

"I'll get Garcia," said Spencer as he grabbed pictures and left the room.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates when Hotch and Garcia entered the room.

"OK, 107 families visited by social services in the last 10 years," said Garcia as she sat down.

"That's too many to go door to door. We're gonna have to narrow that down," said Emily.

"We need to figure out why they're staying in Northern Virginia," said Hotch.

"Their work could be the key. They could have a child-care facility on the premises as a cover," said Emily.

Spencer thought about how his father-in-law insisted on retiring after Gabriella's birth so Jocelyn and Gabriella wouldn't catch colds and a few other illnesses at daycare like Jocelyn did prior to him contracting anthrax.

"You know, it's most likely a single-income family. Someone has to be home to stay with the kids," said Spencer.

"OK, all this helps," said Garcia as she started to type.

"They've been questioned before, so we can expect a rehearsed response," said Hotch.

"How many on that list are single income?" asked Morgan.

"23," said Garcia.

Morgan sighed causing Rossi to look at Morgan.

"What's the problem?" asked Rossi.

"We're gonna be knocking on the doors of 23 families and all of them have done something bad to a kid. We don't have a warrant. Just our profile. If we get it wrong and leave that house, They'll destroy any evidence they have, including the children," said Morgan.

Everyone stayed silent for a moment before Hotch looked at JJ.

"JJ, get an article of Aimee's clothing," said Hotch while he and everyone else stood up.

"What for?" asked Garcia.

"It's for the dogs," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was in Garcia's lair with Garcia as he and Garcia talked to Morgan and Emily on the phone

"What about their work? We thought it could be tied to what they do for a living," said Morgan.

"Employment records, taxes, it's all legit. Roger's an electrician, has been since forever," said Garcia.

"What about the wife?" asked Emily.

"As far as I can tell, she stays at home. I'm crossing these same records with her maiden name, Anita Weld Roycewood. I don't think I'm gonna find anything, and I'm rarely wrong, so…," said Garcia as a picture of coffins popped up, "I'm wrong," said Garcia.

Spencer leaned forward a bit.

"Her family owns a funeral home in Leesburg. You're less than 10 minutes from it," said Spencer.

"Oh, god. The funeral home's been in the Weld family since she was a little girl. Hearses, coffins, vans, a million ways to hide the children," said Garcia.

"We can't dig up 10 years of coffins," said Morgan.

Spencer realized how possible bodies were being disposed of.

"You might not have to. They have a crematorium," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was walking with Sarah towards the bullpen.

"How are you doing?" asked Spencer.

"Honestly, I'm terrified. I've waited eight years. What if he doesn't know me? How long have you been doing this, Dr. Reid?" asked Sarah.

Spencer thought back to the time he became a desk agent for six months so he could get used to living in a new city while taking profiling classes and working with Hotch towards being a field agent.

"Six years, five months, and 19 days," said Spencer.

"In your experience, what normally happens?" asked Sarah.

Spencer and Sarah stopped walking.

"Charlie was eight when he was taken, which means developmentally, he was in middle childhood. He had a stronger sense of right and wrong and a growing understanding of his place in the world. Mentally, he had the ability to talk about his thoughts and feelings, while having less focus on himself and more concern for others," said Spencer.

"So you think he's gonna be OK?" asked Sarah.

"With a mother like you who did all this, I do. I'm a doctor. I put my faith in facts and statistical probabilities, but today, eight parents are gonna have closure. Three children are going home with their families, all because you believed your son was alive. That's as close to a miracle as I've ever seen," said Spencer.

A teary-eyed Sarah looked at Spencer.

"Thank you," said Sarah.

Spencer rested a hand on Sarah's arm and continued leading her to the area where Charlie will be getting off the elevators and a few minutes later he couldn't hold back the tears as he watched Charlie, Aimee, and Mae get reunited with their parents.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was standing in the conference room with his teammates when he saw Maeve entering the bullpen while pushing a double stroller that held Jocelyn and Gabriella, Will with Henry on his hip, while Haley held Jack's hand.

"Look who's here, guys," said Spencer.

Everyone smiled when they saw the second generation of Spencer, JJ, and Hotch's families in the bullpen with either their mothers or father.

"Let's go," said Hotch.

30 seconds later Spencer was kneeling down and hugging and kissing his 19-month-old and seven-month-old daughters, JJ was hugging and kissing her nearly 16-month-old son, and Hotch was hugging and kissing his four-year-old son.

"We all thought that you guys needed to see the kids so I called Will and Haley about taking the kids to the BAU," said Maeve.

"How many children got reunited with their families?" asked Haley.

"Only three, but we consider it a win since a lot of families got closure," said Hotch.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"I'm hungry," said Maeve.

Spencer shook his head as he thought about Maeve's appetite increasing when it came to being pregnant with twins.

"For what?" asked Spencer.

"Pizza," said Maeve.

"Can I please have pizza?" asked Jack.

"Why don't we all go out for pizza to celebrate," said Rossi.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and a few minutes later the Reid family, Hotchner family, JJ, Will, Henry, Emily, Garcia, and Morgan were leaving the BAU for one of Rossi's favorite pizzerias.

Xxxxxxxx 

 

A few days later Spencer looked at a photo of a muddy Tanya while JJ briefed him and the rest of the team on their latest case.

"Her name was Tanya Hill. She was 29, a bartender. Found two days ago in Edgewood, New Mexico. She's the fifth woman in over six months to be found dead in a ditch off the I-40 and I-25," said JJ.

"All were manually strangled. None were sexually assaulted," said Hotch.

"Well, maybe the act of strangulation is what gets him off," said Morgan.

"Where were they abducted from?" asked Emily.

JJ sat down.

"All over," said JJ.

"Well, they're not just crossing state lines. These cities are hundreds of miles apart," said Morgan.

"That's a lot of bodies. Why is it taking so long to be invited?" asked Rossi.

"We haven't been invited. We found this on HSK database," said Hotch.

"Well, a lot of police departments won't want this problem," said Morgan.

"The geographic profile shows that only one of them has it. They just don't know it yet," said Spencer as he got up.

"How do you know that?" asked Rossi.

Spencer walked towards the map.

"Because he has a comfort zone... Based on the direction he was heading when he dumped the bodies," said Spencer as the map zoomed in, "All five cases point to our unsub heading to Edgewood, New Mexico," said Spencer.

"And now so are we," said Hotch as he got up.

A minute later Spencer was sending Maeve a text message.

I WON'T BE COMING HOME TONIGHT BECAUSE I'M HEADING TO EDGEWOOD, NEW MEXICO RIGHT NOW. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU, JOCELYN, GABRIELLA, ARTHUR, AND JOEY. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting between Emily and a window as he flew to New Mexico with his teammates.

"Clearly this unsub doesn't care about his victims being found," said Morgan.

"Or he knows he can't be linked to them," said Hotch.

"The ME's report supports that matching DNA was found on all five victims," said Emily.

"But not in any database," said Hotch.

"Right," said Emily.

"It's also in keeping with the victimology and abduction sites," said Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"Which are what?" asked Emily.

"Target-rich and offender friendly," said Spencer.

"Time of death from time of abduction varies dramatically in each case," said Hotch.

"Some lived 12 hours, others 24 before they were killed," said Emily.

"So what's he doing with them?" asked JJ.

"Well, he's not having sex with them. There's no sign of torture or even restraints. What was the matching DNA?" asked Morgan.

"Uh, skin. That and metal shavings were found under the fingernails of all 5 victims," said Emily as she looked at a file, "Tanya only had one nail left," said Emily.

"One nail?" asked JJ.

"Yeah. It looks like whatever she was in, She tried to claw her way out," said Emily as she showed JJ a picture.

"JJ, have Garcia match victimology and abduction sites to HSK findings for the last year," said Hotch.

"If he sticks to this timeline, Edgewood is about to discover another body," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Rossi walked along the top of the ditch while Spencer thought about Tanya Hill.

"So she was abducted 32.9 miles west of here, which means if they drove the speed limit they got here in 30 minutes or less," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the watery mud at the bottom of the ditch before looking at his boots.

"So, how long's it gonna take you to get in that ditch?" asked Rossi.

Spencer looked at the height of the ditch and thought about the orders that his doctor and physical therapists gave him.

"Get in that ditch? I got shot in the knee, remember? My doctor said I'm not allowed to do any climbing," said Spencer.

"It's a ditch," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Rossi's boots.

"New boots, huh?" asked Spencer as he started to make his way down, "Italian leather?" asked Spencer as he slowly made his way down.

Rossi lifted up a foot and brushed off his boot.

"Yeah, what can I tell you?" asked Rossi as he looked around his surroundings, "So, uh, from here I can be seen by any passing vehicle," said Rossi.

Spencer who made it to the bottom looked up at Rossi.

"And I can't," said Spencer.

"So she was dumped at night," said Rossi.

"Must have," said Spencer.

"He drives up, bumps the body. Job done, he leaves," said Rossi.

Spencer thought about the crime scene pictures.

"I don't think so," said Spencer.

"What?" asked Rossi.

"All five victims were found posed in the fetal position with their right arm palm-up, left arm palm-down," said Spencer.

"Remorse?" asked Rossi.

"Or staging," said Spencer.

"To look like what?" asked Rossi.

"Like they're asleep," said Spencer.

"You have any ideas why?" asked Rossi.

Spencer squinted a bit.

"No," said Spencer.

"Well, I guess there is a first time for everything," said Rossi before he started to walk away.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"Hey, Rossi, I'm gonna need a little bit of help getting out of this ditch," said Spencer as he watched Rossi go farther away, "Rossi! Rossi? Hey... I got it," said Spencer as he started to climb up the ditch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was sitting down and elevating his leg and was massaging his bad knee when Hotch came over and knelt down by him and noticed the pain in Spencer's eyes.

"What happened?" asked Hotch.

"The crime scene contained a ditch and Rossi decided that his new Italian leather boots were more important than my knee and sent me down into the ditch. I did remind him that my doctor ordered me not to do any climbing yet and he still sent me down into that ditch. I asked him to come help me and he just walked away," said Spencer quietly before looking at Hotch, "I know that you're going to keep me out of the field for the rest of the case and have me see my doctor as soon as we get back home," said Spencer quietly.

Hotch nodded.

"Your right about that," said Hotch.

"I should call Maeve and tell her what happened so she can call my doctor and make an appointment," said Spencer.

"You should," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Are you going to be doing anything?" asked Spencer.

"Only if going into that ditch did cause some damage," said Hotch before he decided to roll up Spencer's left pant leg and studied Spencer's bad knee, "I don't see any swelling yet, but if your knee starts to swell up, your going to the hospital," said Hotch.

"Deal," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer was in the bathroom calling Maeve.

"How's it going in New Mexico, Spencer?" asked Maeve.

"OK," said Spencer.

"Why do you sound like your in pain?" asked Maeve.

"Rossi sent me into a muddy ditch so he could keep his new Italian leather boots clean and wouldn't help me climb out of the ditch. I think I twisted my knee a bit while climbing out of the ditch, so can you call Dr. Trader and tell him what happened?" asked Spencer.

"I'll be giving David a piece of my mind because he should never anger a hormonal and pregnant woman," said Maeve.

"Don't do anything to Rossi yet," said Spencer.

"I'll call Dr. Trader and let him know what happened, and when you're on your way home, I'll schedule an emergency appointment for you and pick you up from the BAU myself so I can give David a piece of my mind," said Maeve before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing with his arms crossed as he listened to Rossi's side of the conversation on a phone.

"OK," said Rossi as he hung up and looked at Spencer, "Latest victim is younger than the others," said Rossi.

"Was she posed as well?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah," said Rossi just as JJ joined them.

"Nancy Campbell's abduction hit the news," said JJ.

"Let's hope he doesn't see it. He could panic and then he'll dump her faster than the last one," said Rossi.

"Why has he dumped one victim and taken another within the hour?" asked Hotch just as Garcia called him, "What have you got, Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"A bloody and busy trucker. I have been on the HSK myself. I've connected 4 more victims to this guy. I'm sending their names to you now," said Garcia.

"Brings his count to 10," said Rossi.

"We need to get photos of the victims Garcia identified up on the board. If we figure out why he's choosing these women, we find him," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was sitting on a couch in the small conference room when JJ looked at her teammates and Sheriff Sanders.

"Nancy Campbell's been missing over 12 hours," said JJ.

"If he jumped on the I-40 before we got the police blocks out…," said Spencer.

"He could be three states over by now," said Sheriff Sanders.

"We don't think he has time for that," said Morgan.

"He's courting these women. He needs them in Edgewood," said Emily.

"There are over 800 truckers on this list. We have to get Garcia to run background on all of them," said Hotch.

"He's either parked at his own house or he's hiding in plain sight," said Rossi.

"Listen, I've already given you a list of all the trucker stops that we've checked in town," said Sheriff Sanders.

"We're gonna need to check them again," said Hotch.

Morgan was staring at the board as he looked at his team.

"All right, so let's go over this again. This offender's preferential, young women mid- to late 20s," said Morgan.

"He takes his time watching them. He makes sure there are no witnesses," said Rossi.

"He kills them 12 to 24 hours after abduction," said JJ.

"Only now that time-frame's getting shorter," said Spencer.

"Then he comes home to Edgewood where he's home and he feels safe," said Hotch.

"There's no rape involved. So is it companionship he's after?" asked Hotch.

Spencer thought about the books that his mother read to him.

"There might be an almost chivalrous aspect to this," said Spencer as he slightly limped to the board.

"How do you figure?" asked JJ.

"Truckers have a romanticized image of themselves, and in fact all lifestyles revolving around the open road do. The Hell's Angels, for instance, they refer to their women as their old ladies, but in fact, there's no one they'd rather protect or die for. Their treatment of women wouldn't be out of place in King Arthur's court," said Spencer.

"And their sense of isolation would amp up that fantasy," said Morgan.

"So he's looking for a wife. He starts out with easy targets, then he moves on to women who could actually fill the role," said Hotch.

"Sweet, outgoing, warm. The bartender who takes extra care of you, the chatty hitchhiker," said Rossi.

Spencer crossed his arms.

"But over the course of the day, they fail the test. This infuriates him, and he strangles them and dumps them," said Hotch.

"OK, so why take Nancy Campbell? She's the opposite of all the other victims he's taken," said JJ.

"It's true. She's older. She already has a kid," said Rossi.

"I think that's why she's still alive. What if he's not looking for a companion? What if he's looking for a mother?" asked Hotch.

"If he's got a kid of his own, that would explain what keeps him coming back to Edgewood," said Morgan.

"It would explain why he walks past Courtney to get to Nancy. Just by watching he knows she's a mother. She's already qualified to pass any test," said Rossi just as Hotch got Garcia on the phone.

"Garcia," said Hotch.

"Sir," said Garcia.

"I want you to narrow down the own authority trucker list and tell me which ones have been through a divorce recently or a custody battle," said Hotch.

"The custody fight would be a stressor. Limit your searches to months prior to the first murder," said Rossi.

"Got it. Thanks," said Garcia before she hung up.

A few minutes later Spencer was pulling Emily aside.

"What's going on?" asked Courtney.

"Hold on a second," said Emily as she got up and approached Spencer.

"Wait, what's going on?" asked Courtney.

Emily quickly joined Spencer.

"They found a body off the I-40. No identification," said Spencer quietly just as Courtney joined them.

"Is she dead?" asked Courtney.

Emily sighed.

"We don't know," said Emily.

"What do you mean you don't know?" asked Courtney.

Spencer and Emily exchanged glances.

"The police found a body and they aren't sure if it's your mother," said Emily.

"I want to go," said Courtney.

Spencer thought about the promise he made to Hotch about staying station bound for the remainder of the case.

"I think we should wait here," said Spencer.

"I need to see if it's her," said Courtney.

Emily rested a hand on Courtney's shoulder.

"Courtney, please, Dr. Reid and I are going to stay here with you, and as soon as we know anything, we will tell you. OK?" asked Emily.

Courtney nodded.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing in the conference room with JJ and Hotch when Morgan entered the room.

"Of your 76 independent truckers, I have 28 who are currently involved in custody cases," said Garcia.

"How many of those cases are still open?" asked Hotch.

"Uh, 8 pending. Not the most relationship friendly job, trucking," said Garcia.

"Look for instances where the mother died. A guy like this wouldn't tear a child away from his own mother," said Morgan.

"Caroline Hatchett died in a house fire, leaving behind a seven-year-old daughter Jody and a husband Wade Hatchett. Wade lost his home, his wife, and custody of his daughter when the courts deemed him unfit. He's still contesting the case," said Garcia.

Spencer thought about the only reason why Stephanie was able to avoid foster care was because of him being married and having in-laws to be there for his sister.

"Why was he deemed unfit?" asked Spencer.

"Uh... Double whammy...job kept him away for weeks at a time, and he didn't have any other family to help him watch the girl. Looks like he bent over backward trying to make it work, but she missed a lot of school and he was charged with neglect of a minor," said Garcia.

"You have an address?" asked Morgan.

"Just a PO box for over a year," said Garcia.

"What about the daughter?" asked JJ.

"Jody currently resides in foster care. I'm sending you the file now," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that night Spencer entered the bullpen where he saw Maeve standing next to Garcia as she had crutches leaning against a desk while she held up a brace in her hand.

"While you were flying home from New Mexico, I called Dr. Trader and told him what happened and he wants you to wear this brace while you stay off your leg until after your emergency MRI tomorrow morning at 10 AM and your appointment with him at 2 PM tomorrow," said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer was sitting down as he put on the brace and after he had it secured, he accepted his crutches from Maeve while Hotch looked at Spencer.

"You can take tomorrow off for your MRI and doctor appointment," said Hotch.

"Did you re-injure your knee, Reid?" asked Morgan.

Spencer used his crutches to help himself get up.

"This is a precautionary measure," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Emily.

Maeve looked at Rossi.

"Just so you know, I will be letting the insurance company know to foot the bill for Spencer's emergency MRI and doctor appointment to you," said Maeve.

"What did Rossi do?" asked JJ.

"He sent Spencer into a muddy ditch to keep his fucking brand new Italian leather boots clean while he knows that Dr. Trader ordered Spencer not to do any climbing. When Spencer asked him to help him out of the ditch, he didn't help Spencer out at all," said Maeve before glaring at Rossi, "Hopefully Spencer's knee didn't receive too much damage from your stunt or I will asking either JJ or Emily to shoot you in the knee so you can be sidelined for a couple of months wondering if you were ever going to walk again while Spencer uses your new boots for target practice prior to his next re-qualification," said Maeve as she dumped her tea onto Rossi's Italian leather boots before walking away while Spencer quickly followed his wife on his crutches while everyone except a sputtering Rossi started to laugh.

Hotch looked at Rossi.

"Don't even think about making Maeve pay for the possible damage to your new Italian leather boots because you deserve having tea dumped onto your boots," said Hotch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My father was a truck driver before and after I was born and he traveled to every state except Alaska and Hawaii. When he was a truck driver, he would buy a bell from every new state he traveled to and when I went on the DC trip in 2009, he gave me money to get him a bell for Washington DC for his bell collection.


	64. On Crutches Again & The Fight

Jocelyn looked at her daddy as she watched him swing himself into the kitchen on his crutches.

"Owie, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer smiled at his oldest daughter as he thought about his 19-month-old daughter's vocabulary growing every day.

"Yes and I'll be spending a couple of hours in the hospital today," said Spencer.

"I go wit?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other before Maeve looked at Jocelyn.

"You're not going bye-bye with daddy and me today," said Maeve.

Joe looked at his oldest granddaughter.

"We'll have a lot of fun today, pumpkin," said Joe.

Jocelyn looked at her grandpa.

"We see Nana D?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer looked at his father-in-law.

"You can take the girls to see their grandma Diana, but just check with the nurses and doctors and make sure that mom's having a good day first," said Spencer.

"I will, son," said Joe.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Dr. Trader looked at Spencer's left knee before examining the pictures of the MRI scan before looking at Spencer.

"You definitely twisted your knee," said Dr. Trader.

"I'm going to castrate David Rossi," said Maeve.

Spencer sighed.

"How long am I going to be on crutches again?" asked Spencer.

"Two weeks and you'll need to increase your weekly physical therapy sessions to two sessions a week again," said Dr. Trader.

Spencer sighed.

"I'm going to be a burden again for awhile," said Spencer.

Maeve squeezed her husband's hand.

"It's OK, Spencer. We have my parents and your sister to help us out," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his doctor.

"Am I going to be allowed to go home today and back to work tomorrow?" asked Spencer.

"You can go home today and back to work tomorrow. You can travel and participate in cases with your team as long as you don't participate in any raids or go into any ditches," said Dr. Trader with a twinkle in his eyes.

Spencer and Maeve both laughed before Maeve groaned as she got up as quick as she could and headed to the bathroom attached to her husband's hospital room.

Xxxxxxxx 

45 minutes later Maeve pulled over and looked at her husband.

"You can remove your blindfold," said Maeve.

Spencer removed his blindfold and shook his head when he saw that Maeve pulled over by an ice cream parlor.

"Cravings?" asked Spencer.

"Even though your lactose intolerant, I thought that going out for ice cream should cheer you up," grinned Maeve.

Spencer grinned as he leaned forward and kissed Maeve and 10 seconds later there was tapping on one of the windows causing Spencer's eyes to go wide when he saw Joe, his mother, Jocelyn, and Gabriella.

"No wonder we're becoming grandparents again," said Diana as she jostled Jocelyn on her hip.

"Mommy. Daddy," said Jocelyn.

A few seconds later Spencer was easily getting out of his and Maeve's SUV on his crutches and as soon as he closed the door he allowed his mom to pull him into a gentle hug.

"What are you doing here, mom?" asked Spencer.

"Maeve told me what happened and I was the one to suggest going out for ice cream to cheer you up," said Diana as she smirked, "The next time I see David, I'm going to scratch his eyes out," said Diana.

"I already told Spencer that I'm going to castrate David," said Maeve.

"Ice eam," said Jocelyn as she pointed at the parlor causing laughter.

"Let's go get you your ice cream, Jocelyn," said Diana.

A minute later Spencer, Maeve, Diana, Joe, Jocelyn, and Gabriella were in the ice cream parlor ordering ice cream.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer quickly made his way towards his desk on his crutches and grinned when he saw a metal container with a note that contained Garcia's handwriting.

HERE ARE SOME COOKIES FOR YOU, BOY WONDER. ~ PG

Spencer grinned.

"Garcia made me cookies," said Spencer as he slowly sat down before he opened up the container and grabbed a cookie.

"What's the prognosis on your knee?" asked Emily.

Spencer finished chewing and swallowed before looking at Emily.

"I twisted my knee. Other than staying off my leg for two weeks, I have to double up on physical therapy sessions for the next month," said Spencer.

Emily looked at the gun on her hip.

"Does Maeve still want me to shoot Rossi in the knee?" asked Emily.

Spencer shook his head.

"Those threats were from her pregnancy hormones talking while dumping her tea onto his boots wasn't caused by her pregnancy hormones because she wanted to show Rossi that there were other ways that his boots dirty without going into a ditch," said Spencer.

Emily laughed.

"He did deserve having tea dumped onto his boots," said Emily.

"I agree and Maeve decided that I deserved to eat dairy yesterday," grinned Spencer.

Emily thought about Spencer's lactose intolerance.

"Even though you could have gotten sick?" asked Emily.

"Getting sick last night was worth it because my mom was the one to suggest going out for ice cream," said Spencer before smirking a bit, "My mom wants to scratch Rossi's eyes out," said Spencer.

"Now he has another female to be scared of because after you left with Maeve; JJ, Penelope, and I all gave Rossi a piece of our minds," said Emily.

Spencer laughed just as Morgan and JJ approached them.

"Welcome back," said Morgan.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

JJ gestured to Spencer's crutches.

"What did your doctor say?" asked JJ.

"I twisted my knee a bit while climbing up that ditch, but at least I'll only be on crutches for two weeks instead of a couple of months this time," said Spencer.

JJ smirked as she placed a much smaller stack of consults on Spencer's desk.

"Just so you know, I told Rossi that he's getting half of your consults for the next couple of weeks for hurting my son's godfather," said JJ.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"I wish that I was with you and Rossi the other day because I would have gone into that ditch instead of you," said Morgan.

"It's OK, Morgan. Hotch already apologized to me about sending me to the crime scene because he didn't know that Rossi would pull a stunt like that," said Spencer.

"If you want to work on your paperwork in my office while spreading out on the couch, feel free to come into my office," said Morgan.

"Hotch already offered me his office too," said Spencer just as Rossi approached them.

"May I speak to you in my office, Reid?" asked Rossi as he noticed the crutches by Spencer's chair.

Spencer quickly grabbed his crutches and used them to help himself stand up before Rossi noticed the brace.

"What was the prognosis?" asked Rossi.

Spencer stayed silent as he quickly maneuvered himself past his teammates and towards the stairs that led to Rossi's office.

"He twisted his knee so be prepared to be afraid of every single woman when they find out," said Emily.

A minute later Spencer was sitting in front of Rossi's desk when Rossi looked at him.

"I'm sorry for sending you in that ditch a few days ago and I will make sure to pay for your MRI, your doctor appointment, and additional doctor appointments and physical therapy sessions you have to go through," said Rossi before reaching into his wallet and pulled out a credit card and passed it to Spencer, "I want you to use this card to take Maeve out this weekend on a date night," said Rossi.

Spencer took the card and placed it into his pocket.

"Apology accepted and the next time you decide that your boots are more important than my knee again, I will use my doctorate in chemistry to do something much worse to your boots," said Spencer as he used his crutches to help himself up, "Just so you know, my mom wants to scratch your eyes out," said Spencer as he swung himself out of Rossi's office.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that day during lunch, Spencer was sitting at his desk working on a case file that the local White Collar Crimes unit sent him as he ate his lunch when Strauss approached him.

"Dr. Reid," said Strauss.

Spencer looked up at Strauss and reached for his crutches.

"No need to stand up because I know that your back on crutches for a couple of weeks," said Strauss.

"Ma'am," said Spencer.

"Did Maeve really dump her tea on Rossi's boots and threatened him that she'll have one of your teammates shoot him in the knee so he can be in your footsteps for a couple of months while you use his boots for target practice two days ago for sending you into a ditch when you weren't supposed to do any climbing?" asked Strauss.

"She did and Maeve was talking about castrating him on the way home from the hospital yesterday," said Spencer.

Strauss smirked a bit.

"Rossi deserved to have tea dumped on his boots and being given those threats from your wife," said Strauss.

Spencer's eyes went wide.

"I thought that you were going to tell me that Maeve is no longer welcome to come here or that she's being arrested for her actions," said Spencer.

"She's not in trouble because I'm a mother who has dealt with three pregnancies, and I know what its like to be extremely hormonal and angry when a man does something that angers an expecting mother," said Strauss.

Xxxxxxxx 

A month later Spencer was eating breakfast with Maeve, 20-month-old Jocelyn, nearly nine-month-old Gabriella, Stephanie, and his in-laws when Spencer looked at his now 28-week pregnant wife.

"I have the papers from Dr. Trader and Samuel to clear me to full field agent status again," said Spencer.

"Good," said Maeve.

At that moment Spencer felt a Cheerio hit his head while Gabriella started to laugh.

"What was that for, Gabby?" asked Spencer.

"Dada," said Gabriella.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other in shock as they worked on containing their emotions.

"You made my dad by saying your first word, Gabby," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

20 minutes later Spencer was about to unlock his gun safe when he looked towards his nearly nine-month-old daughter and realized that Gabriella was standing up while using the coffee table to support herself.

"Do you want a hug from daddy before I leave for work?" asked Spencer.

Gabriella gave her daddy a huge grin before she took a few steps while holding onto the table before she let go of the table and took a few wobbly steps towards her daddy while Stephanie, Maeve, Mary, and Jocelyn came down the stairs all gasped when they saw Gabriella walk into her daddy's arms.

Spencer quickly lifted his youngest daughter into the air causing the nearly nine-month-old baby girl to squeal and giggle.

"Daddy's so proud of you, Gabby," said Spencer.

Maeve waddled towards her husband and youngest daughter.

"Mommy's proud of you too," said Maeve.

"Auntie Stephanie's proud of you too," said Stephanie.

"Grandma's proud of you too," said Mary just as her husband came into the room.

"What's going on?" asked Joe.

"Gabriella just took her first steps, so now you have to deal with a toddler and a baby walking," said Spencer before looking at his sister, "Let's get you to school," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer was driving his sister to school before he started his drive to Quantico.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later, Spencer knocked on the open door of Hotch's office and a few seconds later Hotch looked up at Spencer and noticed some papers in his hands.

"Everything OK?" asked Hotch.

Spencer walked into Hotch's office.

"Other than Gabriella saying her first word and taking her first steps this morning, I've got my return to full duty papers signed by my doctor and physical therapist. I was warned to still take it easy for the next couple of weeks and no going into any more ditches until my physical therapist works on climbing with me," said Spencer as he handed Hotch the papers.

Hotch read over the papers and looked at Spencer.

"Its a good thing you gave me these papers now because I'm about to head to DC and meet with Agent Cooper about the case we just received," said Hotch.

"Where are we going?" asked Spencer.

"San Francisco," said Hotch.

"I should let Maeve know that I'm not coming home tonight," said Spencer before remembering something, "I'm going to be late for work on the 16th next month because Stephanie has her IEP meeting next month on the 16th at 8:30 AM so Stephanie, her case manager, the assistant principal, and I can plan on what Stephanie needs to make her sophomore year go easy for her," said Spencer.

Hotch quickly jotted down the date on his calendar.

"Thanks for letting me know," said Hotch before remembering what Spencer said, "Did you say that Gabriella said her first word and took her first steps this morning?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"Gabby threw a piece of cereal at me to gain my attention before she said 'Dada' and while I was waiting for Stephanie to finish up on getting ready for school, Gabby was standing up while hanging on to the coffee table and I asked her if she wanted a hug which caused her to let go and walk to me," said Spencer.

Hotch smiled.

"Both Jocelyn and Gabriella are getting big so fast," said Hotch.

"I can't believe that Josie will be turning two in less than four months and Gabby will be nine-months-old next week," sighed Spencer.

"At least you and Maeve are pretty much prepared for Arthur's and Joseph's births," said Hotch.

"Joe and I are thinking about what we can do during the baby shower that's happening this weekend because we're being kicked out of the house and my mom's going to attend the baby shower if she's having a good day," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at some paperwork on his desk and saw the reminder for Spencer's upcoming shooting re-qualification.

"Hasn't your father-in-law been wanting you to teach him how to shoot a gun?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"He's still wanting me to teach him just in case anyone who's like Foyet wants to go after me so he can protect his family while I'm on a case," said Spencer.

"Why don't you and I teach Joe how to shoot during Maeve's baby shower because of your upcoming shooting re-qualification?" asked Hotch.

Spencer grinned.

"I'll let Joe know," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was at his desk sending Maeve a text message.

I WON'T BE COMING HOME TONIGHT FOR DINNER BECAUSE I'LL BE LEAVING FOR SAN FRANCISCO IN A COUPLE OF HOURS. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting between JJ and an aisle when Rossi exited the small kitchenette and made his way towards the seats that Spencer and JJ were sitting in.

"What do we know about the past years' victims?" asked Rossi as he rested a hand on the back of the chair that Spencer was sitting in.

"The Tenderloin District is a high concentration of drug addicts and homeless people. All the victims have been transients," said Spencer.

"So this unsub's choosing easy targets that won't be missed. He's not concerned with the challenge of the hunt. All these victims are part of a larger plan," said Morgan.

"Which he executes in the same few days every year," said JJ.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid did you find any significance to the dates?" asked Hotch.

"Nothing historical. It's gotta be personal for the unsub," said Spencer.

"JJ, you and Reid hit the San Francisco PD Rossi and Prentiss to the dumpsite. Morgan and I'll go to the coroner's office. Nobody should expect to get a lot of sleep for the next three days," warned Hotch.

"What about Cooper's team? You said he had a theory," said Rossi.

"He believes that whoever is murdering these homeless men are also abducting fathers and daughters and killing them once the transients are disposed of," said Hotch.

Spencer looked back at Rossi.

"So then we'll investigate the dead men, and his team can see if there is a missing father and daughter," said Rossi.

Emily looked at Hotch.

"Why isn't his team on the jet now?" asked Emily.

"Because the director wouldn't authorize them joining the investigation," said Hotch.

"They're working against the director's orders?" asked Rossi.

"We need to concentrate on the dead men abducted from the Tenderloin. Cooper's team can help determine if there's a missing father and daughter and whether it's connected to our case," said Hotch.

Emily thought about Strauss.

"Or you could get in serious hot water if the director thinks you're helping to defy her," said Emily.

"No, Hotch is right. I've known Sam Cooper for 20 years, and I've never seen him defy an order. If he feels this strong about a hunch, we need to help him however we can," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was standing next to Hotch in a San Francisco police department when Hotch looked at the officers.

"It's very likely that this unsub has a prison record," started Hotch.

"He's white, and judging by the age of the people he abducts, most likely in his 30s," said Spencer.

"And considering the terrain in which he's dumping the bodies, we think that he's imposing or at least very physically fit," said Hotch.

"He also has access to a space that's large enough to house and control a number of prisoners, all without disturbing the neighbors," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was standing at a table with JJ and Rossi when Sam Cooper looked at them.

"Did your analyst get us the data?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, I can lay it out for you," said JJ just as Johnathon Simms joined them.

"Good. Let's cross-reference it against our potential suspect pool," said Sam just as Johnathon's cell phone rang.

"Hello. Yeah, we can be there," said Johnathon before hanging up and looked at Rossi, "You up for a ride to San Quentin?" asked Johnathon.

Sam looked at Rossi.

"It's like the old days, spending all your time interviewing prisoners," said Sam.

"Don't go getting sentimental on me," said Rossi before he walked away when Emily and Mick Rawson came into the warehouse.

"What we got?" asked Mick.

"The profile says he's spent time in prison and probably lost a teenage daughter in a way that corresponds to the dates he abducts and kills his victims," said Hotch as he, Emily, and Mick joined Spencer, JJ, and Sam.

"We have the dates in question divided into four specific subsets," said Spencer as he pointed at a file as he ended up thinking about Stephanie, "Uh, this group is teenage girls age 13 to 16 who were removed from their fathers' care. These are deaths of teenagers the same age. The remainder are men arrested for violent crimes and anyone serving a prison sentence during the same window," said Spencer.

"The stressor's in here somewhere. Let's find something that looks promising so we can start running background checks," said Sam just as Hotch's cell phone rang causing Hotch to walk away before Sam followed him.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"Are you doing OK, Reid?" asked Emily.

"I'm definitely going to be spending time with Stephanie after this case," said Spencer.

"Stephanie?" asked Mick.

"My 15-year-old half-sister who lives with my wife Maeve, two daughters, and me," said Spencer.

"Why would your sister be living with you?" asked Mick.

"My former step-mother died from an inoperable brain tumor last May and I was my late step-mother's first choice on who should get custody of her daughter because my father isn't fit to be a father," said Spencer as he pulled out a phone and showed Mick a picture of Stephanie, Jocelyn, and Gabriella together, "The teenage girl is my sister Stephanie. The toddler who looks just like me is my 20-month-old daughter Jocelyn and the baby girl is Gabriella and she's going to be nine-months-old next week," smiled Spencer before he focused on another file.

"Also Reid's wife Maeve is currently 28-weeks pregnant with twin boys and I'm Jocelyn's godmother," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer approached his teammates, Sam, and Mick when Sam got off the phone.

"We have a name, a John Vincent Bell," said Sam.

"One of the girls who died was named Mandy Bell," said Spencer.

"Garcia, run the name John Vincent Bell against the family therapy list," said Hotch.

"Uh, Shazam. Bell and his wife divorce. Then the wife died, and Bell was declared incompetent to have custody of the daughter due to a host of mental health issues," said Garcia.

"They got that one right," said Mick.

"Oh, lord. And then, when social service agents showed up to remove the girl, Bell beat one of them to death, was given seven years for manslaughter," said Garcia.

"Yeah. During which time, his daughter was in a car accident. Looks like she survived three days on life support, but eventually died of brain injuries," said JJ.

"OK, so Bell is making these men fight to the death just like he did. He's trying to prove he did what any father would do," said Emily.

"Do we have an address?" asked Sam.

"Uh, the only listing I have is a gym on Hall Street in the Tenderloin. It belongs to Bell's family. It hasn't been operational for years," said Garcia.

"We got him," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was happily eating a container of seeds when Johnathon looked at him.

"I heard that your wife's pregnant with your third and fourth child," said Johnathon.

Spencer grinned.

"Maeve's 28-weeks pregnant with twin boys," said Spencer.

"Have you figured names yet?" asked Johnathon.

"Arthur Wyatt Reid and Joseph Percival Reid," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Sam Cooper looked at both BAU teams.

"A toast!" shouted Sam.

"Yeah!" coursed everyone.

A few minutes later Sam looked at Spencer.

"I heard about what Rossi did to you last month, and I'm still laughing over what your wife did in retaliation," said Sam.

Spencer smirked while Rossi decided to walk away for his own protection.

"Maeve's still angry at him because I ended up being back on crutches for two weeks," said Spencer.

Gina, Mick, Johnathon, and Sam looked at each other as they thought back to hearing the news about Spencer getting shot in the knee the same day Hotch was attacked and stabbed in his own apartment by Foyet.

"Why did you end up on crutches again?" asked Gina.

"A month ago we were working on a case in Edgewood, New Mexico and Rossi decided to send me into a ditch so he could keep his new Italian leather boots clean while knowing that my doctor told me not to climb anything but stairs yet. When I was done looking at the crime scene, I asked Rossi to help me up, but he continued to walk away. Maeve was livid when I told her what happened over the phone and she told me that she'll call my doctor and tell him what happened as soon as I told her that I was flying home," said Spencer.

"When we got back, Maeve was in the bullpen with Reid's brace and crutches and told Reid that his doctor wanted him to stay off his leg before glaring at Rossi and gave him a few threats before she dumped her tea on Rossi's boots and walked away," snickered Emily causing everyone including Hotch to laugh.

Johnathon looked at Hotch.

"Did you do anything?" asked Johnathon.

"Not at all because Rossi deserved it," said Hotch.

Sam looked at Spencer.

"Was everything OK with your knee?" asked Sam.

"I only twisted it and had to spend two weeks on crutches again while doubling up my physical therapy sessions," said Spencer.

"What did Strauss say about Maeve's actions?" asked Sam.

"When I returned to work the next day, Strauss approached me while I was eating lunch at my desk and told me that Rossi deserved those threats and to have tea dumped onto his boots by my wife," said Spencer.

"Now that's out of character of her," said Sam.

Spencer nodded in agreement.

"I thought that she was going to ban Maeve from visiting me at the BAU or tell me that Maeve's going to be arrested for verbally assaulting Rossi and dumping tea onto his boots, but she told me that she understood Maeve's actions," said Spencer causing some laughter.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next afternoon, Dr. Marks looked at Maeve.

"With you now being a few days from reaching the 29th week of your pregnancy with twins, I want you to stop driving," said Dr. Marks.

"OK," said Maeve.

"When it comes to deciding on a planned C-section, I want to perform your C-section and tubal ligation when your 36-weeks pregnant," said Dr. Marks.

"Will I be allowed in the room for Arthur's and Joseph's births?" asked Spencer.

"Because of your ability to stay calm I'll let you into the room for the c-section, but I'm kicking you out when I put Maeve under for her tubal ligation," said Dr. Marks.

"OK," said Spencer.

After talking more about Maeve's upcoming C-section and tubal ligation, Spencer and Maeve were showing Dr. Marks pictures of Jocelyn and Gabriella together.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer, Hotch, and Joe were at a shooting range while Maeve was at home with her mother, daughters, and sister-in-law having a baby shower with Spencer's mom, a few female neighbors, Spencer's female teammates, and a few female staff members from Mendel University attending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: When it comes to Spencer going out for ice cream in this chapter, going out for ice cream cheered me up a bit on the day my aunt died over two years ago and when my beloved charcoal lab Cleatus was put to sleep nearly a year and a half ago.


	65. A Thousand Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with it now being the week of May 5th of 2009 in this chapter, Jocelyn's now 21-months-old, Gabriella is nine-months-old, and Maeve's 32-weeks pregnant with Arthur and Joseph (We're quickly approaching the births of Arthur and Joseph).

Spencer was sitting at his desk as he thought about the excitement of going home to Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Stephanie for the weekend after being away for a few days when JJ walked past them.

"Hey, have a good weekend, JJ," smiled Emily.

"Sorry," said JJ as she held up a file.

Spencer sighed sadly as he thought about not being able to visit his mom or spend time with Maeve and the girls as he heard Morgan and Emily sigh.

"There goes my beach house rental," sighed Morgan.

"And my non-refundable Sin to Win weekend in Atlantic City," said Emily.

"Sin to Win?" asked a confused Morgan.

"Yeah. And I always win big," said Emily.

"Other than taking Jocelyn and Gabriella to visit my mom tomorrow, Maeve and I decided to spend the weekend watching movies," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over two hours later a freshly showered Spencer was crawling into his and Maeve's bed causing Maeve to wake up.

"Your home," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled sadly at his wife.

"Not for long because I'm leaving for Florida at 8 AM tomorrow morning," said Spencer.

Maeve rubbed her 32-week pregnant stomach and groaned when she felt some hard kicks.

"Arthur and Joseph are really messing with my bladder, so can you please help me out of bed?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded as he quickly got out of bed and helped Maeve out of bed. A few minutes later Maeve exited the bathroom and looked at her husband who was about to grab the book that they were reading together.

"Are you going to read two chapters of "House Rules" out loud to me before we get some sleep?" asked Maeve.

"Yes," said Spencer.

As soon as Maeve was comfortable in bed, Spencer started to read "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult out loud to Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over 10 hours later, Spencer was getting out of an SUV as he grimaced at the Florida heat.

"Oh, this heat is brutal," said Morgan.

"You know, it isn't so much the heat as it is the humidity," said Spencer.

"At some point, it doesn't matter how you look at it. It all sucks," said Morgan.

10 seconds later Spencer approached a man with his teammates.

"FBI?" asked a man.

"Yes, sir," said Hotch.

"Hi, John Barton, Tallahassee PD. I'm the primary on the missing girl, Rebecca Daniels. I got my files in the car if you need them," said Detective Barton.

"I'm Agent Hotchner. This is Agent Rossi, Agent Prentiss, Dr. Reid, Agent Morgan, Agent Jareau," said Hotch as he gestured to each team member.

"Yeah, we spoke on the phone," said JJ as she shook hands with Detective Barton.

"Yeah, hey, thanks a lot for coming out so quickly. I appreciate that," said Detective Barton as he motioned everyone to follow him,

"I've also confirmed that all the women are victims from around the southeast... Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama," said Detective Barton.

"And Rebecca's the only woman on the wall who's not represented on his body?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah, she's the only one. Hope you have a strong stomach," said Detective Barton as he opened up the door to the house and coughed causing a few others to cough.

Hotch noticed the chair with the unsub sitting in it as he looked at Detective Barton while everyone else snapped on latex-free gloves.

"The chair was turned like that? This is exactly the way you found him?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah," said Detective Barton.

Morgan and Emily looked around the room.

"Talk about staging," said Morgan.

"Talk about ego," said Emily.

Detective Barton gestured to a box that contained books.

"There's also a couple boxes with journals or composition books. They're filled with writing. We haven't been through them yet other than to dust them for prints," said Detective Barton while everyone gathers around the body.

"Have you identified him?" asked Rossi.

"We're working on it. Uh, we got a rush on the DNA and the prints. He's cleared locally, but it's gonna take some time to get the national records," said Detective Barton.

"What about property records?" asked Emily while JJ pulled her hair back into a ponytail

"I talked to the owner. She said she rented it a couple weeks ago to a quiet, normal-looking guy named Bob. He said he wanted to store some equipment and he paid in cash," said Detective Barton.

Spencer leaned forward and examined the body.

"They're always normal," said Rossi.

"No lease?" asked Emily.

"Uh, month to month, no. Out here in the boonies, you don't get a lot of, uh, record-keeping types," said Detective Barton.

Morgan walked closer to the body.

"Especially when it comes to cash transactions, I bet," said Morgan.

"He's no kid, yet the missings go back only 10 years?" asked Rossi.

"As far as I could tell," said Detective Barton.

"Late bloomer," said Rossi.

"You see this a lot, uh, these guys killing themselves?" asked Detective Barton.

"Most serial killers who commit suicide do it in prison after they're caught," said Spencer.

"JJ, gather as much information about the prior victims as you can. Morgan and Prentiss, take the journals. Dave, you and Reid, the tattoos. See if he left any clues about where miss Daniels might be," ordered Hotch.

A few minutes later Rossi was examining the rose on the unsub's wrist causing Spencer to look at Rossi and the two Florida State troopers.

"Look at that. At the turn of the 16th century, rose tattoos were put on men who were sentenced to death," said Spencer.

"Really?" asked a trooper.

Spencer rose to his full height.

"Yeah. If they escaped, it served to identify them. But now roses pretty much symbolize pure love," said Spencer.

"Pure love. Right before he kills them," said Rossi.

Spencer instantly thought about one of his favorite science-fiction books.

"Hey, have you read "The Illustrated Man"?" asked Spencer.

"Nope," said Rossi.

"Oh, it's amazing. It's a collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury, based on the metafictive device of a man who's covered in tattoos drawn by a woman from the future," said Spencer excitably.

"Uh-huh," said Rossi.

"At nighttime, the tattoos come to life and tell a story. It's pretty awesome," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the tattoos.

"These do tell a story," said Rossi.

Trooper Ray Creighton looked at Spencer and Rossi.

"Oh, you want to see something?" asked Trooper Creighton as he moved the body.

Spencer quickly walked to the other side and noticed the blank spot.

"Huh. A space in the tree," said Rossi.

"And there's no date on that one," said Trooper Creighton.

"Why would he leave that space blank?" asked Spencer.

"Maybe this guy's just a psycho," said Trooper Creighton.

"If it were that simple, we'd all be out of a job," said Rossi.

"Hey, Reid," called out Morgan.

Spencer stood up to his full height and made his way towards Emily and Morgan.

"What's up?" asked Spencer.

"Our man here was a prolific journaler," said Morgan as he showed the journal.

"With teeny tiny handwriting," said Emily.

Spencer thought about the journaling he had to do when Hotch forced him to go to therapy.

"He probably had counseling at some point when journaling was part of his therapy," said Spencer.

Emily and Morgan nodded.

"That's what we were thinking," said Emily.

After a moment of silence, Spencer realized that Emily and Morgan were up to something.

"And?" asked Spencer.

"And, uh, Well, you know, the two of us, it would take us like three days to read all of this stuff," said Morgan.

Spencer pursed his lips as he realized that Morgan and Emily were pawning off the journals to him so they didn't have to do a lot of reading.

"You guys owe me," said Spencer as he accepted the journal from Morgan before he sat down on the crate that Emily set for him.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer listened to his teammates and Detective Barton talk before he heard something that Hotch said causing him to stand up.

"That's it...everything," said Spencer.

"Reid?" asked Hotch.

Spencer walked towards the body.

"Everything. Everything. His body, the tattoos, the clippings, the printout, the journals. He moved it all into one room. He wanted us to see all of it. See all of him... His work...the women, he put them in chronological order. He's screaming, "look at me."," said Spencer.

"We all got that," said Rossi.

"No, but think about it. If you take a step back, it sort of makes sense. It's just a confession. A giant, flashy confession. What would we say if an unsub turned himself in to the police before they were even onto him?" asked Spencer.

"That he was trying to hide something," said Morgan.

"Or someone," said Hotch.

Spencer gestured to the journal in his hand.

"He made a mistake... In his third book. I almost missed it, but then I caught it," said Spencer as he found what he read, ""I thought it would take longer, but today was the lucky day. "She almost walked right by, "Almost missed her completely, "But at the last moment, we found our latest guest."" read Spencer.

"We," said JJ.

"He has a partner," said Spencer.

"He put everything in this room so we wouldn't look further, wouldn't dig even deeper," said Rossi.

"If he has a partner, he's still out there, and he's got Rebecca Daniels," said Hotch.

Spencer looked towards the boxes of journals before looking at Morgan and Emily.

"When it comes to telling you two that you two owe me, you two can babysit Josie and Gabby while I'm at the hospital with Maeve so my in-laws and half-sister can have a break from babysitting for a few days," said Spencer.

"Deal," said Morgan and Emily in unison.

"How old are your daughters?" asked Detective Barton.

"Jocelyn is 21-months-old and Gabriella will be 10-months-old on the 15th," said Spencer.

"Why would you and your wife be going to the hospital for a few days?" asked Trooper Creighton.

Spencer's lips curled up into a grin.

"My wife's currently 32-weeks pregnant with twin boys and her doctor wants to do a C-section when Maeve's 36-weeks pregnant," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later JJ came over and grabbed a crate and placed it across from Spencer while handing him a bottle of water.

"I'll help you go through these journals, Spence," said JJ.

Spencer uncapped the bottle of water.

"Thank you," said Spencer as he took a drink of water.

"I'm already planning on doubling up their consults because they could have gone through the journals with you instead of passing them all to you," said JJ quietly.

Spencer smiled a bit before he continued to read.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Spencer realized something as he continued to read the journal as he thought about the time he watched "The Illustrated Man" movie.

"Oh, no, no, that's not right," said Spencer as he got up and stumbled a bit, "Hey, guys, it isn't the only blank space," said Spencer as he made his way to his team and Detective Barton.

"What do you mean?" asked Hotch.

"The spot on his chest where we assumed," said Spencer.

"Yeah?" asked Detective Barton.

"Rebecca's portrait would go... In the journal, he talks about filling in the last space, how once he does that the artwork will be complete," said Spencer.

"And?" asked Detective Barton.

"It isn't the only blank space. In his back, in the middle of that tree is a giant open spot. Why would he talk about completing the artwork when he hasn't? I need to see the body again," said Spencer.

"I'll go with you," said JJ.

Hotch looked at his two youngest agents.

"I'll call the ME and let him know that you're on your way," said Hotch.

A few seconds later JJ looked at Spencer as they stepped outside.

"I'll drive because your bad knee must be stiff from all of that sitting," said JJ.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

"I think that having Emily and Morgan babysit Jocelyn and Gabriella will be a good way for them to pay you back for dumping all of those journals on them," said JJ.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was feeling the tattoos while JJ watched him.

"If these tattoos are a fetish, what enjoyment does he get out of the ones on his back? He can't even see them," said JJ.

Spencer instantly felt some raised ink.

"You know what? There's something here. I can feel the raised ink," said Spencer as he stood up to his full height and looked at the medical examiner, "Do you have a black light scanner?" asked Spencer.

The medical examiner nodded as she walked away.

"Thanks," said Spencer as he motioned to a part of Robert's body, "Right there. Feel that," said Spencer.

JJ felt the body as she realized that Spencer was right about the raised ink.

"Yeah, what is that?" asked JJ.

The medical examiner handed Spencer the black light scanner.

"Thanks," said Spencer as he started to turn on the light, "I've read about this. Tattoos put on with invisible ink so that no one can see them," said Spencer as he moved the light along Robert's body, "Oh, man. Can you, uh, turn the lights down?" asked Spencer as he looked at the medical examiner.

The medical examiner quickly turned the lights down.

"Thanks," said Spencer as he continued to move the light along Robert's body.

JJ's eyes went wide as she saw the tattoo.

"Whoa," said JJ.

"Look, there's one over here, too," said Spencer as he continued to move the light more.

"They're all connected to the faces," said JJ.

Spencer continued to move the light.

"They lead to the blank spot. Ow, wow," said Spencer before he and JJ made eye contact as they realized what was going on in the unsub's life.

"It's an embryo in a womb," said Spencer and JJ in unison.

Spencer instantly thought about his unborn twin sons.

"The partner's a woman, and they're having a baby," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and JJ ended up contacting Hotch and Morgan and they quickly explained what they found out.

"Do we know if she had the baby yet?" asked Hotch.

"The tattoos have dates, the embryo doesn't," said JJ.

"Dating is prominent in the tattoos and the journals and they're calendrical in their abductions. It's hard to believe their baby's birthdate wouldn't be exceedingly important to them," said Spencer.

"Then she's probably still pregnant," said Hotch.

"Well, he didn't live here with a pregnant woman. This is a males-only SRO," said Morgan.

"No, she has to have a house, anyway," said Hotch.

"How do you know that?" asked Detective Barton.

"They kept these women for a year each. It wasn't in a one-room apartment," said Morgan.

"Everyone get back here. We need to update the profile and narrow the search," said Hotch before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting across from Emily as they played poker.

"Three cards, please," said Emily.

Spencer passed Emily three cards.

"Three cards for the lady. And I'm gonna take one card," said Spencer as he took a card for himself.

"Ooh. One card. A straight or a flush, Dr. Reid, what are you trying to fill in?" asked Emily.

"Well, considering the odds of filling in an open-ended straight with one card are five-to-one against, while a one-card flush draw is more like 4.5-To-1, I guess you'd say if I was smart, I'm drawing to a flush. Hmm. I think I'm gonna go all in on this," said Spencer as he slid his pile of pretzels into the middle of the pile of pretzels and peanuts.

Spencer cleared his throat while Emily slid her peanuts into the middle of the pile.

"So, are you?" asked Emily.

"Am I drawing to a flush, or am I smart?" asked Spencer.

"Either," said Emily.

"Well, I'm... I'm provably a genius, but, uh, actually, I was drawing to a full house. 8s over 6s," said Spencer as he set down his cards.

Emily scoffed as she shook her head.

"Ohh... I always forget you're from Vegas," said Emily.

Spencer grinned.

"Yup," said Spencer as he reached towards the pile of peanuts and pretzels.

"Ooh, I'm sorry, not so fast. I, too, have a boat. Jacks over 3's," grinned Emily.

A shocked Spencer looked at Emily.

"You drew 3 cards to a full house? That's like 100-to-1 against," said Spencer.

"97-to-1. Looks like you're out," said Emily as she pulled the pile of peanuts and pretzels towards her just as Morgan removed his earbuds and looked at Emily.

Spencer started to look through the deck of cards.

"Hey, Prentiss. Sin to win," said Morgan.

"I'm sorry, what?" asked Emily.

"Come on, now, I gotta know. What the hell is a sin to win weekend in Atlantic City?" asked Morgan.

Emily scoffed.

"Derek, I have a tremendous amount of respect for you, but there are some questions that if you have to ask them, it means you probably couldn't handle the answer," said Emily as she got up and walked away as she clapped Morgan's shoulder.

"There is a whole other side to that woman," said Morgan.

"I never lose," said Spencer.

"A whole other side," said Morgan as he looked at Spencer, "Do you know what sin to win weekend in Atlantic City is?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded as he smirked.

"I do, but I'm not telling you," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was at the stove making breakfast when Maeve entered the kitchen with her parents, daughters, and sister-in-law.

"You didn't tell us that you were coming home, Spencer," said Maeve.

Spencer chuckled.

"I wanted to surprise you guys," said Spencer just as he scooped up Jocelyn and Gabriella, "Daddy missed you two while I was away," said Spencer.

"We see Nana D?" asked Jocelyn.

"We can see if Nana Diana is having a good day this afternoon," said Spencer before yawning a bit, "After I eat breakfast and wash the Florida heat off of me, I'm going to take a nap for a few hours," said Spencer.

"I'm going to join you because Arthur and Joseph have kept me up for most of the night," said Maeve.

A few minutes later the Reid family and Maeve's parents were sitting around the breakfast table when Stephanie looked at her brother.

"I recently started to read "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, and I'm really loving that book," said Stephanie.

"I enjoyed that book when I first read it too," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"As soon as we're done reading "House Rules" can we read "The Book Thief" because I haven't read it yet," said Maeve.

"We can," said Spencer decided to focus on his breakfast.

Xxxxxxxx 

After breakfast was eaten, a freshly showered Spencer was getting ready to sleep for a few hours when Maeve laid down on their bed.

"How was the case?" asked Maeve.

"I don't think that I'll ever look at "The Illustrated Man" ever again and now JJ's wondering if I have a tattoo because I admitted about reading about invisible ink tattoos," said Spencer.

Maeve giggled.

"You never told the team that we've been talking about getting matching tattoos that deals with the kids after I'm done breastfeeding?" asked Maeve.

"I never told them because they don't need to know about everything we do together," said Spencer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: When it came to reading three short stories "The Veldt", "Kaleidoscope", and "The Other Foot" from "The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury in American Lit Survey in 11th grade, "The Veldt" was my favorite while I also liked reading "The Other Foot" and "Kaleidoscope" in class especially because I had to write a small sequel to "The Other Foot" and I ended up getting an A on the sequel. My classmates and I also had to draw a tattoo and write a story that deals with the tattoo and I drew an alligator.
> 
> The teacher I had for American Lit Survey when I was a junior in high school during the 2010 and 2011 school year is a huge reason why I decided to take a chance and write stories on this website because she always wrote comments about loving my writing when it came to the short stories and essays that I wrote that school year causing her to decided to show samples of my writing out of all of her students at a board meeting that she had to attend while telling me that she wished that she had more students like me.
> 
> "House Rules" by Jodi Picoult and "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak are some of my most favorite books because I read "House Rules" within seven days and "The Book Thief" within five days despite both books having over 500 pages because both books were hard to put down.


	66. Shocking News & Exit Wounds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> , I decided to give every reader of this story a surprise that will cause you all to say "I did not see that coming" because I read that what I have planned in this chapter can happen.
> 
> This chapter starts on May 12th of 2010 and I'm sorry to say that there's no Jocelyn or Gabriella in this chapter.

Spencer was knocking on his sister's bedroom door as he waited for Stephanie to answer.

"I'm decent, Spencer," said Stephanie.

A few seconds later Spencer was sitting on the foot of his sister's bed as he watched his sister comb her hair.

"Are you sure that you want to go to school today? The school wouldn't have a problem of you missing school because of it being the one-year anniversary of your mother's death," said Spencer.

"I want to go because school will be a good distraction for me when it comes to being with my friends and my schoolwork and I'm already planning on talking to my guidance counselor today," said Stephanie before looking at her brother, "Since Maeve's been teaching you how to do various braids for my nieces' hair, can you please do two french braids for me?" asked Stephanie.

"Sure," said Spencer as he got up and started to french braid one side of his half-sister's armpit length hair that was the same color as his.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over two hours later Spencer and Maeve were sitting in Dr. Mark's office when Dr. Marks studied the live feed from the ultrasound she ordered before looking at Maeve.

"Even though I'm wanting to wait with performing a C-section on you until your 36-weeks pregnant, I'm afraid that I'm going to need to bump up your C-section to next week while the babies will have to spend some time in the NICU," said Dr. Marks.

"Why?" asked Maeve.

Dr. Marks looked at Spencer who was leaning against the wall.

"You better sit down so you don't re-injure your bad knee," said Dr. Marks.

Spencer sat down on the stool before looking at his wife's doctor.

"Is everything OK?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Marks zoomed in on the ultrasound she ordered and looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"How many feet do you two see?" asked Dr. Marks.

Spencer and Maeve studied the screen before their eyes went wide.

"I'm pregnant with triplets instead of twins," said Maeve.

Dr. Marks nodded as she studied the screen before smiling when she saw the gender.

"Seems like the hidden triplet wanted to be protected by her brothers," said Dr. Marks.

"We're getting another daughter?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Dr. Marks.

Spencer looked at Maeve who had tears streaming down her eyes.

"Are you OK?" asked Spencer as he wiped his wife's tears.

Maeve nodded.

"They're happy tears, Spencer," said Maeve as she reached out and wiped her husband's own tears.

"I'm happy about getting another daughter too, and we're going to need to buy one more crib," said Spencer.

Dr. Marks looked at Maeve.

"From now until next week Monday, I want you on bed rest while only getting up to use the bathroom, shower, and walk around the house a bit," said Dr. Marks.

"Here or at home?" asked Maeve.

"At home," smiled Dr. Marks.

Spencer looked at Maeve.

"Let's get you home before I go to work," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer was driving Maeve home in their SUV that contained two rows in the backseat.

"It's a good thing that we decided on getting an SUV that holds seven people instead of five," said Spencer.

Maeve chuckled.

"I know, and at least we saved all of the clothing that Jocelyn and Gabriella grew out of and didn't return the extra car seat that was gifted to me during my baby shower," said Maeve before she called her boss and explained everything about being put on bed rest while her C-section has been bumped up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over 90 minutes later, Spencer was nervously knocking on the open door of Hotch's office causing Hotch to look up at him.

"How did Maeve's doctor appointment go?" asked Hotch.

Spencer stepped into Hotch's office and closed the door before he sat down across from Hotch.

"Maeve's officially on bed rest at home and her C-section got bumped up to next week," said Spencer.

"Are Maeve and the babies OK?" asked Hotch.

Spencer reached into his messenger bag and handed Hotch the ultrasound photo.

"They're OK and so is the baby girl that Arthur and Joseph have been hiding for 21 weeks," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at the ultrasound photo before looking at Spencer.

"Maeve's pregnant with triplets instead of twins?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"Yes, and before you ask, Maeve and I are both shocked and happy about getting one more biological child before Maeve has her tubal ligation after her C-section," said Spencer before he took a deep breath, "Maeve and I want to keep our third daughter a secret because we want to surprise everyone about the triplets in the hospital, but we knew that you needed to know because of me needing to start paternity leave next week," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was packing up to go home for the night when Emily looked at him.

"Are you sure that Maeve and Stephanie don't want to be included on the girls' night out that JJ, Penelope, and I are going on tonight?" asked Emily.

Spencer shook his head.

"Maeve was placed on bed rest this morning and Stephanie has a biology test tomorrow and she asked me to help her study," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later, Spencer was sitting at the conference table with his teammates when a tuxedo-clad Rossi entered the room.

"Whoa!" said Emily.

Hotch took in Rossi's appearance.

"Sorry to ruin your night," said Hotch.

Morgan chuckled.

"What, are you working on wife number four?" asked Morgan.

"I see you, people, way too much," grumbled Rossi as he took a seat between Hotch and Morgan.

"Let's get started," said Hotch.

JJ looked at her teammates.

"All right. Anchorage field office is asking us to investigate a series of murders in Franklin, Alaska. There are three people dead in less than a week," said JJ.

Spencer thought about what he knew about Alaska.

"For a town with a population of 1, 476, that's fairly significant," said Spencer.

"It's their first murder investigation on record," said JJ.

"Who are the victims?" asked Rossi.

JJ pulled up a picture of a man.

"Uh, Jon Baker, a hunter," said JJ as she pulled up another picture, "Dedaimia Swanson, a schoolteacher. Brenda Bright, the first mate on a fishing boat. There's a new victim every two days," said JJ.

"Any connections?" asked Emily.

"Unfortunately, in a town this small, everyone's connected," said JJ.

"Different kill methods," said Morgan as he looked at his file, "It says the first two victims were both shot with a rifle, but Brenda Bright was stabbed twice with an arrow?" asked Morgan.

"Are we sure it's the same guy?" asked Rossi.

"All three victims were found in heavily trafficked areas. The unsub wants them found sooner than later," said Hotch.

"Jon Baker's body was left exposed to the elements, but the two women were buried under mounds of trash. Why?" asked Emily.

"It could be a sign of remorse. Cover their bodies so he doesn't have to face the reality of what he's done," said Spencer.

"Or he thinks that the women are trash and he's just placed them where he thinks they belong," said Morgan.

"Well, we can't be sure of anything yet. Franklin is an isolated fishing community that's been hit really hard by the current economy. Add to that a series of unsolved murders and everyone's on edge," said JJ.

"The local sheriff's out of his depth. And Alaska hasn't handled a serial investigation since Robert Hansen in the eighties. We'll fly out tonight. Everybody can sleep on the plane," said Hotch before looking at Garcia, "Garcia, I need you with us," said Hotch.

"Sir?" asked Garcia.

"I've tasked a satellite up-link and it's your job to keep us connected," said Hotch.

Garcia nodded in understanding.

"Yes, sir," said Garcia.

"This town's already on the brink, and if this pattern continues, we've only got another day until the next murder. Let's finish this fast," said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was calling Maeve to let her know that he was heading to Alaska and that he had warm clothes in his locker.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on the next morning, Spencer was sitting on the couch while Hotch sat on the ledge near him when Emily looked at her teammates.

"This guy's all over the map. Crosses sex and race boundaries. He changed his kill method. It says to me he's disorganized," said Emily.

"Yet there weren't prints at any of the crime scenes, and he isolated his victims," said Rossi.

"Wearing gloves and making sure there aren't any witnesses- that's a no-brainer. But what concerns me is the evolution of the kills," said Morgan.

JJ looked at Morgan.

"Evolution?" asked JJ.

"Well, he started with easy prey. Jon Baker was in his mid-sixties. It's relatively low-risk for a first-timer. Dedaimia Swanson was in her early fifties. She wouldn't be that difficult to overpower," said Morgan.

"But he didn't have to overpower either one of them. Both victims were shot," said Spencer.

"Which is my point exactly. He killed them both from a safe distance. But Brenda bright was younger, more athletic. She would have been able to put up much more of a fight, so why not shoot her, too?" asked Morgan.

"That supports the disorganized theory," said Hotch.

"Maybe he didn't get what he wanted from his first two victims. Brenda Bright was an attractive woman. He used an arrow, but he didn't shoot her with it. He stabbed her. I think we all know what that means," said Rossi.

"When we land in Anchorage, there will be a float plane to take us to Franklin. When we get there, Morgan and Prentiss work the crime scene. We need to know exactly how he ambushed his victims. Reid and Rossi, the bodies. Find out what you can there. JJ and I will work victimology. And, Garcia, town records. Find us something we can use," said Hotch.

"Of course, sir. I should let everybody know that reception in the area is unreliable at best. I'm giving everybody satellite phones for communication, and I've already pre-programmed all your digits into speed dial. Guess who's lucky number 7," said Garcia causing chuckles.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer walked in step with Doctor Johnson who looked at Spencer.

"Sheriff asked me to keep everyone on ice till you got here. Still, I can't believe someone from Franklin would be capable of this," said Dr. Johnson sadly.

"What convinced you she was stabbed with the arrow instead of shot?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Johnson led Spencer and Rossi into a building.

"Upward angle at the point of entry. He would have had to been shooting from beneath her," said Dr. Johnson as he led Spencer and Rossi down some stairs, "There wasn't much left. Forest got to him first. I found urine on the remains," said Dr. Johnson.

"Urine?" asked Rossi.

"I thought it was from the animals who scavenged his body, but I got the lab results back this morning," said Dr. Johnson.

Spencer looked at the bodies while Rossi read a report.

"The urine was human. Is he marking his victims?" asked Rossi.

"Only found it on Jon. Both the women were clean," said Dr. Johnson.

"Jon was shot three times. The unsub grazed him twice and then hit him in the head. Dedaimia Swanson was only shot once," said Spencer.

"The first kill shows hesitation, uncertainty. He wasn't confident taking the terminal shot," said Rossi.

"It was either accidental or spur of the moment, but the second kill, he only needed one shot. He's progressing quickly," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Dr. Johnson.

"Were you close with the victims?" asked Rossi.

"An occupational hazard when you're the only doctor in town," said Dr. Johnson while Spencer uncovered a body, "I delivered Brenda. Never thought I'd outlive her," said Dr. Johnson.

Spencer examined Brenda's torso.

"Look at the cuts on her torso. They're shallow and non-penetrating," said Spencer.

"Not necessary for the murder," said Rossi.

Spencer studied the body a bit more.

"You know what? These were made postmortem. He's playing with the bodies, experimenting with his methodology," said Spencer.

"Someone incapable of remorse. We're dealing with a psychopath," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Dr. Johnson.

"Have you determined whether or not she was raped?" asked Spencer.

"I didn't even think to look," said Dr. Johnson.

Xxxxxxxx 

Rossi stoked the fire that was started to keep him and everyone else warm as he looked at his teammates.

"He's already experimenting with his victims. He violated Brenda Bright with an arrow," said Rossi.

"And he's inciting panic. People who have lived here most of their lives are packing up to leave," said Morgan.

"Can you blame them? We have a psychopath whose hunting ground is a town of 1, 400 people," said JJ.

"Most of them grew up learning to kill animals and start fires," said Spencer.

"It sounds like your basic survival skills," said Sheriff Rhodes.

"No. They're hunting skills. Think about it. The marksmanship, the urine- it makes sense," said Rossi.

"The urine makes sense?" asked Morgan.

"It's a hunter's trick. You urinate downwind to keep the animals away," said Rossi.

"He tried to preserve Jon Baker's body so it would be discovered intact," said Hotch.

"All right, so we've got a psychopath with hunting skills who knows the routines of everyone in town. How are we supposed to keep everyone safe?" asked JJ.

Hotch looked at Sheriff Rhodes.

"Sheriff, I suggest you institute a curfew until we have the unsub in custody. Nobody out after dark," ordered Hotch.

"I'll have one of my deputies patrolling around the clock," said Sheriff Rhodes.

Hotch looked at Garcia.

"Garcia, how's it coming with town records?" asked Hotch.

"I've run everyone who's been printed through CODIS. Nothing's come up so far. I'm gonna pull an all-nighter, finish going through the town records. Should have background checks by sunrise," said Garcia.

"Good," said Hotch as he thought about the bigger time difference that everyone had to deal with, "The rest of us should get some sleep, start fresh in the morning," said Hotch.

"I've got four of the upstairs rooms available," said Carol.

"Uh, four?" asked Spencer.

Sheriff Rhodes chuckled.

"Come on, that's the best we can do. Your team is double the size of my department. I'll see you in the morning," said Sheriff Rhodes.

Hotch looked at Sheriff Rhodes.

"Good night," said Hotch as he looked at his teammates, "It looks like we'll have to double up," said Hotch.

"I'm not sleeping with Reid," said Morgan as he didn't notice the look at Spencer's face.

Garcia quickly grabbed Morgan's arm.

"Dibs," said Garcia.

A minute later Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi were upstairs while JJ and Emily went into one of the rooms that only had one bed while thinking about Carol telling them that one room has two beds.

"There's one room with two beds and one room with one bed, so how are we going to split up?" asked Spencer.

"When it comes to being the oldest, I insist on having my own room," said Rossi.

A minute later Spencer and Hotch were in the only room that contained two beds when Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Is Morgan's comment bothering you?" asked Hotch.

Spencer sighed as he thought about how well Hotch knows him.

"I know that Morgan usually doesn't like sharing a hotel room with me because I always have to leave some type of light on," said Spencer as he took a deep breath before continuing, "But the two times he shared a hotel room with me while I was on crutches, he didn't have an issue with leaving some type of light on because Dr. Trader didn't want me to have a hotel room to myself," said Spencer.

"I thought that you always enjoyed sharing a hotel room with me when we doubled up?" asked Hotch.

"I feel safer while I share a hotel room with you," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later both Spencer and Hotch woke up in their beds at the same time to hearing Garcia screaming.

"HELP!" cried Garcia.

"That's Garcia," said Spencer as he quickly fumbled for his glasses and slipped them on, "She said that she was going to stay up all night," said Spencer.

"We better go see what's going on," said Hotch.

A few seconds later both Spencer and Hotch were pulling on their clothes. As soon as Spencer had his clothes on, he looked at Hotch.

"It's going to be another minute before I get outside because I want to insert my contacts," said Spencer just as Emily knocked on the door.

"I heard Garcia screaming," said Emily.

Hotch who was pulling on his jacket looked at Spencer.

"Wake up Rossi if he's not awake and then get outside," said Hotch.

"Yes, sir," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer and Rossi approached Hotch, Emily, and Sheriff Rhodes.

"His name's Craig Ramey. Fisherman," said Sheriff Rhodes.

"Morgan and I met him this morning. He was packing up to leave," said Emily.

"He's accelerating his schedule. We should have had another day. Why change that?" asked Spencer.

"Ramey was pretty vocal about wanting to get out of town. If the unsub knew that, he could have struck early to prevent his target from getting away," said Emily.

"There has to be more to it than that. He brought the body to the tavern we're staying at," said Rossi as he turned on a flashlight and knelt down while Spencer walked closer to the body.

"He's telling us that he's not afraid of us. He's gaining confidence," said Hotch.

Spencer crouched down.

"He switched to a hunting knife. Looks like a jagged edge," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the wounds.

"There's more physical damage, too, like he was cut open," said Spencer as he stood to his full height, "I won't know until Dr. Johnson does an autopsy, but I'd be willing to bet he took a piece of the victim with him," said Spencer.

"What kind of piece?" asked Hotch.

"It's hard to say, but judging from the location, I would guess liver or spleen," said Spencer as he placed his hands back in his pocket.

Spencer approached Hotch, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi when he heard Sheriff Rhodes speak.

"Yeah, but why the organs?" asked Sheriff Rhodes.

"Consumption typically indicates a desire to keep the victim with them. He's having trouble letting go. We're probably looking for someone with severe abandonment issues," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at the sky.

"It'll be light soon. Let's get everybody together and go over what we know," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on the couch with JJ while reading a family when Emily entered the room.

"Hey. What are you guys working on?" asked Emily.

"Hotch asked if we'd go through Garcia's background profiles, try to find a link between Joshua and the four victims," said Spencer.

"You find anything?" asked Emily.

"They all had hunting licenses," said Spencer.

Emily sighed.

"Needle, meet haystack. Yeah, we need the big guns," said Emily just as a dejected Garcia entered the room.

"Ripped and ready to rumble," mumbled Garcia.

JJ moved to the other end of the couch.

"Uh, maybe you should sit this one out," said JJ.

Garcia took the spot between Spencer and JJ.

"No, JJ, I'm OK. Put this bastard where he belongs," said Garcia just as she noticed what JJ was looking at on the laptop, "Joshua Beardsley?" asked a shocked Garcia.

"Yeah. We think he's our unsub," said JJ.

"No, he's not," said Garcia.

"He fits the profile. Abandonment issue triggered by his father's recent death. Hunting experience," said Spencer just as Emily looked at him.

"Reid-," said Emily.

"Experimentation with animals," said Spencer.

"Reid," said Emily just as Carol looked at Spencer, JJ, Emily, and Garcia.

"You arrested my son?" demanded Carol.

"We brought him in as a precaution," said Emily while Carol left her tavern.

"I'm telling you, it's not him," said Garcia.

"What makes you so sure?" asked JJ.

"Because the unsub ran away from me," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at Garcia.

"Of course he ran. He knew you were FBI," said Spencer.

"But Joshua knows I'm a techie. He knows I don't carry a weapon. If he was the unsub, I'd be dead right now," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer stood with Rossi while Deputy Flack led Joshua Beardsley and a few other young men out of the jail cell as he hated the thought of Joshua losing his last surviving parent.

"You guys finally realize I'm innocent?" asked Joshua.

Deputy Flack looked at Josh.

"Joshua, please have a seat," said Deputy Flack.

"More questions? You serious? I'm telling you, I didn't do this," said Josh.

"We know that, son. Please, sit down," said Rossi grimly.

"What's going on?" asked Josh.

"Josh, the-the killer struck again last night," said Deputy Flack gently.

"Ohh, God. Who did he get?" asked Joshua while Spencer and Rossi both stayed silent, "Why are you guys only telling me this?" asked Joshua.

Spencer stayed silent as he thought back to the phone call he had from a crying Stephanie a year and four days ago while thinking about his own mother.

"Where's my mom?" asked Josh.

Spencer and Rossi both opened their mouths as they couldn't handle saying where Joshua's mother was while Josh connected the dots.

"No. No. No. No, no, no, no. No, no, no, that's impossible. She-she was just here. I-I just talked to her!" yelled Joshua.

"I'm sorry, Joshua. She's gone," said Rossi.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no," cried Josh as he sat down, "No, no. You- You're lying," cried Josh.

"I wish we were," said Spencer softly.

"I need to see her," cried Josh.

"Not right now. You don't want to think of her that way," said Rossi.

"Joshua, we know you need time to mourn," said Spencer as he stepped closer to Josh, "but the fact of the matter is, the man who did this is still out there, and we think that you can help us find him," said Spencer.

Josh glared at Rossi.

"You had me locked up while she was- I could have helped her," choked Josh.

Spencer ducked his head.

"If you had gone to her, there's a good chance you'd both be dead. Now we need your help," said Rossi.

"Why me?" asked Josh.

"The murders began when you returned to town. Now, up until now, he's only targeted people who were trying to leave, but for some reason, with your mother, it was personal," said Spencer.

"The pressure's on. The FBI is here," said Rossi.

"In that situation, a serial killer wants to finish what he started, he goes after the true target of his cause," said Spencer.

"Personal?" asked Josh.

"Can you think of anyone who had a grudge against her? Anyone at all?" asked Rossi.

"How about anyone with a grudge against you?" asked Spencer.

"No. No. Everybody loved her," said Josh.

Spencer took a breath.

"The man that we're looking for has severe abandonment issues. Now, can you think of a time when you or your mother left somebody, maybe like a bad break-up or a fight that ended a friendship?" asked Spencer.

"Did your mother ever take anyone in at the inn who had family problems, maybe someone who had been kicked out or lost someone unexpectedly?" asked Rossi.

Josh stood up.

"No. No, no, no, no, there was nothing like that. Uh, listen, can I go see my mom now?" asked Josh.

"Josh. Josh, you need to let these people help," said Deputy Flack.

"No, I need- I need to see my mom," said Josh.

"Well, let's have someone take you," said Rossi.

"It's OK. I know the way," said Josh before he walked away before Deputy Flack walked away.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"Did you see his behavior shift from wanting to help us to wanting us to leave? He's lying," said Spencer.

"Because he knows who the unsub is," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at his watch and looked at Rossi.

"I need a few minutes to call my mom," said Spencer.

"Go ahead," said Rossi.

A minute later Spencer was standing outside as he pulled out the satellite phone he was given and dialed his mother's hospital. After talking to Diana's nurse for a minute, he smiled when he heard his mother's voice.

"Spencer?" asked Diana.

"Hi, mom," said Spencer.

"Shouldn't you be at work right now?" asked Diana.

"I'm taking a small break because I needed to hear your voice," said Spencer.

"Are you currently at headquarters or are you out on another adventure without my beautiful daughter-in-law and granddaughters?" asked Diana.

"I'm currently in Franklin, Alaska and the mountains are very beautiful up here," said Spencer.

"Have you ever worked a case in Alaska before?" asked Diana.

"No," said Spencer.

"Can you please take pictures of the mountains for me, Spencer?" asked Diana.

"I was already planning on taking pictures for everyone," said Spencer.

"I'll let you get back to work, and please visit me as soon as you can when you return from Alaska, baby," said Diana.

"I promise, mom," said Spencer.

"I love you, baby," said Diana.

"I love you too, mom," said Spencer before he hung up just as Rossi approached him.

"Feeling better, kiddo?" asked Rossi.

"Yes, and I'm planning on visiting her as soon as I can after this case," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"I know that your hiding something because I heard you tell Hotch that you want this case to be your last case in the field until a month after the babies are born," said Rossi.

Spencer took a deep breath.

"At Maeve's weekly appointment two days ago, we found out that Maeve's actually carrying triplets instead of twin boys," said Spencer.

"I knew it," said Rossi before smiling a bit, "Did you two find out the gender?" asked Rossi.

"Its another girl and we have a week to decide on names because Maeve's C-section has been bumped up to next week for hers and the triplets' health," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on the couch with Hotch standing nearby him while Sheriff Rhodes looked at the BAU team.

"I got one of my deputies tailing Joshua. If he does something stupid, we're gonna know," said Sheriff Rhodes.

"There's got to be a connection we're missing. Garcia, anything?" asked Hotch.

"Their lives have been torn apart, Figuratively and literally, and I can't find anything," said Garcia.

"Try again," said Hotch.

"I'm hacking into his college database as we speak. Maybe there's something about his life in Seattle I may have missed," said Garcia.

"Good. All right, why Carol? Why the mutilation? Why the overkill?" asked Hotch.

"Mutilation?" asked Rossi while he looked at Sheriff Rhodes and Deputy Flack, "You said you found the remains of mutilated animals in the woods from a rabid bear?" asked Rossi.

"That's right," said Deputy Flack.

"Did you take pictures of them?" asked Rossi.

"Of course we did. We documented everything for identification," said Sheriff Rhodes.

"We'll need to see those pictures right away," said Rossi as he motioned Spencer and Hotch to come with him.

A few minutes later Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi were looking at the pictures as they came up to the same conclusion causing Hotch to look at Sheriff Rhodes.

"Sheriff, we need to adjust the profile," said Hotch.

"What do you mean?" asked Sheriff Rhodes.

"These animals weren't mutilated by a rabid bear. Someone did this," said Rossi.

"You mean a person," said Sheriff Rhodes.

Spencer looked at the sheriff.

"An animal wouldn't have left so much," said Spencer.

"We should have seen it before. It's homicidal triad 101," said Rossi.

"We said the kills were all over the map. The unsub lacks sophistication and shows immaturity in his kills because he is immature," said Spencer.

"He started with animals because that's what he was taught ever since he was a child," said Rossi.

"And when he got bored with animals, he moved on to more challenging prey," said Hotch.

"People," said Rossi.

"Your unsub's a teenage boy," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing next to Hotch while Hotch knocked on the door of the Porter family's house and a few seconds later an angry man opened up the door.

"Mr. Porter, is your son at home?" asked Hotch.

"What's it to you?" asked a yelling Mr. Porter.

Hotch pushed Mr. Porter aside as he made his way towards Martha Porter.

"Turn that off," ordered Hotch as he gestured to the TV.

As soon as the TV was off, Spencer and Sheriff Rhodes were searching the house while Hotch looked at Owen's mother.

"Did you know?" asked Hotch.

"Don't know what you're talking about!" yelled Mr. Porter.

"Not for sure. Not until last night. He came home covered in blood," said Martha.

Sheriff Rhodes quickly joined Hotch.

"He's not here. But the window's open," said Sheriff Rhodes.

Hotch looked at Martha.

"It's not the first time you've washed blood out of his clothes, is it?" asked Hotch.

"Don't answer them, Martha!" demanded Mr. Porter.

Spencer entered the living room while Hotch glared at Owen's father.

"SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" shouted Hotch before looking at Martha, "I promise he will not lay a hand on you again," said Hotch.

"No. It wasn't the first time," cried Martha.

"Mrs. Porter, I understand you're only trying to protect Owen, but you can't anymore," said Hotch.

"He's always been different. He's not like us. When he was a little boy, he used to go out into the woods and come home covered in blood," cried Martha.

Sheriff Rhodes looked at Martha.

"Why didn't you tell anyone, Martha? How could you just sit there and do nothing while people died?" asked Sheriff Rhodes.

Hotch looked at Martha.

"How did Owen react when Joshua was sent away?" asked Hotch.

"He wanted to leave, too. But I couldn't let him," said Martha.

Spencer thought about the social isolation he dealt as a child.

"Mrs. Porter, do you have any idea what social isolation does to a child?" asked Spencer.

"I was afraid of what he might do if he ever left here. We knew. We knew what he was," said Martha.

A few minutes later Hotch looked at Martha.

"Do you know where he's headed?" asked Hotch.

"Was there a place he went to be alone?" asked Spencer.

"A hiding spot when you were mad at him?" asked Hotch.

"Hiding spot. How the hell are we supposed to know?" asked Mr. Porter.

"If you know, you need to tell me. I'm trying to help him. There's a mob out there, and if they find him, they're not gonna turn him over. They're gonna take justice into their own hands. If you value your son's life, you need to help me," said Hotch.

Mr. Porter looked at his wife.

"Martha, don't!" demanded Mr. Porter.

After a few seconds of silence, Martha looked at Spencer, Hotch, and Sheriff Rhodes.

"Lake Lafayette. He and Joshua built a fort there when they were younger," said Martha.

"You'll need a boat upriver to get there," said Sheriff Rhodes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Spencer was hiding in a boat with Hotch and Sheriff Rhodes as they waited for Owen to get on one of the boats and when they heard someone jump onto a boat, all three men got out of their hiding places.

"Owen, put the gun down," ordered Hotch.

Spencer and Sheriff Rhodes stepped onto the dock.

"Drop it, son," ordered Sheriff Rhodes.

"Who do you want to take your chances with, us or them?" asked Hotch before looking at Josh and the mob that came, "Drop the weapons and back away!" ordered Hotch

"Can't do that, agents. The boy's coming with us," said Josh.

"It's not happening!" ordered Hotch.

Sheriff Rhodes looked at Keith.

"Back down, Keith. We're in control now," said Sheriff Rhodes.

"What are you gonna do, Steve? He's 16. Send him back to juvie so he's out in two years? He killed Brenda," said Keith.

"He killed my mom," said Josh.

"He needs help and he will be held accountable for his crimes," said Hotch.

"Accountable? Five people are dead," said Josh before he looked at Owen, "Why'd you do it, Owen? Huh? Why'd you kill her?" asked Josh.

Owen looked at the man who was a big brother to him.

"You left me behind," said Owen.

"You killed my mom!" yelled Josh.

"She sent you away! You left and you didn't come back. Eight years and I never heard from you again," cried Owen.

Spencer looked at the mob.

"Please, just let us take him in," said Spencer.

"Sorry. I can't. I know what you're saying is right, but I can't do it," said Josh.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss, but please just put your guns down so no one else gets hurt," said Spencer as he noticed Rossi, Emily, Morgan, and Deputy Flack coming from behind Josh and the mob.

"Are you kidding? You're outnumbered and outgunned. Who do you think has the higher ground here?" asked Josh.

"I'm pretty sure we do!" shouted Rossi causing a few men to lower themselves to the ground.

"I don't know. What are you- what are you doing? We can still take him!" demanded Josh.

Keith looked at Josh.

"It's over, Joshua," said Keith.

"He killed my mom," said Josh.

"I know, and I'm sorry," said Keith.

Josh was about to shoot Owen causing Sheriff Rhymes to shoot Josh.

"You shot him?" asked Keith.

"Uhh!" said Josh as Keith helped him stand.

"He'll live," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later everyone was flying home from Alaska when Spencer looked at his teammates as he thought about Maeve giving him the OK to share the news about expecting triplets instead of twins as a way to cheer up Garcia.

"I thought that I should let you guys know that I start paternity leave next week Monday because Maeve's C-section got bumped up to next week Friday," said Spencer.

"Is there something wrong with Maeve, Arthur, and Joseph that would cause the twins to be born much sooner?" asked Garcia.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"They're all fine including the baby girl that Arthur and Joseph have been hiding for 21 weeks," said Spencer.

After a few seconds of silence as Garcia, Rossi, JJ, Emily, and Morgan went over what Spencer said before Garcia's face lit up.

"Triplets!" squealed Garcia as she got up and hugged Spencer.

Spencer nodded.

"We were going to keep my third daughter a secret, but after the case we just had, Maeve agreed that I should tell you guys to bring a smile to your face, Garcia," said Spencer.

"Finding out that there's going to be another baby girl to spoil really cheered me up," said Garcia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I remember reading an interview that Joe Mantegna did and he stated that his character would have gotten hotel room to himself in Exit Wounds, so I would imagine that JJ and Emily ended up sharing a hotel room while Spencer and Hotch shared a hotel room.
> 
> I'm still thinking about names for Baby Girl Reid and its going to be a few chapters before I do The Internet is Forever because I decided that I can have time jumps between The Internet is Forever and The Darkest Hour because of a few scenes that I planned for The Internet is Forever which will be easier on Maeve if she isn't pregnant & The Longest Night and JJ.


	67. Arthur, Joseph, and Baby Girl Reid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts the evening after the last chapter and I promise that the next chapter will be longer while knowing that this is the chapter that everyone has been waiting for.

Spencer looked at Maeve as he massaged Maeve's swollen feet.

"While I shared a hotel room with Hotch in Alaska, we discussed my paternity leave because I told Hotch that I refuse to officially go on paternity leave until all three triplets are out of there hospital. We ended up discussing what I can do without having to travel with the team and Strauss approved Hotch's and my plans since she agrees that my family is more important right now than going away for a case," said Spencer.

"What are you going to do until Arthur, Joseph, and Baby Girl Reid are home from the hospital?" asked Maeve.

"I'll be taking mornings off so I can take care of you, Jocelyn, Gabriella and spend time with the triplets in the hospital, but I'll have to be at Quantico for 1 PM to teach a profiling class before I take a stack of consults home to work on in my home office," said Spencer.

"That's perfect, and how many weeks are you going to take off after the triplets are home?" asked Maeve.

"I'll only be taking two weeks off this time," said Spencer.

Maeve smiled at her husband as she rested a hand on his arm.

"If your worried that I'll be upset about you only taking two weeks off this time, its OK because you can't leave your team shorthanded for a long time and I have my parents, Stephanie, Holly, Erica, and Ramona to help me out while Jeremy insists on mowing our lawn once a week while he babysits his cousin," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled.

"Other than giving Stephanie a raise in her allowance that we give her from her Social Security survivor benefit checks, how much are we going to pay Holly, Erica, Ramona, and Jeremy for helping out?" asked Spencer.

"When they got permission from their parents to help us out, they all flat out refused our offer to pay them," said Maeve.

Spencer shook his head before coming up with a solution.

"Since they refuse to be paid for sacrificing their summer vacation to help us out, we should get permission from Holly's, Erica's, Ramona's, and Jeremy's parents or foster parents and surprise them with a trip to either Six Flags in Woodmore or Busch Gardens in Williamsburg at the end of their summer vacation to thank them for their help," said Spencer.

"Taking Stephanie, her boyfriend, and her friends to an amusement park to thank them for sacrificing their summer vacation is a great idea," said Maeve before thinking of the deprived childhood her husband had, "Have you ever been to an amusement park before?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"Uncle Gordon took my cousins and me a few times and I also went during my time at Cal-tech when I was working on my degree in engineering," said Spencer.

"Stephanie has talked about wanting to go to Busch Gardens someday and I always enjoyed the times that my parents took me to Busch Gardens," as she licked her lips, "Hopefully you'll go on one or all three of the water rides and get soaked so I can admire the view of you in a soaking wet t-shirt or polo shirt that's showing off all the muscle you developed while you recovered from getting shot," said Maeve seductively.

Spencer's face instantly started to turn red while Maeve laughed.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next Monday, Spencer looked at Stephanie as he, Stephanie, Joe, Mary, Jocelyn, and Gabriella all ate pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs for breakfast while Maeve who had to start fasting during the night fed Gabriella her scrambled eggs.

"Since you can't miss school today because of finals, do you want me to call the school after the triplets are born and have them pass you the message?" asked Spencer.

"Yes and please send me a picture of my nephews and newest niece to my phone and I'll look at it as soon as I can take out my phone," said Stephanie.

Jocelyn looked at her daddy.

"Daddy go bye-bye?" asked Jocelyn.

"Mommy, Nana Mary, Papa Joe, and I are going to the hospital because your little brothers and sister will be born today," said Spencer.

The 21-month-old toddler grinned as she started to clap her maple syrup covered hands at the thoughts of having more playmates.

"Yay!" cheered Jocelyn.

Maeve thought about their next-door neighbor Jolene Robinson who lost her husband in a car accident while being a single mother to a two-year-old daughter and worked from home who insisted on babysitting Jocelyn and Gabriella after Spencer's shooting so Jocelyn and Gabriella didn't have to go with her father and Spencer when Spencer had physical therapy.

"Will you be a good girl for Jolene until grandma Mary and grandpa Joe come home?" asked Maeve.

"Yes mommy," said Jocelyn.

Gabriella who was sitting in her high chair rested her foot on her mommy's big stomach and her eyes went wide when she felt a kick.

"Mama?" asked Gabriella as she pointed at her mommy's stomach.

"Did you just feel your baby brothers and baby sister kick?" asked Maeve.

"Aye," said Gabriella.

Xxxxxxxx 

15 minutes later Spencer was helping Maeve get into the front seat of their SUV while Joe and Mary dropped Jocelyn and Gabriella off at Jolene's hours as Stephanie started her walk to school.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Maeve was laying on a table in the operating room when Spencer who was sitting on a nearby stool looked at Maeve who wasn't in any pain at all because of the epidural she was given.

"You doing OK?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Maeve.

"Here comes Baby A," said Dr. Marks.

Spencer and Maeve instantly glued their eyes towards the mirror that was positioned so they could watch their three youngest children be delivered as they watched Dr. Marks remove a baby from Maeve's stomach and cut the umbilical cord.

"Baby A is a boy and he has your brown curly hair, daddy," said Dr. Marks as she showed the crying baby boy to Spencer and Maeve.

"He looks like you too, Spencer," said Maeve.

Dr. Marks gently passed Triplet number one to a nurse before worked on getting triplet number two out and cut the umbilical cord.

"Baby B is another baby boy and it looks like he has your hair, mommy," said Dr. Marks as she showed the crying baby boy to Spencer and Maeve.

"At least they won't be identical," said Maeve.

Dr. Marks handed the red-headed baby boy to a nurse before she worked on getting the final baby out of Maeve and as soon as she removed the crying baby girl from Maeve's stomach she cut the umbilical cord and showed the baby girl to Spencer and Maeve.

"Congratulations mommy and daddy Baby C is a girl," said Dr. Marks.

Spencer and Maeve both teared up at the sight of the crying baby girl.

"She definitely has my mother's blonde hair, Maeve," said Spencer.

Dr. Marks passed Baby Girl Reid to a waiting nurse before she looked at a scrub-clad Spencer.

"Its time for you to leave so I can perform a tubal ligation on your wife, but you can go with the triplets to the NICU," said Dr. Marks.

Spencer looked at Maeve.

"I love you and I'll see you when you wake up," said Spencer.

"I love you too, and please take pictures for me," said Maeve.

"I will," said Spencer before he left the operating room with Arthur, Joseph, and Baby Girl Reid.

Five minutes later Spencer entered the waiting room and smiled at his in-laws who instantly stood up.

"How are Maeve and the triplets?" asked Mary.

"The C-section went smoothly and the triplets are getting looked over right now while Dr. Marks performs a tubal ligation on your daughter," said Spencer.

"How long is it going to be before we're allowed access to the NICU to see the triplets?" asked Mary.

"I was asked to wait a half hour so certain tests can be done while the triplets get bathed too," said Spencer.

"Let's go get some coffee while we wait to see the newest additions of our family," said Joe.

Spencer looked down at his scrubs.

"I'm going to go change first, but I'll meet you guys in the café," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer was in the bathroom changing back into his street clothes before he headed down to the café as he called his mother's doctor to make arrangements for his mother to come to the hospital.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer was giving his youngest daughter a bottle that contained formula while singing to her when Dr. Marks approached him and smiled at him, Joe, and Mary who were each feeding one of the triplets.

"How's Maeve?" asked Spencer.

"Maeve is doing well and she'll be in her hospital room in about two hours," said Dr. Marks before smiling down at Joseph, Arthur, and Baby Girl Reid who were all drinking formula, "How are they doing?" asked Dr. Marks.

"They all weighed four pounds each and they're all incredibly healthy too," said Spencer.

"Other than your three youngest children needing to spend time in the NICU, that's great news," said Dr. Marks.

Xxxxxxxx 

Meanwhile at the BAU, Hotch, Emily, Morgan, Garcia, and Rossi were sitting at the round table while JJ was getting ready to brief her team about the latest case when Hotch's phone rang.

"Its Reid," said Hotch as he answered his phone and put it on speaker, "We just got a case and we can't talk long, but other than the picture you sent us of the triplets earlier, how are Maeve and the triplets doing?" asked Hotch.

"Arthur, Joseph, and Baby Girl Reid are doing great when it comes to eating and breathing on their own and Maeve did well during surgery and is currently in recovery," said Spencer.

"That's great," said Hotch.

"Am I able to stop by and hold the triplets this evening?" asked Garcia.

"I'm sorry to say that Maeve and I got permission to take four people into the NICU once and my mother, in-laws, and my sister were the most logical choices. So you guys and everyone else will have to wait with meeting Arthur, Joseph, and Baby Girl Reid for another couple of weeks," said Spencer.

"Its OK Reid," said Hotch.

"I have to get going because Maeve's going to be awake from surgery soon and I promised her that I would be there when she wakes up," said Spencer before he hung up.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Maeve woke up to her husband sitting in a chair next to her bed.

"Hey," said Spencer as he helped Maeve drink some water.

After Maeve had moisture in her mouth, she looked at her husband.

"How are the triplets?" asked Maeve.

"Other than Arthur, Joseph, and Baby Girl Reid weighing four pounds each, they're all incredibly healthy," said Spencer.

"Good, and I hope you took pictures that I can look at until I'm allowed to go see them," said Maeve.

Spencer grabbed his phone and showed his wife a picture of the triplets.

Maeve smiled at the picture of the triplets.

"I can't wait to hold them," said Maeve just as an orderly came into the room with two trays of food.

"I took the liberty of ordering you some lunch since your doctor wants you to eat right away," said Spencer.

"Thank you," said Maeve as she started to eat her lunch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Five hours later, Spencer was helping Maeve stand as they looked at the wide-awake triplets who were all in separate bassinets with various IVs and tubes attached to them.

"Arthur looks like you, Spencer," said Maeve.

Spencer chuckled as he thought about how he and Maeve discussed that the older triplet boy would be named Arthur while the younger triplet boy would be named Joseph.

"Even though Joseph has my curls, he looks like you, Maeve," said Spencer as he looked at his youngest daughter who looked just like his mother when it came to having blue eyes and curly blonde hair, "Baby Girl Reid looks just like my mom," said Spencer.

"Do you want to name her?" asked Maeve.

Spencer looked at Maeve in shock.

"You don't want to pick her name?" asked Spencer.

Maeve studied her youngest daughter.

"I was thinking of Gwen so we could continue the Arthurian theme, but she doesn't look like a Gwen to me," said Maeve.

Spencer tilted his head as he studied his youngest daughter.

"I agree that she doesn't look like a Gwen," said Spencer.

"We should ask your mom for help when she arrives in an hour," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled as he thought about the arrangements he made to have one of his mother's nurses bring his mother to the hospital to see her newest grandchildren in the NICU.

"Good idea," said Spencer.

"I have a middle name in mind," said Maeve as she said the middle name she had in mind causing Spencer to pull his wife into a gentle kiss before he helped Maeve get back into her wheelchair before a NICU nurse helped an exhausted and sore Maeve hold the triplets.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer smiled when his mother entered Maeve's hospital room with his mother's favorite nurse.

"Hi, mom. Hi Nurse Clarice," said Spencer.

"Congratulations on the new additions," said Nurse Clarice.

"Thank you," said Spencer and Maeve in unison.

Diana looked at her daughter-in-law who had her long auburn hair pulled into a ponytail.

"How are you feeling, Maeve?" asked Diana.

"I'm sore, but holding Arthur, Joseph, and Baby Girl Reid an hour ago helped me," said Maeve.

Diana looked between her son and daughter-in-law.

"You two still haven't figure out a name for my youngest granddaughter?" asked Diana.

"We still want to do an Arthurian theme for her name, but we agreed that our youngest granddaughter doesn't look like a Gwen," said Spencer.

Diana looked at her son.

"Am I allowed to go into the NICU and see my youngest grandchildren?" asked Diana.

"We already got permission for you to go in there," said Spencer before looking at Nurse Clarice, "You also have clearance to go into the NICU too," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at the wheelchair that was in her hospital room.

"Can you please help me get into my wheelchair?" asked Maeve.

"Yes," said Spencer.

Nurse Clarice looked at Maeve.

"I'll help you too," said Nurse Clarice.

A few minutes later Spencer was pushing Maeve's wheelchair to the NICU while Diana walked alongside them with her nurse.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later, Diana was studying Arthur, Joseph, and Baby Girl Reid before she looked at her son and daughter-in-law.

"Even though they're smaller than Jocelyn and Gabriella were when they were born; Arthur looks like his daddy, Joseph looks like his mommy, and Lynette looks just like me," said Diana.

"Lynette?" asked Spencer and Maeve in unison.

"She looks like a Lynette to me and Lynette goes with the Arthurian theme you two decided to do for my three youngest grandchildren," said Diana.

Spencer smiled.

"Lynette Diana Reid definitely rings a good bell like Jocelyn Elizabeth Reid, Gabriella Kaitlyn Reid, Arthur Wyatt Reid, and Joseph Percival Reid," said Spencer.

Diana hugged her son.

"I'm honored to have a grandchild named after me, Spencer," said Diana.

Nurse Clarice looked at Spencer.

"Is your mother allowed to hold her three youngest grandchildren?" asked Nurse Clarice.

"She is," said Spencer.

Nurse Clarice looked at Diana.

"Let's get a picture of you holding your three youngest grandchildren before I take you back to the hospital," said Nurse Clarice.

A few minutes later Nurse Clarice was taking a picture of Diana holding Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Maeve was cuddling with Jocelyn and Gabriella in her hospital bed while Spencer took Stephanie down into the NICU so she could meet Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette ended up being born on May 17th of 2010 and its true that a NICU will only allow blood relatives into the NICU. So the team will meet Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette in the next chapter.


	68. The Internet is Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided not to write in Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette's time in the NICU and Spencer's paternity leave, but I'll tell you readers that all three triplets went home to Spencer, Maeve, their maternal grandparents, aunt, and big sisters after two weeks in the NICU.
> 
> Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are all four-weeks-old now, and the next chapter will include a few time jumps when it comes to Father's Day, Gabriella turning one, and Jocelyn turning two.
> 
> When it comes to Spencer stating that he doesn't have internet in "The Internet is Forever", I have it that Spencer does have email.

Spencer stood between Jocelyn and Gabriella who were both sitting in booster seats with capes wrapped around their fronts as two barbers got ready to cut Jocelyn's and Gabriella's hair for the very first time.

"Are you two ready for your very first haircuts?" asked Spencer.

"No," said Jocelyn.

"No," said Gabriella.

Jocelyn looked at her daddy.

"Daddy go first," said Jocelyn.

Spencer shook his head as he thought about his 22-month-old daughter's language skills growing.

"I'll get my haircut too, Josie Posie," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer was sitting in the chair while the barber looked at Spencer.

"Do you want your usual trim or do you want something different?" asked the barber.

Spencer nodded as he started to explain how short he wanted his hair cut before the barber got started while Jocelyn and Gabriella watched.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer walked into the house with both Jocelyn and Gabriella on his hips when Jocelyn and Gabriella both grinned when they saw their mother sitting on the couch reading a book.

"Mommy," said Jocelyn.

"Mama," said Gabriella.

"Hey," said Spencer.

Maeve gasped at the sight of her husband's much shorter hair.

"Your hair," said Maeve.

Spencer placed Jocelyn and Gabriella onto the floor causing Jocelyn to run to her mother while Gabriella toddled to her mother.

"Both Jocelyn and Gabriella refused to get their haircuts unless I got my hair cut too. I decided that I needed much shorter hair since its easier to manage while we continue adjusting to triplets," said Spencer as he glanced at the two bassinets that contained one-month-old triplets Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette who were all sleeping as he ran his free hand through his hair just as Stephanie came downstairs.

"Hi Stephanie," said Spencer.

Stephanie gasped at the sight of her brother's much shorter hair.

"You got your hair cut short," said Stephanie.

"Your two oldest nieces refused to get their haircut unless I got my haircut too," said Spencer.

Stephanie softly chuckled.

"I can't wait to see how Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Lynette are when they're teenagers because you'll be in trouble with unwrapping yourself from their fingers," said Stephanie.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer and Maeve were getting dressed for bed when Maeve looked at her husband.

"Your new haircut really helps show how much you filled out since getting shot," said Maeve while running a hand through Spencer's short curls, "I'm also glad that you didn't get rid of all of your curls," said Maeve.

"I'm glad you like it," said Spencer.

Maeve smirked at her husband.

"When I get the all clear from my doctor in two weeks, I'll make sure to show you how much I like my haircut," said Maeve as she kissed her husband, "But for now we need to get some sleep because Arthur and Lynette will be waking us up in a few hours while my parents get to deal with Joseph in their room," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were fast asleep in their bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer looked at Maeve as they, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Stephanie, and Maeve's parents ate breakfast while Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were sleeping in their bassinets.

"Are you sure that you want me to go back to work today? Hotch told me that I can take an extra week off if I want," said Spencer.

"We'll be fine because Holly and Erica will be helping us out today while Ramona recovers from getting her appendix out," said Maeve just as Lynette started to cry.

"I got her," said Spencer as he quickly got up and scooped up his four-week-old daughter and felt her diaper and realized that it was wet, "Daddy will change your diaper, Lynette," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer was in Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette's nursery changing his youngest daughter's diaper and when he snapped Lynette's onesie in place, Maeve came in with Arthur and Joseph.

"They need diaper changes too," said Maeve.

Spencer shook his head.

"I really prefer changing the girls diapers over Arthur's and Joseph's diapers," said Spencer.

Maeve chuckled.

"I know, but in a few weeks Arthur and Joseph will control their bladders when we change their diapers and bathe them," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his watch.

"I should change one of the boys' diapers before I go pick up Erica and Holly before I head to work," said Spencer as he took Arthur from his wife and changed his oldest son's diaper.

Xxxxxxxx 

90 minutes later Spencer was approaching the conference room as he heard JJ brief everyone on their latest case.

"They went missing roughly two months apart," said JJ just as Spencer stepped into the doorway causing her to see Spencer's new haircut, "Well, hello," said JJ.

Spencer smiled a bit as he took a seat next to Hotch as he saw the looks on his silent teammates' faces as they broke out of the shock they were in of Spencer having his hair chopped short before Hotch turned towards him.

"What, did you join a boy band?" deadpanned Hotch as laughter erupted in the room.

A slightly disturbed Spencer looked at Hotch.

"No," said Spencer while Emily and Morgan laughed before Emily became serious.

"OK, so what are we looking at here? Late 20s, early 30s," said Emily.

"All single, though two are in committed relationships. All living on their own," said Rossi.

"Looks like normal suburban houses. Gives the unsub privacy," said Morgan.

Spencer who was done looking through the file looked at his teammates.

"The differences are more striking than the similarities. Different hair colors, different body shapes," said Spencer.

"What do you know about his MO?" asked Hotch.

"That's why we were invited in. The abduction sites are pristine," said JJ.

"And there's no DNA besides the victims', and there's no sign of forced entry or a struggle," said Morgan.

"And the victims aren't reported missing until two or three days after they're abducted," said Emily.

"Two or Three days... Women like this don't just vanish without somebody noticing," said Rossi.

"Yes. Which is why I asked Garcia to dig into their lives," said JJ as she nodded at Garcia.

"And when I took a look at their online activity, I could easily see how the unsub is doing it," said Garcia as she pulled up a website that a victim was on.

"Social networking sites," said Emily.

"Yeah. Facebook, Twitter. You name an online life-sharing time suck, the victims were on it. And if you look at each of their last posts, they say kind of the same thing... Going out of town, going on a business trip, going on a vacation. But when you look at the time and date stamp of each of these, cue the "Twilight Zone" music, because they were all posted the morning after each of them went missing," said Garcia.

"The unsub posted them," said Hotch.

"Social networks are an easy way for an unsub to target his victims," said Spencer as he looked down at the posts he read, "These women were especially open. They posted everything from what they were having for dinner to where they were going on dates," said Spencer.

"So this unsub friends his victims and then uses that as a cover once he takes them," said Morgan.

"That means he can hack into their accounts. So he's excellent with computers," said Emily while Garcia nodded.

"Definitely profiles as patient and organized. He's obsessive enough to remove all forensic details, but also patient enough to wait two months before abductions," said Spencer.

"He can afford to be. He gets three days to do whatever he wants to these women," said Hotch.

"That means we need to assume these women are already dead. The question is what he does while he has them," said Hotch before giving a departure time before looking at Spencer, "Welcome back," said Hotch.

"Thank you, and thanks again for letting me come in an hour later this morning," said Spencer.

"Its OK because you're still adjusting to having five kids instead of two," said Hotch.

JJ, Emily, and Garcia looked at Spencer.

"What's up with the much shorter hair?" asked Emily.

"Yesterday I took Josie and Gabby to get their first haircuts while Maeve, Artie, Joey, and Nettie were napping, and Josie insisted that I get my haircut before she did," said Spencer causing laughter.

"Seems like your going to have a hard time unwrapping your daughters from your finger as they get older," said JJ.

Spencer softly chuckled.

"I know, but having much shorter hair will be easier to manage because it's been a rough two weeks since the triplets got out of the hospital," said Spencer.

"Speaking of the triplets, do you have any photos to show before heading to the jet?" asked Garcia.

Spencer nodded as he showed his teammates a picture of him, Maeve, Stephanie, Jocelyn, Gabriela, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette the day before.

"When mom came over for dinner yesterday, she thinks that I should send a photo to dad's parole officer since Father's Day is this coming up this Sunday," said Spencer.

"What do you think?" asked Hotch.

"Even though I filed a restraining order against him because of him punching me, he's still Stephanie's and my father and Jocelyn's, Gabriella's, Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette's grandfather," said Spencer. 

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting between Emily and a window when Morgan looked at the file in his hands before looking at his teammates.

"So if this unsub is using social networks to find his victims, can't we use that to find him?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah, if these women each had 100 friends following them, then the unsub would pop up on each of their lists, right?" asked Emily.

"Uh, the detective in charge, John Fordham, he looked into their groups. Everyone checked out," said JJ.

"Social networking sites are surprisingly insecure. Facebook recently tried to update all their privacy settings, and in doing so, they made everybody's profiles viewable," said Spencer.

"Can somebody explain to me the appeal of these sites?" asked Rossi as he looked at the status updates he was reading, ""Eating sushi tonight. Yum." "Boss is keeping me late at work. Grr."," said Rossi causing some chuckles, "Whose life is so important that we'd be interested in this kind of detail?" asked Rossi.

"I don't know. I guess that's the running joke, right? I mean, nobody is. But we'd all like to believe There's actually an audience out there that wants to follow our every move. You know, some sites actually have a GPS feature built in. You can tell exactly where someone is every time they post a new comment," said Morgan.

"This is telling us how he's finding them, but it's not telling us how he's getting into their houses," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the file that he was reading.

"At the very least, I believe that he has copies of their keys. Dorris Archer had a home security system installed, but the disable code was entered at 1:56 AM. So he knew that, too. He also found a way to deal with her dog. A German Shepherd she adopted from the pound last year went missing the night that she did," said Spencer.

"All right, so this guy's gotta be in and out of the house well before the night of the disappearance. He comes up with some ruse, talks his way inside, then once he's familiar enough with the house, he knows he can come back and kidnap them without disturbing anything," said Morgan.

"What about the people who come into your house that you don't consider a threat? Home repair guys, dog-walkers," listed Rossi.

"Yeah, Detective Fordham looked into that, too. No one even came close to being a killer," said JJ.

"OK, Morgan and Prentiss, start with the last abduction sites. See if anything points to his MO. Dave, you, Reid, and JJ go back over the women's lives. Start with their friends on the social networking sites. If this is how the unsub is finding them, Maybe they're connected to him without even realizing it.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"When it comes to Stephanie having a Facebook account so she can keep in contact with her friends in Maine, did you and Maeve give her any strict rules about what she can and can't post on Facebook?" asked Emily.

"We have, and she understands that Maeve and I gave her those rules because I'm wanting to protect my family," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer followed Hotch, JJ, and Rossi into the bullpen of a police station in Boise, when JJ approached an older looking man.

"Uh, Detective Fordham," said JJ as she shook Detective Fordham's hand.

"Agent Jareau?" asked Detective Fordham

"Yeah," said JJ while Detective Fordham shook Hotch's hand, "Uh, these are SSA Hotchner, Rossi, and Dr. Spencer Reid," said JJ.

Spencer smiled and waved at the detective.

"Well, thank you for coming. We can really use your help," said Detective Fordham.

"Did you find anyone willing to talk to us about the victims?" asked Hotch.

"The problem wasn't who to bring in. It was who not to," said Detective Fordham as he gestured to a group of men and women.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting across from Mary Ann who was telling him about Samantha. 

"Samantha was rigorous about keeping her status updated. She was obsessed with those sites," said Mary Ann.

"So I'm assuming she knew who followed her, then?" asked Spencer.

"Oh, God, no. She had over 1,000 friends," said Mary Ann.

"Wow. Why so many?" asked Spencer.

"We both worked in real estate. She saw it as the perfect way to promote herself," said Mary Ann.

"So, wait. Even though she told all those people what she was doing, she didn't know who was following her?" asked Spencer.

"You ever have so much email, you feeling like you're drowning in it?" asked Mary Ann.

"I mainly use email for work and academic purposes, but the only time I use email for personal reasons is when my wife sends me videos of my kids," said Spencer before looking at Mary Ann, "Thank you for your help, and I'll walk you out," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Mary Ann looked at Spencer as he escorted her out of the building.

"How many kids do you have?" asked Mary Ann.

"Three girls and two boys," said Spencer before seeing a shocked look on Mary Ann's face, "My wife gave birth to fraternal triplets a month ago and there's a history of multiples in her family," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer approached a cabinet that contained pictures of Doris Archer with her boyfriend before he entered the kitchen as he listed to Hotch, Emily, and Morgan talk before he decided to speak up.

"What does he do with the video? Maybe he keeps them?" asked Spencer.

Morgan turned around and looked at Spencer.

"If he's a voyeur, yes," said Morgan.

"Ah, voyeurs are rarely violent. Their excitement comes from spying without the object Knowing they're being watched," said Spencer.

"And by abducting his victims, he's removing the outlet of his sexual release. Reid is right. So he must have some other agenda with these cameras," said Emily as she noticed Spencer looking at the fridge.

Spencer studied a magnet that contained a picture of Doris with her boyfriend on the fridge before he started to pull off the magnet.

"He might be sharing the footage with other people. We need to have Garcia dig into surveillance and illegal video websites," said Hotch.

Spencer approached Hotch, Emily, and Morgan.

"I'm going to take this with us," said Spencer as he held up the picture he removed from the fridge.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Why?" asked Hotch.

"We originally profiled there wasn't any facial similarity between the victims, but I'm not so sure that's true. I want to compare Dorris' picture with the other victims," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Over two hours later Spencer approached Hotch.

"I know what connects the victims," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer had pictures of the victims showing up on the monitor as he looked at his teammates and Detective Fordham.

"I was staring at pictures of the victims and I knew there was a pattern connecting them, But I couldn't tell what it was until I broke it down mathematically. Why are we so drawn to celebrity faces? Because there's a symmetry to their beauty... The eyes, the ears, the ratio of the forehead to the chin. The more balanced they are, the more appealing they are to our eye," said Spencer.

"These women aren't celebrities, though," said Detective Fordham.

"No, but there are similarities between them, and it wasn't until I scanned their pictures and got it to the guys at Quantico that I had a full breakdown," said Spencer as he used a remote to show the work that was done, "All right, strip away eye color, hair color, and skin tone, And what are we left with geometrically?" asked Spencer.

Hotch instantly knew what Spencer saw.

"They're all slightly dystopic. The left eye is slightly lower than the right eye on all the victims," said Hotch.

Emily noticed a similarity.

"All the noses are narrow," said Emily.

Detective Fordham noticed the foreheads.

"The forehead has the same ridge," said Detective Fordham.

"He might not even be aware that he sees it in them. There have been studies that suggest that we pick our spouses subconsciously, based on a facial symmetry that we recognize," said Spencer as he smiled a bit as he thought back to the first time he saw Maeve.

"So consciously or unconsciously, when he recognizes it, he has to destroy it," said Rossi.

"Which means he only has interest in the bodies as they relate back to him," said Spencer.

"Maybe... They're a reflection. Remember what he did at the end of the video?" asked Rossi as he fast forwarded the video he saw a few hours ago.

Emily watched the unsub wipe a tear away.

"He wiped the tear away," said Emily.

"Another act of compassion he's not capable of. His narcissism prevents him from that," said Rossi.

"In the Greek myth, Narcissus was so self-absorbed that he fell in love with his own reflection in the water," said Spencer.

"Exactly. He finds women with the same face, He strangles them, and then stares at them after they've died. But whose image does he really see?" asked Rossi.

"His own," said Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"Other than knowing that you fell in love with Maeve because of her being a scientist, was her facial features the reason why you asked her out?" asked Emily.

Spencer blushed a bit.

"Yes," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Emily looked at the officers who came to hear the profile.

"Most of us take the internet for granted. We forget about texts that we share or updates we put on social networks. But the internet never forgets. Once it's out there, it's out there forever," started Emily.

"Now, we all know about the horrific deaths that get shown on the web. The murder of a journalist. The stoning of an Iranian dissident. Those murders are immortal," said Morgan.

"And this unsub craves that same immortality," said Hotch.

"He recognizes his face on theirs and he kills them as a way of saying, "This is what I look like."" said Spencer.

"We think this also informs his compulsion to take the bodies with him," said Morgan.

"He takes them to a secondary location where we believe he preserves them, so that every time he looks at them, he sees his own ego reflected," said Hotch.

"Fortunately for us, this means we have a good idea of what he looks like," said Emily as she started to pass out sketches of the unsub, "Based on the shape of the victims' faces, we have a rough composite sketch," said Emily as she continued to pass out fliers.

"This unsub is an expert with computers and home networks. So look into criminal records Of men with extensive computer training," said Morgan.

"We know you've already looked into the victims' computer IT settings, so we'd like to expand the search. Look into electronic stores, computer distributors, IT departments where the women worked," said Spencer.

"We overuse the term narcissistic in our culture, but we're going back to the psychological definition. Every aspect of this man's life has been constructed around an inflated sense of self," said Morgan.

"Unsubs like this are particularly vulnerable to what's called a narcissistic injury. If his self-worth is attacked or damaged, he will lash out," said Emily.

"So, if you find this unsub, do not challenge him publicly. Say you just want to talk him, see if he knows anything about the brilliant mastermind who's stalking these women," said Rossi.

"Under no circumstances should you denigrate him. As difficult as it is, we need to talk up his exploits as if we respect him," finished Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting in front of a computer at a small table with JJ and Detective Fordham standing near them when Hotch hurried into the room.

"He's going live," said Hotch just as the live feed popped up onto the computer in front of Spencer, JJ, and Detective Fordham and the TV in front of Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, and Emily.

Rossi noticed the unsub moving quickly.

"Look at the way he's moving. He's not slow and deliberate. This guy's pissed." said Rossi.

"All right, what do we see? Determining markers," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the house.

"A one-story cottage," said Spencer.

"It could be anywhere," said Detective Fordham.

"Is there a number on the house?" asked Morgan.

"No, and he's already at the door," said JJ.

Hotch addressed Garcia who was still on the phone.

"Garcia," said Hotch.

"He's using twice as many proxy servers," said Garcia.

Emily noticed something on the screen.

"Wait. This window here on the bottom... is that the chat room?" asked Emily.

"Uh-huh," said Garcia.

Emily noticed the victim in the kitchen.

"There she is," said Emily.

Spencer saw the unsub enter the kitchen.

"He's in the house, guys," said Spencer.

"He's completely changed his MO. It is way too early. There's too much light. What happened?" asked Morgan.

"Someone asked the wrong question at the press conference," said JJ.

Emily noticed the location of the unsub.

"Oh, my god, turn around. Just turn around," pleaded Emily.

"Maybe she can fend him off," said Morgan.

Spencer noticed the state of the kitchen.

"New kitchen appliances. Can we track them through work orders?" asked Spencer.

"He'll be gone by then," said Rossi.

"Garcia, give us something," said Hotch.

"I'm stateside now. I'm almost to Idaho. I just need more time," said Garcia.

"You're not gonna make it," said Hotch.

"Yes, I will. I will. I…," stuttered Garcia.

"Forget the unsub. Can you run a trace on everybody in the chat room?" asked Hotch.

"I can't do both, sir. Let me do this," said Garcia.

"Garcia, tag the viewers. That's an order," said Hotch.

As Spencer watched the newest victim die, he quickly flashed back to the time he watched Tobias Hankel murder Pam and Mike Hayes on live feed as he gripped the table in front of him while Detective Fordham looked at Spencer and saw that Spencer was paler than usual, his mouth was open, while his eyes had a wild look in them.

"You OK, Dr. Reid?" asked Detective Fordham.

Hotch who heard Detective Fordham's question turned his head and instantly noticed the state that Spencer was in and remembered the Hankel case causing him to make his way towards Spencer. Hotch knelt down and took a firm grip of Spencer's hands.

"Spencer, your safe in Idaho and not in Georgia," said Hotch as he worked on repeating the mantra as he continuously squeezed Spencer's hands while JJ rubbed Spencer's shoulders.

Two minutes later Spencer came back to reality causing him to quickly shoot up from the chair he was sitting in and rush towards the nearest men's bathroom and headed into a stall and vomited what he ate for dinner earlier into the toilet. A minute later, Spencer felt familiar hands rubbing his back.

"Hotch?" croaked Spencer.

"I'm not going to ask if you're OK because I know your not, but I should have told you to leave the room so you wouldn't deal with a flashback," said Hotch.

"Its OK," said Spencer.

"You think you're ready to stand up?" asked Hotch.

"I think so," said Spencer.

Hotch stood up before he helped Spencer stand up. After Spencer flexed his bad knee, Hotch helped him walk out of the stall and head towards the sink where there was a bottle of water waiting.

"I grabbed a bottle of water before coming in here to check on you," said Hotch.

"Thanks," said Spencer as he started to wash his hands.

"Hell of a case to work on during your first day back from paternity leave," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly dried his hands before grabbing a bottle of water and took a few sips to get the taste of vomit out of his mouth.

"I agree," said Spencer before looking at Hotch, "Was it this bad when you guys sans Rossi watched Hankel kill me, give me CPR while wondering if it will work, watch me play Russian roulette with him before I named you to die and gave you a clue based on a debate we had, and hear a gunshot in the cemetery 10 seconds before realizing that I was the one to shoot and kill Hankel?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his watch and yawned.

"After Maeve and I tended to Arthur and Lynette last night while Maeve's parents took Joseph downstairs with them, I really need some sleep since there were times that Arthur and Lynette woke up at the same time," said Spencer.

"We're all going to head to the hotel and I'll be rooming with you because I'm not letting you have a hotel room to yourself when it comes to you dealing with PTSD symptoms right now," said Hotch.

"I agree with not wanting to have a hotel room to myself right now, and after this case, I'll be scheduling an appointment with Dr. Moss while attending the next movie," said Spencer.

"I was going to suggest those two things too," said Hotch.

Spencer ran a hand through his shorter hair.

"At least having short hair again prevented me from getting vomit in my hair since I spent countless mornings holding Maeve hair when she dealt with morning sickness," said Spencer.

Hotch chuckled a bit.

"I hope you weren't upset about my comment about your new haircut," said Hotch.

Spencer laughed.

"Other than Stephanie and her friends giving out wolf whistles when I left the house this morning, Maeve, my mom, and my mother-in-law all commented to me about this haircut showing off how much I filled out since getting shot during dinner last night," said Spencer.

"Speaking of dinner, before you get some sleep, I'm going to make sure that you eat something so you don't lose the weight that you gained while recovering from getting shot," said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer and Hotch left the bathroom where they found Emily, JJ, Morgan, and Rossi waiting for them.

"Even though I freaked you guys out when I was having that flashback before rushing off to the bathroom, I will eventually be OK, guys," said Spencer.

"I wanted to come in there to help you, but Hotch didn't want you to feel overcrowded," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning, Spencer and JJ showed Mrs. Hightower a cable causing Mrs. Hightower to look at Spencer and JJ.

"Yes, this is our cable," said Mrs. Hightower.

"Mrs. Hightower, we went over your records, and it turns out that none of the four victims signed up with your service," said Spencer.

"Four? God, those poor women," said Mrs. Hightower.

"We think it's an employee using your cable as a ruse to get into the house. Can you think of any…," said JJ.

"Mac Jones. Uh, he worked on one of our trucks as we laid the fiber in with the regular phone line," said Mrs. Hightower.

"And you're certain that it's him?" asked Spencer.

Mrs. Hightower nodded.

"We caught him hoarding it. He said it was for a home project. Until we got angry phone calls that he was going door to door offering free fiber-optic installation. We fired him on the spot," said Mrs. Hightower.

"We need his information," said JJ.

"Absolutely," said Mrs. Hightower.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was leaning towards a computer that Hotch was sitting in front of while they talked to Garcia on the phone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, meet Mac Jones," said Garcia as a face of a man popped up on the computer.

Spencer remembered the picture he saw at the phone company.

"That isn't the ID we got from the phone company," said Spencer.

"That's because last year Mr. Jones had his identity stolen. The unsub took his license and his credit card, used them for two weeks, and then moved on. Now, I can't tell you who the unsub is pretending Jo be now, But since a picture's worth a thousand databases, I can tell you who he was. Robert Johnson, three-time loser, arrested for possession of torture videos. Spent some time in a halfway house before he disappeared. I found a blog of his online. Here's a quote... "Next time you won't be able to stop me."," read Garcia.

"That's his narcissism again," said Spencer.

"Furious that he got caught and he remakes himself as a killer," said Hotch.

Spencer picked up the legal pad he had in front of him and walked to a nearby table.

"It allows him to free the impulses that were always there," said Spencer as he sat down, "Garcia, is there a pattern to the identities that he steals?" asked Spencer.

"No. He's really disciplined about it. Once he burns through an identity, he never uses the same one again. You know how I describe some suspects as being off the grid? This guy is totally the opposite. He's all over the grid. He's manipulating the grid. And he never stays in one place for very long," said Garcia.

"So how do we find out who he is now?" asked Hotch.

"I don't think we're going to. The man known as Robert Johnson is in the wind. If he's this flexible with his name, his real name, forget it. But there's another way we can find him," said Garcia.

"Which is?" asked Hotch.

"His online name, his hacker handle. That's the name that matters to him," said Garcia.

"Wait. Wouldn't he have hundreds of those, too?" asked Spencer.

"Most definitely. But remember how I said hackers are loyal? They stick to certain names. That's how you identify yourself to other hackers. That's how the FBI caught me," said Garcia.

"So if we find the handle…," said Hotch.

"I'll get you the unsub. I promise," said Garcia darkly.

Spencer quickly spoke up.

"Are you going to be OK, Garcia?" asked Spencer.

"What do you mean?" asked Garcia.

"When it comes to all of us watching Allison die last night, I know that you are reliving the Hankel case just like Hotch, JJ, Emily, Morgan, and I all are," said Spencer.

"I kept having nightmares about watching you die last night," said Garcia.

"I dealt with a flashback of Hankel killing Mike and Pam Hayes and Hotch had to break me out of the flashback before I sprinted off to the bathroom and got sick," said Spencer.

"Are you OK?" asked Garcia.

"Hotch made sure that I ate again before he shared a hotel room with me, and I'm already planning on speaking to my therapist after this case. When we get the unsub and come home, I'll make sure to give you a hug," said Spencer.

"Even though your not a huge fan of physical contact?" asked Garcia.

Spencer slightly chuckled as he thought back to how he got used to physical contact more after meeting Maeve.

"Even though I've gotten better with physical contact after I met Maeve, I know that you need a reassuring hug to show that I'm still here," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing in the conference room when Hotch and Rossi joined him just as the phone rang causing Hotch to put the phone on speaker.

"Go ahead, Garcia," said Hotch.

"Watcher 89...I got him," said Garcia.

"Does he have his own network?" asked Hotch.

"He doesn't need one. He's got a whole city to leech off of," said Garcia.

"He's doing this again tonight. Can you send me a list of networks he's hacked recently? Those are the potential victims," said Hotch.

Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi heard Garcia typing.

"I got 20 hits," said Garcia.

"All right. Filter out men and families. He only kills single women," said Hotch.

"Eight left," said Garcia.

Spencer thought about the facial symmetry he identified.

"Garcia, do you have any pictures?" asked Spencer.

"Coming your way," said Garcia.

As soon as the eight pictures of single women came onto the monitor, Hotch and Rossi watched Spencer walk over to the monitor and studied the pictures for a few seconds before Spencer pointed at one picture.

"Her. She's the one," said Spencer.

"Lucy Masters. You sure?" asked Rossi.

Spencer turned around and looked at Hotch and Rossi.

"She's the only one with facial symmetry that would appeal to him," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was watching a struggling Lucy on the monitor as he worked on keeping flashbacks at bay while Hotch addressed Garcia.

"Garcia, the unsub is working off Lucy Masters' network. Can you tell where the video's being transmitted to?" asked Hotch.

"I can't tell. He's not logged in as watcher 89. He's not using any of the regular proxy servers. If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't know that this was him," said Garcia just as some beeping sounded, "Damn it! He's encrypted his connection to the proxies. There's nothing I can do to help you find him," said Garcia.

"What do we see?" asked Hotch.

Spencer studied the room that Lucy was in.

"Metal walls. It must be the secondary location where he takes the victims," said Spencer.

Rossi noticed something about the room that Lucy was in.

"Wait a minute. Garcia, can you magnify the wall behind her?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah. Yeah, I can do that," said Garcia as she zoomed in the live feed.

Rossi instantly noticed frost on the walls.

"Is that frost on the wall?" asked Rossi.

"It's a walk-in freezer," said Hotch.

"And I know where he got it," said an angry Rossi as he stormed off.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over six hours later Spencer walked over to Garcia who was waiting by his desk and pulled her into a hug.

"Are you going to be OK?" asked Spencer.

"I will be," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer entered Jocelyn's and Gabriella's bedroom and smiled at the sight of 22-month-old Jocelyn sleeping in her twin sized bed and 11-month-old Gabriella sleeping in her crib. A few seconds later Spencer was crouching down and kissed Jocelyn's forehead.

"Daddy loves you, Jocelyn," said Spencer.

At that moment Jocelyn woke up and her face broke into a huge grin when she saw her daddy.

"Daddy you home," said Jocelyn.

"Daddy's home, Jocelyn," said Spencer before looking at her oldest daughter, "Do you need help going to the bathroom before you go back to sleep?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Jocelyn just as Gabriella woke up in her crib and grinned when she saw her daddy.

"Dada!" exclaimed Gabriella as she stood up in her crib and held to the railing.

Spencer who helped Jocelyn get out of her bed walked over to Gabriella's crib and instantly sniffed the air.

"I guess someone's in need of a diaper change," said Spencer.

A nodding Gabriella grinned as her red curls bounced and a minute later Jocelyn was using her small potty training toilet while Spencer changed Gabriella's diaper. After Jocelyn and Gabriella were both cleaned up, Spencer was sitting in a rocking chair with Jocelyn and Gabriella sitting on his lap.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half hour later Maeve walked into Jocelyn's and Gabriella's bedroom and smiled at the sight of Spencer sleeping in the rocking chair with his arms tightly wrapped around Jocelyn and Gabriella who were both fast asleep with their heads resting against their father's heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: What always annoys me about the episode The Internet is Forever is that no one brought up the Hankel case because Garcia had to watch Spencer die while Hotch, JJ, Morgan, and Emily watched Hankel give Spencer CPR and Spencer play Russian roulette with Hankel. So I hope that I pleased everyone with the scene I created after Spencer, Hotch, JJ, Emily, Morgan, Rossi, and Garcia watched Allison Kittridge die.
> 
> Even though none of you have asked me when I'm planning on ending this story, but I'm pleased to tell you faithful readers that I finally decided that this story will end after It Takes A Village because of the plans I made for Spencer after Supply & Demand. So depending on how many chapters deal with episodes (Sometimes I combine two episodes in one chapter) and filler chapters that deals with family fluff, this story might have over 100 chapters.


	69. Spencer vs William 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be prepared for some Spencer Reid whump and a minor character death within the Reid family (Maeve, the kids, Diana, and Stephanie won't die but please be nice about this chapter) and an unsub appearing much sooner than she would have appeared because of my plans for Spencer's future in the FBI after Supply & Demand.

Spencer woke up to being giving kisses by Jocelyn and Gabriella and as soon as he had his glasses on he smiled at his two oldest daughters.

"What's with the wake-up call?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn instantly remembered what her auntie Stephanie taught her to say to her daddy.

"Happy daddy's day, daddy," said Jocelyn.

Spencer gave his 22-month-old daughter a kiss before he gave his 11-month-old daughter a kiss.

"Thank you, girls," said Spencer just as Stephanie came into the room with a tray filled with breakfast.

"Happy Father's Day, Spencer," said Stephanie as she set the tray of breakfast onto her brother's lap before kissing her brother's cheek.

"Thank you, and where's Maeve?" asked Spencer.

"She, Joe, and Mary are currently feeding Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette," said Stephanie.

Spencer smiled as he thought about his nearly five-week-old triplets.

"Knowing Maeve, she'll want me to eat breakfast before I hold the triplets," said Spencer.

"Damn straight," said Stephanie.

Jocelyn looked up at her daddy.

"Damn," said Jocelyn causing Spencer to give his giggling sister a stern look.

"Sorry, Spencer," said Stephanie.

Spencer shook his head as he started to eat his breakfast while he made sure to allow Jocelyn and Gabriella to have small bites of his scrambled eggs and pancakes.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer smiled as he allowed his mom and one of her nurses into the house.

"I'm glad that you are well enough to spend another Sunday afternoon here, mom," said Spencer.

"Me too, Spencer," said Diana before noticing how quiet the house was despite the smell of food cooking in the kitchen and hearing Maeve, Mary, Joe, and Stephanie talk, "Where are the kids?" asked Diana.

"Jocelyn and Gabriella are taking their afternoon naps in their room and Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are napping in the bassinets over there," said Spencer as he gestured to the three bassinets.

Diana walked over to the three bassinets and smiled at the sight of the sleeping triplets.

"Arthur keeps on looking more look like you every time I see him and his siblings," said Diana.

"I know," said Spencer just as Maeve came into the living room and smiled at her mother-in-law.

"Hello, Diana," said Maeve.

Diana walked over to her daughter-in-law and gave her a gentle hug.

"How are you feeling?" asked Diana.

"I'm getting my strength back every day and my C-section scar rarely hurts anymore," said Maeve.

"Good," smiled Diana just as Jocelyn alerted her presence through the baby monitor.

"Daddy? Mommy? Nana? Papa?" asked Jocelyn.

"Mama? Dada?" asked Gabriella.

"I got them," said Spencer.

"I'll come with you, Spencer," said Diana.

A minute later Spencer smiled as he watched Jocelyn and Gabriella react to their grandma Diana visiting.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates when JJ looked at her teammates.

"We're heading to Las Vegas, Nevada for an unsub who are all killing both men and women over the past weekend," said JJ as she pulled up pictures of the victims, "Eddie Newby, Brett Dickens, Alexa Libsen, and Harper Hillman," said JJ causing Morgan to look at Spencer.

"The four worst tormentors in your former high school," said Morgan.

A pale Spencer looked at his teammates.

"There's no way that I would have killed the four worst bullies from school because I spent the weekend here in DC with Maeve, the kids, my sister, and my mom," said Spencer.

"We know," said Hotch.

"I also know that my former classmates Parker and Ethan wouldn't do this too because they were visiting over the weekend and Parker lives in Los Angeles and Ethan lives in New Orleans," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer and his teammates approached Detective Ashby when Detective Ashby looked at the BAU team.

"I wish that I can meet you guys under better circumstances," said Detective Ashby.

Hotch looked at Detective Ashby.

"We need to speak in your office and what's mentioned can't be told to anyone," said Hotch.

A minute later Detective Ashby was standing in his office and looked at Spencer, Hotch, JJ, Emily, Rossi, and Morgan.

"What do I need to know in private?" asked Detective Ashby.

Spencer looked at Detective Ashby.

"I graduated high school with Brett, Eddie, Alexa, Harper, when I was 12 and all four of them were bullies to me," said Spencer as he started to explain what they did to him.

When Spencer was finished, he looked at a shocked Detective Ashby.

"I'm not the one who killed them because I was at home in Washington DC all weekend with my wife and kids," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Detective Ashby.

"I saw Reid on Saturday when he and his oldest daughter joined my son and me to the park," said Hotch.

"I believe you," said Detective Ashby before looking at Spencer, "Do you know anyone who knew what happened to you and would kill your past tormentors?" asked Detective Ashby.

"I know that my former classmates Parker Dunley and Ethan Hyde are innocent because they came to visit my family and me over the weekend," said Spencer before he named a few other students who were always nice to him before he started on his family, "There's no way that my aunt Ethel, uncle Gordon, and my cousins would do that either because I never told them what happened to me," said Spencer.

"What about your parents?" asked Detective Ashby.

"My mom transferred to a sanitarium in Alexandria, Virginia last October because she wanted to be closer to my wife, her grandchildren, and me," said Spencer before his eyes darkened a bit, "It has to be my father because I told him what happened to me and last year in May I ended up filing a restraining order against him," said Spencer as he briefly explained the events that caused a restraining order to be filed.

When Spencer was finished both Hotch and Detective Ashby looked at him.

"The rest of your family here in Las Vegas will be put under police protection until your father is located and questioned," said Detective Ashby.

"Dad's parole officer told me that he has an ankle monitor tracking every movement and that is phone calls and internet usage is monitored, so there's a huge possibility that he has a partner helping him," said Spencer.

"I agree," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"You are not going to be staying in a hotel room by your own or going anywhere alone," said Hotch.

"Yes sir," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at JJ.

"We're going to need to issue a media blackout on this case while we inform every officer in here not to mention this case to anyone ever," said Hotch.

JJ nodded as she walked away just as another officer came into the room and looked at the team and his boss.

"A Keith Henderson was killed in his own home," said the officer.

Spencer sighed.

"You knew him?" asked Morgan.

"He was the principal when I was in high school and he retired four years ago," said Spencer before looking at Hotch, "Can I please go to the crime scene? I promise that I won't wander off," said Spencer.

Morgan and Emily looked at Hotch.

"We'll make sure that Reid is always near one of us," said Emily.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"You can go, but please let me know when you make it to the crime scene safely," said Hotch.

"I promise," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was heading to his former principal's house with Morgan and Emily when Morgan looked back at Spencer.

"You doing OK, man?" asked Morgan.

"Not really," said Spencer just as Emily shouted.

"MORGAN LOOK OUT!" shouted Emily just as a loud crunch sounded on the driver's side of the vehicle causing Morgan and Emily to black out as airbags went out.

A few seconds later the back seat door opened causing Spencer to look at his father who was standing with a woman around his age with a gun in her hand.

"Come with me or Jocelyn's godparents will die," said William.

Spencer slowly unbuckled himself and got out of the SUV before his father hit his head with a baseball bat causing him to blackout.

Xxxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Morgan and Emily were waking up on two separate gurneys with Hotch, Rossi, and JJ standing near them.

"What happened," groaned Emily as she rubbed her head.

"We believe that William crashed into the SUV," said Rossi.

Morgan ignored the pain in his head as he looked around for Spencer.

"Where's Reid?" asked Morgan.

"Witnesses who called the paramedics said that an older man who looks like Reid took him with a young woman," said Hotch darkly.

"I'm so going to kill William," said Morgan.

"Don't forget about the bitch that was with William," said Emily darkly.

"I'm already first in line," said Hotch.

"I'm second in line," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

20 minutes later Spencer woke up to being handcuffed in a chair to find his father arguing with a young woman around his age.

"Why would you do this to me," croaked Spencer.

William glared at his son.

"You ruined my life last year when you pressed charges against me for punching you and made sure that I lost my license to practice law. I'm now working a minimum wage job while I'm getting the treatment of a sex offender because of parents being disgusted about what I did to you and your mom," snapped William as he pointed his gun at his son's head and put his finger on the trigger.

"Please don't do this," pleaded Spencer just as he closed his eyes as the young woman tackled William just as the gun went off causing Spencer to feel a sharp pain in his upper left arm before he blacked out.

A few minutes later Spencer opened his eyes causing him to see that his father was laying face up on the ground with a gunshot wound to his heart causing tears to leak from his eyes as the woman used his tie to apply pressure to his gunshot wound.

"Who are you and why did you kill my father?" asked Spencer.

"My name is Catherine Adams and your father contacted me after he got out of prison and asked me to kill your past tormentors, your mom, former principal while allowing him to kill you," said Cat.

"So you're a hit-woman?" asked Spencer.

Cat nodded.

"I'm known as The Black Widow and Miss .45 and to answer your second question I prefer to kill fathers who want to kill their wives," said Cat.

Spencer took a few shaky breaths as he felt the pain in his arm to increase while blood started to soak through his tie a bit.

"When it comes to me being a father, are you going to kill me too?" asked Spencer.

"When it comes to watching you with your family the past few weeks, I'm not going to follow your father's orders because your children, sister, wife, and your mom all need you," said Cat.

"Are you going to let me go?" asked Spencer.

Cat nodded.

"When I killed your father five minutes ago, I called 911 right after because I don't want your wife and kids to lose you," said Cat before she fell to the ground, "I drank cyanide poison five minutes ago because I don't want to spend the rest of my life in prison," said Cat as she closed her eyes just as Hotch and Rossi stormed into the abandoned house and noticed the two dead bodies.

"Clear," said Hotch before noticing that Spencer's tie was tied tightly around Spencer's left arm and spoke into his mic, "We need medical," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch while Rossi untied him.

"My dad hired Catherine Adams who's known as Miss .45 to help him kill my past tormentors and my mom while dad wanted to kill me. When dad was about to kill me, she killed my father before telling me that she only kill fathers who deserve to die," said Spencer.

Hotch who was checking Catherine Adam's pulse looked at Spencer.

"What happened to Catherine Adams?" asked Hotch.

Spencer shook his head while paramedics started to assess his arm.

"She drank cyanide 10 minutes ago because she doesn't want to go to prison," said Spencer.

The paramedics looked at Spencer.

"We need to get you to the hospital ASAP to get the bullet removed before you lose too much blood," said the paramedic.

"I'm allergic to beta-lactams and no narcotics please," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Nearly seven hours later, Spencer woke up to steady beeping of a heart monitor as he felt glasses being slipped onto his nose before he blinked a few times at his teary-eyed wife.

"I'm glad your OK, Spencer," said Maeve as she helped her husband drink some water as she pressed the call button.

After there was moisture in his mouth Spencer looked at his wife.

"Are Emily and Morgan OK?" asked Spencer.

"They have some cuts and bruises from the accident, but they're going to be OK," said Maeve just as a nurse came into the room and started to ask Spencer questions as she checked him over.

After the nurse left the room to get the promised jello, Spencer flashed back to his confrontation with Cat Adams before looking at his wife.

"Did a hit-woman really kill my dad before dad could kill me and called for help before she committed suicide?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at the date on the whiteboard and noticed that it was over seven hours since his father abducted him and Cat Adams saved his life before glancing at the sling that kept his left arm in place.

"What's the damage?" asked Spencer.

"A surgeon had to remove the bullet, but luckily the bullet didn't get lodged into your humerus. So you'll only have to wear a sling for a week instead of getting around on crutches, a wheelchair, or a cane for a few months this time," said Maeve.

"I'm sorry that I got hurt again," said Spencer.

"Its not your fault because William killed your past tormentors to lure you out here so he can abduct you," said Maeve before smiling a bit, "When it comes to needing to be on medical leave and bereavement leave for a few weeks, at least you'll have more time to bond with the triplets while you and Stephanie help each other grieve," said Maeve.

Spencer sighed.

"I really hope the news about what my father did won't be announced in newspapers or on the news because I'm worried about how everything would turn out for Stephanie if everyone at her school finds out what our father did," said Spencer just as Hotch who heard the conversation from outside the hall stepped into his hospital room.

"When it was confirmed that your father was one of the unsubs, we told the police department that an immediate media blackout will be issued to protect yours and your sister's reputations," said Hotch.

"Am I going to lose my job over what my father did?" asked Spencer.

"You're not fired because of your father's actions, but you're allowed to take as long as you need to physically and mentally heal from the events of your father abducting you and trying to kill you," said Hotch.

"Does Stephanie know about what happened?" asked Spencer.

"She doesn't because she's currently sleeping over at Holly's right now, but we'll tell her when we get back to DC," said Maeve.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"When you, Morgan, and Prentiss get out of the hospital we'll all be going through your father's house together and do what you want with his belongings," said Hotch.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

"Do you want your father buried or cremated?" asked Hotch.

"Cremated and his ashes can be dumped in the Mojave Desert," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Five days later Spencer stepped into the quiet house where he and Maeve found Stephanie sitting on the couch in her pajamas eating ice cream as she watched "New Moon".

"At least you'll be buying "Eclipse" soon," said Spencer.

Stephanie quickly set down her ice cream and made her way to her big brother.

"I'm so glad that your OK, Spencer," said Stephanie as she hugged her brother while being careful of the sling.

"We need to talk, Stephanie," said Spencer.

Stephanie instantly noticed the authoritative tone in her brother's voice causing her to pause her movie.

"OK," said Stephanie.

A few seconds later Spencer, Maeve, and Stephanie were sitting on the couch.

"Am I in trouble?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer took a deep breath.

"What I'm about to tell you can never be repeated to anyone because I don't want you to lose friends and be bullied over what happened in Las Vegas," said Spencer.

"OK," said Stephanie.

"Dad hired a hit-woman to help him kill my past tormentors from high school as his way to lure me to Las Vegas," said Spencer as he started to explain what happened.

When Spencer was finished talking, Stephanie who now had tears falling down her face hugged her brother.

"I'm glad that dad's dead and your not, and I promise not to tell anyone about what happened," said Stephanie.

"Thank you, and I'm taking the next month off to physically and mentally recover before I'm on desk duty for another two weeks," said Spencer.

Stephanie smiled a bit.

"At least it wasn't your dominant arm that was shot," said Stephanie.

"I know, but I'll be needing help carrying anything that I can't carry with one hand again," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at Stephanie.

"Spencer is allowed to carry Jocelyn and Gabriella with his good arm, but please make sure that he has a good grip," said Maeve firmly.

"Yes ma'am," said Stephanie causing some laughter.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was sitting on the couch while holding Lynette with his good arm while a pillow supported the five-week-old baby girl when Mary allowed Diana and a nurse into the house.

"Why are you wearing a sling, baby?" asked Diana.

"Dad was one of the unsubs during my last case and he was the one to shoot me in the arm," said Spencer.

Diana looked at her son and realized that her son wasn't lying.

"What happened to William?" asked Diana.

"He's dead and I had his ashes dumped in the Mojave desert," said Spencer.

Diana allowed a few tears to fall as she hugged her son while being careful of Lynette.

"I would have killed your father myself for hurting you the way he did. Even though he was a rotten father by making you do things that you don't like to do and leaving us, I'm grateful that he gave me you," said Diana as she kissed her son's head.

"I'm just glad that Jocelyn doesn't remember him at all while Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette never met him," said Spencer.

"How is Stephanie handling everything?" asked Diana.

"She's not as much affected like I am because she hasn't seen or talked to dad since she was four," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "She even started calling me dad despite the 13 year age difference," said Spencer.

"Despite the 13-year age difference between you two, you have been the father she needed over the past year," said Diana.

Spencer nodded in agreement as he allowed his mother to hold Lynette.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer, Maeve, and Hotch were sitting across from William's Reid lawyer Marcus Bryant who looked at Spencer.

"Even though your father was a good man until the events of last year, I'm sorry for your loss," said Marcus.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

"After you were born, your father started a trust fund for you and eventually your sister that you both are allowed to access after he died while he named you executor of his will," said Marcus.

Spencer's eyes went wide when he saw that his father left him and Stephanie each $250,000.

"Son of a bitch," said Spencer in German.

"What?" asked Hotch and Maeve.

"Dad left Stephanie and me each $250,000," said Spencer.

"You and your sister will be getting more too because of having over $30,000 left in his savings account and the profit from selling his house which will most likely be around $100,000," said Marcus.

Spencer quickly did the math.

"When it comes to me receiving around $315,000 from dad, I know that half of my money should go towards mom's medical care," said Spencer.

"I agree, Spencer," said Maeve.

Marcus shook his head.

"He had a trust fund that contained $100,000 for your mom's medical care, so you're allowed to spend your money the way you want to," said Marcus.

"Other than the amount of money that's already in the bank account to pay for mom's medical bills, the additional $100,000 will help make the money last for a couple of years since uncle Gordon is helping with his sister's medical bills," said Spencer as he started to do some math in his head before he looked at Maeve, "Since Rossi won't take no for an answer on his offer on paying for private school tuition for the kids so we don't have to send the kids to public school, I should put half of the money towards the kids college education while the other half goes to us," said Spencer.  
Maeve smiled a bit.

"With mom deciding to retire and help dad raise their grandchildren, I can easily take a year off," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at Maeve in shock.

"You would really quit doing what you love for a year?" asked Spencer.

"I don't feel safe at Mendel University anymore because a student was planning on killing me and herself after the babies were born and I already turned in my resignation when I was put on bed rest," said Maeve before smiling a bit, "I really enjoy being a mother, so I want to focus on being a mother for a year while I finish writing the children's book that mom and I started writing together when I was pregnant with Jocelyn," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled a bit as he thought back to the time Maeve told him that she's writing a book as her way to distract herself when he's on cases.

"Will I ever see the book your writing?" asked Spencer.

Maeve smiled.

"Only when I'm finished," said Maeve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: When it comes to Rossi being willing to pay for Spencer's bail in Collision Course, I can just imagine him insisting on paying for Jocelyn's, Gabriella's, Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette's private school education.


	70. Gabby Turns 1 & Prince of Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter six days after the last chapter.

Spencer was sitting on a patio chair drinking some water as he watched Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Jack splash around in a wading pool that Stephanie bought with her allowance when Hotch took a seat next to him with a cold bottle of water for himself.

"How are you doing?" asked Hotch.

"Even though I'm upset that William tried to kill me, I'm not sure what everyone would say about me preferring getting shot in the arm over my knee," said Spencer as he glanced at his bad knee.

Hotch thought about everything that Spencer struggled with as he recovered from getting shot above the knee.

"I don't blame you for saying that because you don't need crutches or a wheelchair this time," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the gauze wrap that was still on his arm to protect the healing gunshot wound.

"At least I only had to wear a sling for a week, but my doctor ordered me to be careful while the gunshot wound heals," said Spencer.

"Are you starting physical therapy soon?" asked Hotch.

"I start next week," said Spencer before smiling a little bit, "With the workout my arms got while I was recovering from getting shot, I know that my arms are going to get a really good workout again," said Spencer.

"And carrying five kids around will give your arms more of a workout," said Hotch.

Spencer smiled a bit as he watched Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Jack splash around in the wading pool.

"Speaking of my kids, I can't believe that Gabriella will be turning one in 11 days while Jocelyn will be two in 41 days," sighed Spencer.

Hotch looked over where the curly red-headed baby girl was playing with her big sister and his son.

"Me too," said Hotch before making eye contact with Spencer, "Even though you've killed two unsubs and non-fatally shot an unsub on the job, you'll never be like your own father," said Hotch.

"Dr. Moss told me that, and I just hope William is happy about burning in hell right now," said Spencer.

Hotch raised up his bottle of water.

"Here's to being better fathers than our own fathers were," said Hotch as he and Spencer clinked their bottles of water together before focusing on Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Jack.

Xxxxxxxx 

A week later, Spencer walked in step with Maeve towards Samuel who was shaking his head.

"Even though we finished rehab on your knee before your triplets were born, you really are a trouble magnet," said Samuel with a slight smile on his face.

Spencer chuckled.

"At least I'm able to carry a child with my good arm while not needing crutches this time," said Spencer.

"After I'm done with you, your arms will be much stronger than they become while you were hauling yourself around on crutches and steering yourself in a wheelchair," said Samuel.

Maeve stood up on her tiptoes and whispered in her husband's ears.

"At this rate, I might make you wear a t-shirt that says PROPERTY OF DR. MAEVE DONOVAN-REID every day because of all the muscles you developed while recovering from getting shot in the knee and the haircut you got when you took Jocelyn and Gabriella for their first haircuts," whispered Maeve.

Spencer's face turned beet red as he whispered in his wife's ear.

"You are so going to get it when the kids are asleep," said Spencer causing Maeve to blush.

Samuel cleared his throat causing Spencer and Maeve to compose themselves.

"Before Spencer and I go change for aqua therapy, I want to see a picture of the kids," said Samuel.

Spencer pulled out his wallet and showed his physical therapist the picture that was taken the day before he went to Idaho.

"They're beautiful, and which boy is which?" asked Samuel.

"Arthur looks like me while Joseph looks like Maeve," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was in a locker room changing into his swim trunks and wrapping up his arm.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening, Spencer looked at his sister as he, Maeve, his in-laws, Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Stephanie ate dinner while Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette slept in their bassinets.

"Are you ready to perform your tap dancing routine at your second to last dance recital?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie smiled at her brother as she thought back to her brother and sister-in-law making sure to find her a dance studio so she could continue taking tap dancing lessons since her mother signed her up for after they left her father.

"I practiced while you were at physical therapy, and I believe that Jocelyn inherited your eidetic memory, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"What do you mean?" asked Spencer.

"I allowed Jocelyn to watch me practice," said Stephanie before smiling at her oldest niece who had spaghetti sauce all over her face, "When I went through my routine a second time, Jocelyn got up and danced along right in front of me while nailing every move without falling down," said Stephanie.

"Jocelyn didn't inherit her balance from me," said Spencer.

Maeve giggled as she thought about the stories her mother-in-law told her about her husband.

"Maybe we should sign Jocelyn up for dance classes when she's around three-years-old," said Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"Dance classes will help Jocelyn make friends outside of school when she starts preschool next year," said Spencer before looking at Jocelyn, "After you get a bath, would you like to show me what you learned from watching your aunt dance?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn grinned at her daddy.

"Yes daddy," said Jocelyn before she put another forkful of spaghetti into her mouth causing more sauce to get on her face just as Gabriella started laughing causing Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary to look towards Gabriella who had placed her bowl of spaghetti over her head.

Spencer shook his head as he worked hard on holding back his laughter as he took in the sight of his two oldest daughters covered with spaghetti sauce.

"Jocelyn and Gabriella are really going to need baths," said Spencer.

"At least we Gabriella is just wearing her diaper right now," said Mary as she got up and started to clean up the nearly one-year-old baby girl.

Maeve looked over where seven-week-old triplets Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were sleeping in their bassinets before looking at her husband.

"Just imagine what it will be like when Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are eating solids like Jocelyn and Gabriella," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was holding Lynette, Maeve was holding Joseph, Mary was holding Arthur, while Joe held Gabriella as the four adults, Gabriella, and the triplets watched Stephanie and Jocelyn practice Stephanie's tap dance routine while Spencer also recorded Stephanie and Jocelyn dancing so he could show his teammates.

Xxxxxxxx 

Three days later Spencer was standing next to Maeve as he held Jocelyn with his good arm as they watched Gabriella wake up in her crib and scrambled up to her feet.

"Mama. Dada. Osie," said Gabriella.

"Happy birthday, Gabriella," said Spencer and Maeve in unison.

"Happy birfday, Gabby," said Jocelyn.

Xxxxxx 

Later on that afternoon, Spencer pulled up in front of the hospital where his mother was standing with a nurse who was carrying a big bag.

"Are you ready to celebrate Gabriella's first birthday this evening?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded while Spencer looked at the bag his mother's nurse was holding.

"Is everything in that bag for Gabriella?" asked Spencer.

"I finished some of the projects that I've been knitting and crocheting, so I wanted to give everything I made for you, Maeve, my grandchildren, and Stephanie today," said Diana.

Spencer smiled as he thought about the knitting and crocheting lessons that a nurse started giving his mother to help her adjust to moving across the country.

"I can't wait to see what you made," said Spencer as he helped his mother get into the front passenger seat of his car.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over a half hour later, a grinning Gabriella toddled over to her paternal grandma.

"Hi Nana," said Gabriella.

Diana lifted up Gabriella and hugged her.

"Happy birthday, Gabriella Kaitlyn," said Diana as she kissed Gabriella on the cheek just as Jocelyn ran over.

"Hi gandma," said Jocelyn.

Diana smiled as she picked up the toddler who was 19 days away from turning two.

"Hello Jocelyn Elizabeth," said Diana as she settled the 23-month-old toddler on her other hip, "You keep looking more like your daddy every single day," said Diana.

"She's definitely a female version of me," said Spencer as he led his mother and Nurse Clarice out to the backyard where Gabriella's birthday party was happening.

Xxxxxxxx 

After everyone who came to the party ate pizza for dinner and Gabriella opened her gifts, Spencer and Maeve were standing on either side of Gabriella who was sitting in front of a small birthday cake that contained one lit candle before Stephanie started to sing "Happy Birthday" causing everyone to join in.

After everyone was done singing happy birthday, Spencer and Maeve made eye contact before they blew out the birthday candle together before Maeve removed the candle while Spencer dipped a finger into Gabriella's birthday cake and licked the frosting.

"Yum," said Spencer.

Gabriella tilted her head at the sight of her cake before using a hand to break off a chunk of her cake and stuff it into her mouth before grinning.

"Seems like she's going to love sugar just like you, Spencer," said Hotch as he watched the one-year-old toddler work on destroying her birthday cake.

"Just for that comment, you can give Gabby a bath," said Spencer causing laughter.

Xxxxxxxx 

10 days later Spencer followed his teammates into the conference room while Emily looked at Hotch, Rossi, and JJ.

"Hey, what did Strauss want?" asked Emily.

"She needs us in Los Angeles," said Hotch.

JJ looked at her teammates who chose to remain standing.

"Home invasion homicide last night. Officers found Gregory Everson, 56, beaten, with a GSW to the head. His wife Colleen was equally beaten and raped repeatedly," said JJ.

Emily looked at JJ.

"Repeatedly?" asked Emily.

"That's what she reported," said JJ.

Emily realized JJ's words.

"Wait, she survived this?" asked Emily.

"He chose to keep her alive," said Hotch.

"An intentional witness," said Emily.

"Everything but that points to an organized offender, an experienced one," said Rossi.

"Was she able to identify him?" asked Spencer.

"She said he was white, with mean eyes and repulsive breath," said JJ.

"Rotten inside and out. Did he rape her in front of the husband?" asked Rossi.

JJ nodded.

"Yeah," said JJ softly.

A concerned Morgan looked at Hotch and JJ.

"One home invasion rarely warrants Strauss personally sending us out," said Morgan.

"No, there's more," said JJ as she pulled up another picture of two murdered women, "Ballistics match a double homicide downtown LA, 48 miles away," said JJ.

"Where three days ago, those two women were raped and killed," said Hotch.

"But last night was in the suburbs," said Emily.

"They're afraid of another night stalker," said Morgan.

Spencer quickly pulled out his phone and sent Maeve a text message.

I'M GOING TO LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU, STEPHANIE, AND THE KIDS. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on the ledge when Morgan came towards him with a cup of coffee for himself.

"This guy's way too good at this to have just started," said Morgan as he sat on the arm of the couch next to Spencer,

"He pulled off hours of torture and a homicide without disturbing the neighbors," said Morgan.

"And robbed the house," said Rossi.

"That could be a habit," said Hotch.

JJ looked at Hotch.

"You think he started as a burglar?" asked JJ.

"If it was just about the killing, he wouldn't bother robbing them," said Hotch.

Spencer thought of a detail that JJ or Hotch didn't mention or didn't read in the case file he was given.

"Wait, how did he get in last night?" asked Spencer.

"Mrs. Everson said there was a noise outside their door. They were outside of their room a few minutes, when they came back, he was there," said JJ.

"He distracted them," said Emily.

"So he could climb through their bedroom window," said Rossi.

"I'll have Garcia, see if that MO was used in any other home invasions," said Spencer.

"Well, victimology's all over the map. Three murders and he managed to kill men, women, old, young, black, white, Hispanic. That's about as random as it gets," said Emily.

"Randomness implies a lack of predictability. I think that's the point. All the varying people in his message. He wants them all to fear him," said Spencer.

"Oh, and they will. Press got a hold of last night's home invasion," said JJ.

"JJ and I will set up at the station. Dave, you and Reid go visit Mrs. Everson at the hospital. Morgan and Prentiss, the LAPD detectives are waiting for you at the Everson house," said Hotch before looking at his teammates, "Since its going to be over five hours before we land in LA, we should all get some sleep so we can hit the ground running," said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was reaching into his carry on bag and pulled out an afghan.

"What's up with the afghan?" asked Morgan.

"A few of the nurses taught my mom how to knit and crochet during mom's first day in Virginia as a way to help her adjust moving across the country, and she crocheted this afghan to use while I'm on the road and she also knitted a cardigan for me," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Over five hours later Spencer looked at Mrs. Everson and noticed that she was restrained while thinking about how much she looked like his mother before he looked at Rossi.

"Why is she in restraints?" asked Spencer softly.

Rossi looked at Spencer as he thought about the times he met Spencer's mother over the past two years.

"She tried to kill herself. Twice," said Rossi softly as he led Spencer into Mrs. Everson's hospital room.

Spencer approached Mrs. Everson's hospital bed as he decided to use the voice he uses for his mother when she has a bad day.

"Mrs. Everson?" asked Spencer as he watched Mrs. Everson wake up and looked at him and Rossi, "We're with the FBI," said Spencer.

Mrs. Everson moaned while Rossi realized that Spencer couldn't talk.

"We know you talked to the detectives this morning. But if you're up for a few more questions, it could help," said Rossi.

"Why didn't he kill me?" asked Mrs. Everson.

Spencer and Rossi looked at each other before Spencer swallowed a few times before he made eye contact with Mrs. Everson.

"It wasn't about you. This man only thinks about power and control," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Mrs. Everson.

"Leaving you behind gives him that," said Rossi while Mrs. Everson cried, "Now... Did he ever speak to you directly?" asked Rossi.

Mrs. Everson quickly flashed back to facing off her attacker as she sobbed.

"Did you talk to you?" asked Rossi.

"No, he really didn't. I'm sorry," cried Mrs. Everson as she struggled to continue.

"It's OK. Take your time," said Rossi gently before he and Spencer listened to Mrs. Everson struggle to tell them what happened.

When Mrs. Everson was finished, she looked at Spencer and Rossi.

"Now every time I shut my eyes... I see him. How long will that last?" asked Mrs. Everson as she cried.

Spencer looked at Rossi as he thought about how long it took for him not to deal with nightmares that dealt with Tobias Hankel every night while he still dealt with nightmares of his father trying to kill him.

"You rest now," said Rossi as he and Spencer left Mrs. Evanson's hospital room.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered the room that he and his teammates were given to use when JJ finished up a phone call and looked at him.

"Hey. Where's Rossi?" asked JJ.

"He's talking with Hotch and Morgan," said Spencer as he slid one of the bulletin boards and looked at the whiteboard.

JJ looked at the board as she looked at Spencer.

"It's incredibly detailed," said JJ.

Spencer thought about what his friends who live in Pasadena told him in the past couple of years.

"Yeah. Detective Matt Spicer and his partner are the go-to guys for robbery-homicide, central bureau, Newton division, busiest in LA," said Spencer just as his cell phone rang.

Spencer turned and grabbed his phone and looked at the caller ID.

"It's Garcia," said Spencer as he answered his phone while putting it on speaker, "Hey, Garcia, I got JJ here," said Spencer.

"Praise the gods. Los Angeles has A weirdly low rate of home invasion burglaries. I snagged a case in Westchester where a guy violently knocked down the front door, kicked the dog, and took off with the TV," said Garcia.

"Breaking down the front door sends a message. He's trying to intimidate the victims," said Spencer.

"Yeah, and as horrible as this dog-kicking burglar sounds, I think the guy we're looking for is even more horrible," said Garcia.

"Garcia, this unsub's had practice, a lot of it. Maybe not in LA, but he's definitely done this before," said Spencer.

"Word. This is not his first crime party. I seriously can't find a single case in LA. That equals this level of emotional destruction," said Garcia.

"We need to expand the search to all of southern California. He can be in other cities with a quick ride on the freeways," said Spencer.

"Yeah. Will do," said Garcia.

"Thanks, Garcia," said Spencer before he hung up.

JJ sighed.

"We're going live on the 11:00 news," said JJ as she and Spencer both turned to look at the board, "You think he'll be watching?" asked JJ.

"It's late. He could already be hunting," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer and JJ were sitting at the conference table when Emily entered the room with Detective Matt Spicer as they listened to what Detective Matt Spicer was saying.

"It's not like I talk to the universe or anything. I've just always believed that things happen for a reason. It's hard to find the reason for this, though. Utterly meaningless crimes, no obvious motivation. Pure evil," said Detective Spicer as he looked at the board.

Spencer looked at Detective Spicer.

"Evil can't be scientifically defined. It's an illusory moral concept that doesn't exist in nature," said Spencer as he stood up, "Its origins and connotations have been inextricably linked to religion and mythology. This offender has shown no signs of any belief," rambled Spencer before he remembered his manners and looked at the detective, "I'm, uh, I'm Spencer Reid," said Spencer as he waved at the detective.

"Matt Spicer," said Detective Spicer.

JJ looked at Detective Spicer.

"Jennifer Jareau," said JJ as she shook hands with Detective Spicer, "The media's been asking for you," said JJ.

"Yeah, well, nobody else around here wants to talk to them. I figure it hasn't hurt me yet," said Detective Spicer.

"Uh, they'd like an interview for the 11:00 news. Can we go over a few points?" asked JJ.

"Absolutely," said Detective Spicer.

"Great," said JJ.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on a table near Hotch who looked at everyone in the room.

"Forcing a child to witness this is clearly sadistic. He destroyed the boy's innocence and took away his childhood. This probably mirrors the unsub's own experience," said Hotch.

"That's an excuse for what he's doing?" asked an officer.

"There's no excuse for what he's doing," said Hotch.

"We're not justifying anything. Everything he says, everything he does tell us what makes him tick, that's all," said Rossi.

"The message that he left us was misspelled, which says that he was not well-educated," said Emily.

"Why did he leave one now?" asked Detective Kurzbard.

"That we don't know...yet," said Emily.

"Just because his recent attacks are in Los Angeles doesn't mean he's from here," said Rossi.

"Killing in the dark is a must for him. We believe that's why he's come to LA, that and his willingness to kill random people tells us that he's an opportunistic offender, and these types are incredibly difficult to predict," said Spencer.

"And as you all know, the rolling blackouts have been announced so residents can prepare for the few hours they'll be in darkness. Unfortunately, that also tells the killer whose windows will be open, whose alarms will be disarmed," said JJ.

"The dark is his signature. It's a habit, and we'll find that he's always killed this way," said Hotch.

"'Cause he's a coward," said a police officer.

"To some degree, yes. He also has intimacy issues. He even turns photographs away from himself," said Hotch.

"It's unlikely that a man like this has been in any kind of relationship," said Emily.

"There's also a good chance that he has some type of shortcoming, whether real or perceived. He's obviously self-conscious about something," said Spencer.

"Like what?" asked Detective Kurzbard.

"It could be like a physical deformity. It might be something really small to us, but it means everything to him," said Spencer.

"People just want to fit in," said Rossi.

"Having one thing that sets him apart from the norm could be what led him into the extreme solitude of a violent schizoid personality," said Spencer as he pursed his lips together.

"He takes his victims' power away, literally and figuratively. And he feeds off of making them powerless," said Emily.

"We had rolling blackouts all last summer, and this guy wasn't around. Well, he is now," said Detective Kurzbard.

"And based on the vicious nature of his crimes, the press has named him The Prince of Darkness," said JJ.

"Prince. That'll fuel his ego," said Rossi.

"Yeah. He's gonna be all over the news," said JJ.

"Once we unravel his need for darkness, we'll find him," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer followed Emily into the conference room with JJ and Rossi when Emily looked at Hotch, Morgan, and Detective Spicer.

"Guys, Garcia has something," said Emily as she set down the laptop.

"OK, everybody needs to sit down 'Cause I'm about to rock your world, And not in a way I like to do it. I have scoured and searched, and you were totally right. This unsub has been doing it forever. There is nowhere he hasn't been in the last 26 years. Honestly. Every single state. Well, 48 continental. My point... He is the worst I've ever seen, and we have all seen some things," said Garcia.

"How did you connect him?" asked Hotch.

"Everything you said. He's drawn to the dark. He shows up during a blackout, he robs, he kills, he leaves a witness," said Garcia.

"How's he getting away with this?" asked Detective Kurzbard.

"He never hits the same city twice," said Garcia.

"Except Los Angeles," said Morgan.

"I'm sending everything your way, and you better load up that printer, 'cause it looks like he started in Southern California way back in the summer of 1984," said Garcia.

Spencer sighed as he thought about only being two-years-old at the time.

"Thank god the press hasn't connected this," said JJ.

"The summer Olympics were in Los Angeles that year," said Morgan.

"So was Richard Ramirez. That's the year he started," said Detective Kurzbard.

"Well, he never left. Stayed in LA for a few years," said Spencer.

"Fine. I'll look into it," said JJ before walking away.

"It appears our unsub started that summer during a blackout in San Diego. From there, he went to Orange County. After that, he ended up in Los Angeles and then worked his way up the coast," said Garcia.

"Why did he come back?" asked Hotch.

"And why now?" asked Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Hotch looked at his teammates.

"Everyone will have power tonight," said Hotch.

"They called off the blackouts?" asked JJ.

"After what happened earlier, we can't give him that again," said Hotch.

"Great, I'll tell the press," said JJ as she grabbed the land-line.

"Thanks," said Hotch as he approached Spencer, Emily, and Morgan.

"We're talking over 200 houses in 26 years," said Emily.

"When he started in San Diego, it was all about the robberies," said Spencer.

"By the time he got to Orange County, he robbed and assaulted his victims. The first murder was in long beach, and he left a witness," said Morgan.

"He got away with it for 26 years. Why did he come back?" asked Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

An officer placed files on the table when JJ looked at her teammates.

"Well, the media coverage actually helped. Neighbors were hypervigilant. As soon as they heard the gunfire, they called the police," said JJ when Detectives Spicer and Kurzbard entered the room.

"Did he leave a message this time?" asked Rossi.

"He actually left a baby in the closet," said Detective Kurzbard.

Spencer quickly pulled out his phone and looked at his two-month-old triplets.

"There's got to be some kind of message in that," said Emily.

"He's taunting us. He's leaving behind witnesses That are too little to help," said Detective Spicer.

"OK," said Emily as she stood up and walked towards the board and pointed at the picture of two women, "Why them? Why now? He killed these two women before the rolling blackouts. What is it about them? He killed them In a busy, well-lit area. It was nothing like the others," said Emily.

"It's, uh, shooting Newton. People hear gunfire down there all the time. He probably fit right in," said Detective Kurzbard.

"It was in your division," said Emily.

"Hey, he had to start somewhere," said Detective Spicer.

"So you think it's just a coincidence?" asked Emily.

"All right, let's say it's not. What does that mean, he wanted our attention?" asked Detective Spicer.

"Well, he certainly has it," said Detective Kurzbard.

Morgan looked at the two detectives.

"You're sure you never worked anything like this before?" asked Morgan.

"Trust me, this guy makes an impression," said Detective Kurzbard.

"He started his career 26 years ago," said Hotch.

"Same as me," said Detective Kurzbard before gaining looks from Spencer, Hotch, Rossi, JJ, Emily, and Morgan, "You think this is because of me? That all these people are dead because of that?" asked Detective Kurzbard.

"Two women killed in your division, no survivors. Then a couple, leaving the wife as a witness. Then a mother, leaving the son. Now two parents, but a baby survives," said Hotch.

"If there's some kind of pattern, I've never seen it before," said Detective Kurzbard.

"He circled back to LA or a reason," said Hotch.

Spencer thought about the files he read.

"The first two murders here in LA County were close by. Long Beach is on the cusp of LA and Orange Counties," said Spencer.

"Let's look into that one," said Rossi.

Spencer quickly opened up the file and started to read it.

"Home invasion. Husband was shot. Wife was left alive," said Spencer.

"Sounds familiar," said Rossi.

"What's the next one?" asked Hotch.

Morgan looked at the file in his hands.

"After Long Beach, he went to Santa Monica," said Morgan before seeing something that caused him to look at Detective Spicer, "Wait a minute. Spicer, do you have family out there?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah, that's where I grew up," said Detective Spicer.

Morgan continued to read the file.

"Home invasion robbery, double homicide. Joe and Sylvia Spicer were killed," said Morgan.

Detective Spicer looked at Morgan.

"Those are my parents," said Detective Spicer causing everyone to exchange looks as he stood up, "It doesn't make any sense. Let me see that," said Detective Spicer.

Morgan handed Detective Spicer the file causing everyone to look at the shocked detective.

"They died in a car accident. A drunk driver," said Detective Spicer.

"Who told you that?" asked Morgan.

"My grandparents. I remember my grandfather waking me up. I was sick the night they died. I had a fever. How would I not remember that happening to them?" asked Detective Spicer.

Detective Kurzbard looked at Detective Spicer.

"Maybe your grandparents never told you, Matt. They were trying to protect you," said Detective Kurzbard.

"They lied?" asked Detective Spicer.

"You were the first child he left alive," said Hotch.

"You've been all over the news," said JJ.

"This guy knows who you are," said Morgan.

Detective Spicer left the room while Morgan followed him.

Xxxxxxxx 

A short while later Detective Spicer returned and looked at Spencer, Hotch, Emily, Rossi, and JJ.

"OK, why is he doing this?" asked Detective Spicer.

"He keeps a survivor so that they'll never forget him, but with you, it goes beyond that, because…," said Spencer.

"He believes he turned you into the city's hero," said Emily.

"If your parents weren't killed, you might not have become a detective," said Rossi.

"Yeah, but how would he know that? It's not like he stayed in LA he's been all over the country," said Detective Spicer.

"The press has talked about your history. He's not a part of it," said JJ.

"And he wants that recognition. He wants everyone to know what he's done to you," said Morgan.

"How's he gonna do that?" asked Detective Spicer.

Hotch noticed a picture of a little girl with Detective Spicer causing him to think of the pictures he has seen of Spencer with Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Lynette.

"Is that your daughter?" asked Hotch causing Detective Spicer to look at him, "Where is she?" asked Hotch.

"She's with my sister at my house," said Detective Spicer as he pulled out his phone to call his sister.

Xxxxxxxx 

Nearly an hour later Spencer was talking to Emily and Hotch on his cell phone while being grateful that the police department had running generators.

"Reid, we're stuck in traffic. The lights are out," said Emily.

"Yeah, it's out here, too. Working off generators. Pretty sure it's citywide," said Spencer just as there was beeping.

"That's Morgan on the other line. We're gonna meet him at Kristin's house," said Emily.

Detective Kurzbard looked at Rossi.

"Let's get over there," said Detective Kurzbard while Rossi stood up.

"With a population of 8 million people, It's only a matter of time before the cell phone reception goes…," said Spencer just as his line went dead.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and JJ walked towards Matt Spicer's childhood home as an ambulance carrying Kirsten and Emily drove away when JJ looked at Spencer and thought about Spencer living in Pasadena for over nine years.

"How many cops are there in LA?" asked JJ.

"City or county?" asked Spencer.

"You actually know the answer," said JJ.

"I know both answers," said Spencer as he and JJ watched an officer talk to the press.

"It's white and extremely dirty. A very old RV. With a male white in his fifties, accompanied by an 8-year-old girl," said an officer.

Less than a minute later Spencer and JJ were in the house and they looked at Morgan with concerned eyes.

"Derek…," said JJ.

"I'm all right," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"You don't look all right," said Spencer.

Morgan glared at Spencer.

"Reid, drop it," said Morgan.

"Sorry," whispered Spencer.

"The local bureau office found us these satellite phones. It should bypass any outage problems on the ground," said JJ as she handed out some satellite phones.

"Good," said Hotch.

"Any word on Ellie?" asked JJ.

Morgan glared at JJ before storming away causing JJ to look at Hotch.

"I was just-," said JJ.

"It's not you," said Hotch before walking away.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer followed Hotch, Rossi, Detective Kurzbard into the conference room while JJ and Morgan followed him.

"All right, what we have is an unsub in complete behavioral chaos," said Hotch.

"Meaning?" asked Detective Kurzbard.

"Serial offenders, especially long-term, successful ones, don't just suddenly change what they do or how they do it," said Rossi.

"Going after a high-risk target like a police detective and then all of a sudden abducting a child is fairly unheard of," said Spencer.

"Fairly?" asked Detective Kurzbard.

"Sometimes they devolve as they know we're getting closer to them and their time's running out," said Hotch.

"But this unsub doesn't appear to be devolving. Devolution generally means loss of control. They find it harder and harder to keep the outside world from noticing them," said Morgan.

"I think he's becoming more controlled. He spent a lifetime murdering seemingly random victims, then out of nowhere sought out Spicer, recreated his parents' murder, lured him into a trap, killed him and took his daughter. The behavioral spectrum is alarmingly different," said Spencer just as Morgan's satellite phone rang causing everyone to hear Morgan's side of the conversation with Garcia while wincing when Morgan snapped at Garcia before hanging up.

"Garcia's got nothing on the partial plate," said Morgan.

"Maybe Kristin's wrong. It's not surprising considering her situation at the time," said Rossi.

"So how the hell are we supposed to find this guy?" asked Morgan just as Emily joined them.

"We can contact him," said Emily before she decided to tell everyone what she found out, "Kristin remembered in the ambulance that the unsub listens to news radio incessantly. He would even stop assaulting her if the broadcaster said anything about The Prince of Darkness," said Emily.

"Makes sense for a narcissist," said Rossi.

JJ thought about what she and Spencer witnessed at the crime scene.

"Oh, no," said JJ.

Hotch looked at JJ.

"What is it?" asked Hotch.

"The LAPD just put all the information they have out to the press," said JJ.

"What do you mean?" asked Morgan.

Spencer thought about what the witnessed at the crime scene.

"A spokesperson at the crime scene was talking about the RV and about Ellie," said Spencer.

"So this guy knows exactly what we know," said Morgan.

"That might force him to dump the RV," said Rossi.

"Or kill-," said Spencer before he closed his mouth and glanced at Morgan.

"No, I don't think so," said Rossi as he sat down.

"Why not, Rossi?" asked Morgan.

"Well, he could have killed you and the sister. He didn't. He kept you alive. He can't be surprised that we know what he's driving and that he has a hostage," said Rossi.

Spencer quickly thought of something.

"But how many news radio stations are there in Los Angeles?" asked Spencer.

"I don't know, 20 or so," said Detective Kurzbard.

"We can't just guess which one he listens to," said Hotch.

"What about the emergency alert system? It would be a way to communicate over all the stations simultaneously," said JJ.

"How do we do that?" asked Emily.

"I don't really know. How hard could it be to work out?" asked JJ before walking away.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at Ellie's hair as he thought about Jocelyn being a brunette like him, Gabriella having her mother's red hair, while Lynette has his mother's blonde hair.

"He cut her hair," said Spencer.

Morgan joined him and looked at the hair.

"I swear to God when I get my hands on this son of a-," said Morgan.

Before Morgan could finish swearing, Spencer looked at Morgan.

"That actually might be good," said Spencer while Morgan looked at him, "Why disguise somebody you're gonna kill?" asked Spencer.

Morgan opened up a cupboard and held up a pipe.

"Here's how he stays awake all night," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at the pipe before he focused on a newspaper.

"Look at this article on Spicer," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at the newspaper.

"We already know he was obsessed with all the attention Spicer was getting," said Morgan.

"Yeah, but look what's underlined three times," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at the article.

"Eight-year-old Ellie, bright, happy child."," read Morgan before he slammed down the newspaper, ""I don't normally take to kids, but this one's just special."" quoted Morgan.

"What?" asked Spencer.

"That's what he said back at the house. Ellie was his target all along, not Spicer," said Morgan before he stormed away.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later, Spencer called Garcia on his work phone.

"Dr. Reid, you're on your own cellular," said Garcia.

"Yeah. The power came back here a few minutes ago," said Spencer.

"How's my main man doing?" asked Garcia.

"On the completely safe assumption that you're not talking about me, let's just say I wouldn't want to be this unsub when Morgan finally gets his hands on him," said Spencer.

"That bad, huh?" asked Garcia.

Spencer thought about the few times Morgan had snapped at him and snapped at Garcia on the phone.

"Has he ever yelled at you before?" asked Spencer.

Garcia laughed.

"Touche. How can I be of service?" asked Garcia.

"How far back can you go with your records, Garcia?" asked Spencer as he looked at the newspaper he found.

"How far back you talking?" asked Garcia.

Spencer looked at the year on the newspaper in his hands.

"Uh, a murder investigation from 1968," said Spencer.

"I'll see what I can find," said Garcia before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer was answering a call from Garcia.

"Already?" asked Spencer.

"Do you doubt it?" asked Garcia.

"Yeah, I'll put you on speaker," said Spencer as he put his phone on speaker and placed it on the kitchen counter.

"OK. Let me preface this by saying that a 40-year-old murder in a suburb of Los Angeles is an absurdly impossible request. Having said that, yours truly happens to know that the Pollack Library at Cal State-," rambled Garcia.

"Garcia," said Hotch.

"Yes, sir, sorry, uh... Anyway, this murder was quite the scandal," said Garcia.

"For Southern California in the sixties, that's saying something," said Detective Kurzbard.

"OK, I don't know who was talking right then, but... Word. So, Nora Flynn was a prostitute and a drug addict living in a desert community just outside of Los Angeles. It appears bikers were her stock in trade, rough bikers, and one fateful day, she and her client were murdered by her 13-year-old son Billy. Shot to death. The customer, ironically named John, was able to tell the police before he died that Billy made him beg for his life and then shot him anyway," said Garcia.

"That's him," said Morgan.

"Right. And he was convicted, but…," said Garcia.

"He's a juvenile," said Rossi.

"So at 18, he was released in 1973, never heard from again," said Garcia.

"Oh, he was heard from," said Emily.

"And he never released a statement as to why he killed them, although it does appear his childhood was horrific. I'm sending you a picture of him on the day he was released to your PDAs," said Garcia.

"Make sure you send the files to JJ," said Hotch.

"Of course, my liege. Garcia bids you ad-," said Garcia.

"Garcia, wait a minute," said Morgan as he took Spencer's phone and walked away so he could apologize to Garcia in private.

After Morgan apologized to Garcia, he spent a minute apologizing to Spencer, JJ, Hotch, Emily, and Rossi about his behavior while Spencer told him that he's on diaper duty at Jocelyn's birthday party to make it up to him.

Xxxxxxxx 

After listening to JJ's speech to Billy Flynn, Emily answered a phone call causing Spencer, Hotch, Morgan, Rossi, and Detective Kurzbard to listen to Emily's side of the conversation before hanging up.

"Both of Kristin's lungs collapsed. She died a few minutes ago," said Emily sadly before Detective Kurzbard's phone rang.

"Ellie's got no one now," said Morgan.

"Kurzbard. He let her go. Where?" asked Detective Kurzbard before hanging up while Hotch got on the phone, "He got out of the car and he just let her go. She's in a house about six blocks from here," said Detective Kurzbard.

"Where is he now?" asked Morgan.

"He's in another house, up the street," said Detective Kurzbard while Hotch talked to JJ on the phone.

"JJ. I don't know if you know. You did it," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few minutes later Spencer was hunched down by some police cars as he watched Morgan go into the house that Billy was holding some hostages in. A few minutes later Spencer heard nine gunshots sound in the house before Morgan walked out of the house causing him, Emily, and another officer to help the victims.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening, Spencer entered his house and after he secured his revolver he headed to the dining room and smiled at his family who were eating dinner.

"You home Daddy!" exclaimed Jocelyn as she wiggled in her booster seat.

"Dada!" exclaimed Gabriella.

"Yes daddy's home," said Spencer as he gave his nearly two-year-old daughter and one-year-old daughter each a kiss before he kissed Maeve.

"You look exhausted, Spencer," said Maeve.

"Other than sleeping during the entire flight home, I pretty much pulled all-nighters while taking a few naps," said Spencer before yawning a bit.

"After you eat dinner, you are going to take a shower and take an hour-long nap so you don't sleep until breakfast time tomorrow morning," said Maeve.

"Yes ma'am," said Spencer.

"No play, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer smiled at his nearly two-year-old daughter while being saddened by his oldest daughter turning two in a week.

"Daddy stayed up past bedtime the past couple of nights, but after I wake up I'll read to you," said Spencer.

"I nap wit you, daddy," said Jocelyn as she worked her eyes on her daddy while pouting causing Maeve, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary to smile.

"You can take a nap with me, Jocelyn," said Spencer.

"Someday you are going to have trouble unwrapping yourself from her finger, Spencer," said Joe.

"I know," grinned Spencer.

"Don't forget that you have Gabriella's, Lynette's, Stephanie's, and my finger to unwrap yourself from too," teased Maeve causing everyone except Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette to laugh.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Spencer was falling asleep with Jocelyn in his and Maeve's bed.


	71. Jocelyn Turns 2 & JJ

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter to include JJ until I get to the episode Lauren because I'm still planning that Emily's death gets faked while Spencer's future with the FBI will change when I get to Supply & Demand.

Spencer smiled as he watched his wife wake up.

"Good morning, Spencer," said Maeve.

"Happy birthday, Maeve," said Spencer as he kissed his wife.

"Thank you," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Maeve smiled as they watched Jocelyn wake up in her bed and a few seconds later, Jocelyn looked at her mommy and daddy.

"Hi, mommy. Hi daddy," said Jocelyn as she rubbed her eyes.

"Happy birthday, Jocelyn," said Spencer.

"I two now?" asked Jocelyn.

"Yes you are," said Maeve as she wiped a tear that was falling down her face.

Jocelyn tilted her head and looked at her mommy.

"No cry, mommy," said Jocelyn as she got out of her bed and hugged her mommy.

"Mommy and I are sad about how fast your growing, Josie Posie," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting at his desk working on consults as he looked at a family portrait that contained him, Maeve, Stephanie, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette causing him to sigh sadly at the thought of Jocelyn being two, Gabriella being one, while Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are turning three months old in two weeks.

"You OK?" asked Emily.

"I'm just sad about Jocelyn being two, Gabriella being one, and Artie, Joey, and Nettie being two weeks away from turning three-months-old," said Spencer.

"Your kids are growing so fast," said Emily.

Spencer looked at Emily.

"Have you ever considered having kids of your own someday?" asked Spencer.

Emily thought about Declan Doyle.

"Hopefully someday, but for now I enjoy being a godmother to Jocelyn and being an auntie to the rest of your kids, Jack, and Henry," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Maeve and Jocelyn were sitting down in the backyard as Spencer, Joe, Mary, Stephanie, Diana, and Nurse Clarice sang 'Happy Birthday' to Maeve and Jocelyn before they blew out the candles on their birthday cake together.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were all asleep; Spencer and Maeve were having a heated make-out session in their bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few days later Spencer and Maeve looked at Stephanie, Holly, Erica, Ramona, and Jeremy who were all sitting in the back seat while they thought about having five teenagers sitting in the backseat in over 11 years when Spencer who was sitting in the front passenger seat looked at his sister and her friends.

"You guys know that Maeve and I have been very tight-lipped about a big surprise for you guys near the end of your summer vacation?" asked Spencer.

"Does it have to deal with all of us having to bring spare clothing along?" asked Stephanie.

"After the triplets were born, we talked to your parents and asked them for their permission to take you guys to Busch Gardens as our way to thank you guys for helping us out during the summer," said Maeve.

"My parents said yes?" asked Holly.

"Mine too?" asked Erica.

"Did my parents say yes?" asked Ramona.

"My foster parents?" asked Jeremy.

Spencer and Maeve grinned.

"They all said yes, so we're heading to Busch Gardens right now!" said Maeve.

Stephanie, Holly, Erica, Ramona, and Jeremy all cheered before Stephanie looked at her brother.

"Even though it has been nearly two months since you got shot in the arm, are you able to go on rides with us?" asked Stephanie.

"My doctor and physical therapist cleared me to go on the rides as long as I don't feel too much discomfort," said Spencer.

"Have you ever been to an amusement park, Spencer?" asked Ramona.

"My uncle Gordon took my cousins and me every year until I moved out here to join the FBI. When I was earning my degree in engineering at Cal-tech, I got to go to Six Flags and Disneyland to learn about the engineering aspects of the rides while working on my degree," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer looked at Maeve as he, Maeve, Stephanie, Holly, Erica, Ramona, and Jeremy got off the Tempesto roller coaster.

"How's your C-section scar doing?" asked Spencer as he took in the sight of Maeve who was wearing a Mendel University t-shirt, shorts, while her long auburn hair was pulled into its usual ponytail.

"No pain at all," said Maeve before looking at her husband's left arm where the scar from the bullet that her father-in-law shot into Spencer's arm, "How's your arm?" asked Maeve.

"No pain," said Spencer.

Maeve studied her husband.

"I can tell that you're not lying to me," said Maeve.

Spencer chuckled.

"I take it that Hotch has given you pointers on how to handle me since we met?" asked Spencer.

"He did," giggled Maeve as she kissed her husband before Stephanie, Holly, Erica, Ramona, and Jeremy looked at the two 28-year-olds.

"Can we please go on Escape from Pompeii now?" asked Erica.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other before looking at the five teenagers who were all wearing shorts and t-shirts or tank tops.

"Are you guys sure that you all want to get wet now?" asked Maeve.

"Yes," said Holly causing Stephanie, Erica, Ramona, and Jeremy to nod in agreement.

"Let's go," said Spencer while Maeve smirked at her husband who was wearing a Cal-tech t-shirt, cargo shorts, and the sandals she bought him during his week in a sling.

"We're definitely going to need to control our hormones when we see each other in wet clothes," whispered Maeve causing Spencer to blush.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over a half hour later Spencer, Maeve, Stephanie, and Jeremy were sitting in the front row while Holly, Erica, and Ramona sat behind them as a wave of water splashed over them.

Xxxxxxxx 

Six weeks later Spencer headed to his desk and as soon as Emily looked up, she gasped at the sight of Spencer's much shorter hair that was styled on top.

"Your hair," said Emily.

Spencer gave a bitter chuckle.

"I was taking a nap with Lynette on the floor only to wake up to a protesting Jocelyn sitting in her time out chair before Maeve took Lynette from me and told me to look in a mirror before she decided to salvage what's left," said Spencer.

"My goddaughter got hold of scissors and decided to cut your hair?" asked Emily.

Spencer nodded.

"Maeve accidentally left some scissors out when she had to attend to Arthur and Joseph," said Spencer.

"Are you OK with your hair getting chopped short again?" asked Emily.

"I was already planning on getting my hair cut shorter because Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette like pulling my hair when I hold them," said Spencer.

Emily smiled as she thought about the Reid triplets who recently turned four-months-old before she studied Spencer's hair.

"Maeve did a really good job," said Emily.

"She did and I'm not sure if I'm going to like how Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette turns out when they're in the terrible twos stage like Jocelyn," said Spencer while Emily smiled.

"At least you have 10 months to find out how Gabriella will turn out while you have 20 months until the Reid triplets turn two," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was sitting at his desk watching Hotch's office that was concealed by blinds as he sent a text to Maeve.

IF you are WATCHING THE NEWS ABOUT KATE JOYCE IN MARYLAND, YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT I'M LEAVING FOR MARYLAND IN 10 MINUTES. ~ SR

A few seconds later Maeve replied with a picture of Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette together.

I'M WATCHING THE NEWS RIGHT NOW WITH MY PARENTS WHILE THE KIDS NAP. PLEASE STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU. ~ MR

A few seconds later Spencer replied.

I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU TOO. ~ SR

Spencer continued watching Hotch, JJ, and Strauss in Hotch's office with Emily when Garcia approached them.

"JJ's still in there?" asked Garcia worriedly.

"And Strauss," said Emily.

Spencer felt the milk he drank with his breakfast churn in his stomach causing him to reach over for Emily's bottle of antacids which Emily noticed.

"Oh, again with the dairy?" groaned Emily.

"I can't help it. I love dairy. Plus you guys know that I gave up drinking almond milk for Gabriella's safety," said Spencer as he popped a few antacids into his mouth.

Emily and Garcia gave him sad smiles as they thought about Spencer receiving a frantic call from Maeve about Gabriella developing an allergic reaction to almond milk a month ago when Gabriella was 13-months-old.

"It's been, like, what, 20 minutes?" asked Garcia.

"Well, 10 more minutes, we're in the air," said Morgan.

"I don't think it's about the case," sighed Emily.

Garcia looked at Emily.

"Do you know something?" asked Garcia.

A shocked Emily looked up at Garcia.

"Do I know something?" asked Emily.

"She just repeated the question. You always say that's a sign," said a frantic Garcia.

Morgan looked at Emily.

"Do you know why JJ's in there?" asked Morgan.

"I have no idea," said Emily.

"What is going on?" asked Garcia.

"Maybe she asked for a raise because being a parent isn't cheap," said Spencer.

Emily shook her head as she thought about Spencer and Maeve ending up with five children while they have Spencer's 15-year-old half-sister living with them.

"Have his blinds ever been closed?" asked Garcia while Emily shook her head.

Xxxxxxxx 

Nearly 10 minutes later Hotch, JJ, and Rossi were coming down the stairs causing Spencer to sling his messenger bag around his shoulder when Morgan looked at Hotch.

"How long have they been in custody?" asked Morgan.

Spencer got up from his desk and started to follow his teammates.

"60 hours. We have 12 hours to get a confession or find the body," said Hotch.

"Syd Pearson has a lot of money and connections. If we let him go, we may never see him again," said Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer who was walking in step with her.

"And Barrett?" asked Emily.

"He doesn't have the same resources," said Spencer.

"Do you think these guys did it?" asked Garcia.

Hotch stopped by the glass doors and turned around.

"The locals do," said Hotch as he and Morgan opened the glass doors.

Spencer, Emily, Garcia, and Rossi started walking through the doorway.

"They tried to get them to turn against one another, but that didn't work," said Rossi.

"It seems they have a bond that dates back to childhood," said Spencer.

"We only have a 30-minute flight. That's not enough time to delve into their histories," said Morgan while Hotch pressed the down button for the elevators.

Garcia started to pass out what she printed off.

"Bullet points on the missing woman. Second and third pages are all about the suspects," said Garcia just as the elevator door opened.

"Garcia, we're gonna need phone records, credit card receipts, anything you can find," said Hotch.

"Yes, you'll have them when you get there," said Garcia as she watched her teammates go into the elevator when JJ joined them causing her to pass some papers to JJ.

"Thank you," said JJ.

"Is everything OK?" asked Garcia.

JJ noticed a look on Garcia's face.

"What, you mean Strauss? Don't. I know that look. Everything's going to be fine," said JJ before she joined Spencer, Hotch, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi in the elevator.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer knocked on the bathroom door as his way to tell JJ to hurry up. A few seconds later JJ opened the door causing Spencer to notice some dried tear stains on JJ's cheeks.

"Hey, you OK?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, yeah," said JJ noticing that Spencer looked a bit green, "You?" asked JJ.

"I'm feeling a bit sick," said Spencer before feeling everything he ate for breakfast start to come up, "Excuse me," said Spencer as he ducked into the bathroom and closed the door.

Over a minute later Spencer was washing his hands before sending Maeve a text message.

I REALLY DRANK WAY TOO MUCH MILK THIS MORNING. ~ SR

After sending the text message, Spencer exited the bathroom as he wiped his mouth as he heard JJ speak to Morgan and Emily.

"Penelope's pretty freaked out, huh?" asked JJ.

"You have to ask" asked Morgan.

Spencer took a seat next to Morgan just as Hotch and Rossi joined them.

"OK, let's review," said Hotch.

"OK," said JJ as she looked at a picture of a smiling 19-year-old girl, "Kate Joyce, 19-years-old, was last seen leaving a bar with these two men, Sydney Pearson and James Barrett, both 20-years-old. She was reported missing the next morning when she didn't meet her friends. That was almost three days ago," said JJ.

Spencer looked at a picture of James Barrett in his hands while Rossi looked at his teammates.

"Their story is they dropped Kate at the motel, but there were no cameras to confirm that," said Rossi.

"And search and rescue's been all over the island," said Hotch.

"Dragged the inlet and they found absolutely nothing," said Spencer.

"Both said they had sex with Kate. They're claiming it was consensual," said JJ.

"There's no way to confirm. There's no body," said Emily.

Morgan closed his eyes.

"I doubt it was consensual," said Morgan.

"We've got to prove they're guilty of more than just being seen with her," said Rossi.

"Well, the police weren't able to find any holes in their stories. We're gonna have to break them down psychologically," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at Morgan.

"Morgan, I want you and Prentiss to lead the interrogation. Dave, you and Reid start at the bar. JJ, Kate Joyce's family is still at the station," said Hotch.

JJ looked at Hotch.

"Still? For three days?" asked JJ.

"They never went to the hotel. I want you to stay with them," said Hotch.

JJ nodded.

"Yeah," said JJ softly.

Hotch looked at Spencer and noticed how pale he is.

"You OK?" asked Hotch.

"I consumed way too much dairy this morning," said Spencer before looking at JJ, "What's going on?" asked Spencer.

JJ quickly explained about the job offer she received causing Spencer to think about how he started to consult for other agencies and units in January when he started to consult for the NSA.

"As someone who use to get a few job offers in the mail every day; I'm glad that the NSA and other units in the FBI stopped sending me job offers when I agreed to consult for them," said Spencer.

"What does Strauss think about you consulting for the NSA and other units within the FBI?" asked JJ.

"She's OK with me freelancing for other agencies and units as long as it doesn't interfere with my work in the BAU, I keep on publishing articles, and I still make it home in time for dinner with my family on days we don't have cases," said Spencer.

"What does Maeve say?" asked Morgan.

"Since she quit her job to focus on being a mother for a year and her parents retired, she doesn't mind me consulting for other units and agencies for extra income as long as I don't work myself to death and come home in time for dinner on days there isn't a case," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was walking towards the bar with Rossi as he relayed everything he learned about Kate.

"Kate Joyce comes from a stable family. She went to good schools, got good grades, has good friends," said Spencer while being grateful that a dog he walked past didn't bark or growl at him.

"Everything points to her being a total sweetheart," said Rossi.

Spencer thought about Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Lynette being sweethearts around everyone.

"You don't think she is?" asked Spencer.

"I'm sure she is," said Rossi.

"But?" asked Spencer as he and Rossi stepped aside while a woman roller bladed between them.

"She's 19. Everyone agrees Kate wouldn't leave with those boys," said Rossi.

"But she did," said Spencer.

"Yeah. But why?" asked Rossi as he removed his sunglasses and stopped walking so he could make eye contact with Spencer, "Why would this girl, this sweetheart, take such a risk?" asked Rossi.

A few minutes later Spencer and Rossi were walking through the empty bar.

"We don't have many images to go by," said Spencer as he started to look at the pictures.

"We saw enough to know what happened. Kate Joyce and her friends moved around a lot," said Rossi as he and Spencer started to picture Kate being in the bar with her friends.

"The suspects didn't. They waited for her," said Spencer.

"A sea of opportunity. Why was she drawn to those guys?" asked Rossi.

"What if she knew them?" asked Spencer.

"Her friends never said that. She was only here a week," said Rossi.

Spencer thought about how Maeve decided to sit across from him in a crowded coffee shop while agreeing to go out on a date with him.

"I think she trusted them," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Rossi.

"She may have been testing her boundaries, but she's far too cautious to just go off with total strangers," said Spencer.

"So she met them before Friday night," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Rossi approached JJ.

"We think Kate was comfortable with these guys," said Rossi.

"How? Their only other encounter was at the jet ski rental," said JJ.

"The only documented encounter," said Spencer.

"Garcia's running her friends' credit cards, too. They could have met someplace else," said Rossi as he, Spencer, and JJ started walking towards the rest of their team.

JJ scoffed.

"I don't know. She's a smart girl," said JJ.

"Well, they're handsome, charming, 19. You remember 19?" asked Rossi.

JJ rubbed behind her ear.

"She would know better than to be outnumbered," said JJ.

"What if Pearson promised to dump Jim Barrett?" asked Emily.

"And, what, Jim retaliated?" asked JJ.

"I could work that theory," said Emily.

Hotch looked at Detective Mathias.

"When do we get the results?" asked Hotch.

"Any minute. So, what if they didn't do it? Then we're back to nothing?" asked Detective Mathias.

"One of them knows where Kate is," said Hotch.

"How can you be sure?" asked Detective Mathias.

"Because an innocent person doesn't sit quietly for three days. They get angry and defensive," said Hotch.

"These guys are going out of their way to appear calm and in control. They've got something to hide," said Morgan.

"Then why take the polygraph?" asked Detective Mathias.

"'Cause they're stalling. Serial killers are kings of manipulation," answered Morgan.

"Serial killers? Uh, there's only one potential victim," said Detective Mathias.

"Serial killing is a qualitative characteristic. It not just about numbers," said Hotch.

"They've assaulted at least one girl before. It was only a matter of time before they did it again," said Morgan.

"Barrett's a perfect match for Pearson. His family uprooted from the city, forcing him to adapt to his new surroundings. He's eager to fit in and quick to follow," said Emily.

"And Pearson's definitely got the dominant traits. He's loud, he's physical, he's smart, he's charismatic, and he's privileged," said Morgan.

"Sounds like a peach," said Rossi.

"You should talk to him," said Hotch.

"Love to," said Rossi.

"I'll take you to him," said Detective Mathias while Rossi gestured to Spencer to come with them.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting across from James Barrett in an interrogation room when Spencer heard Morgan yell.

"GIVE ME THIS GUY'S PROPERTY! NOW!" yelled Morgan.

James looked at Spencer.

"What the hell was that?" asked James.

Spencer thought about the camera beeping.

"That was the camera," said Spencer.

"No, the yelling," said James.

"That was Agent Morgan," said Spencer before becoming serious as he focused on the papers in front of him, "Barrett, it says here you were half an hour late to work on Saturday morning," said Spencer.

"I was hung-over," said James.

"Hung-over? That's nothing new, but being late is. It looks like you always clock in 10 minutes early, gas up the jet skis, get the life vests out. What happened that morning?" asked Spencer.

"I just told you. I was hung-over," said James.

"Got you. Hung-over slept in. What about Friday night, Friday after the bar?" asked Spencer.

"We drove to the inlet," said James.

"Drove to the inlet. Approximately what time would you say you drove to the inlet?" asked Spencer.

"2:00, 2:30," said James.

Spencer squinted a bit as he thought about helping Maeve give Lynette a bottle while Maeve breastfed Arthur and Joseph at the same time at 2 AM in the morning.

"Why would you go to the water at 2:00 or 2:30 in the morning?" asked Spencer.

"The boats start coming in," said James.

Spencer gave James a look saying 'I don't believe you'.

"In the middle of the night the boats start coming in?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah. They fish all night, then they bring in the catch. Then they sell it on the docks to the restaurants and all that. Syd wanted to show her, then he drove her back, dropped her off at the hotel, and the next thing I know, it's morning," said James.

"And you slept in?" asked Spencer.

"My alarm clock's broken," said James.

Spencer stared James down.

"Broken. Your alarm clock's broken?" asked Spencer.

"Broken," said James.

Spencer squinted at James.

"Did it make you upset?" asked Spencer as the camera continued to beep.

James stood up and looked at Spencer as he slammed his hands on the table.

"Can you fix the damn camera, please?!" demanded James just as Emily came into the room.

"Sit down," ordered Emily.

James sat down while Emily handed Spencer the results of the polygraph test causing Spencer to quickly look at the results.

"How'd you pass it?" asked Emily.

Spencer stared at James while James stared at Spencer and Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

"The storm came through and separated the land. That's what made the inlet," said James.

Emily who was reading a pamphlet spoke up.

"Huh. One thing you can trust is the ground beneath you, until one day it all just shifts," said Emily.

"Is that some kind of a metaphor?" asked James.

Emily stopped walking and made eye contact with Spencer before she shifted her gaze back to James.

"You tell me," said Emily.

"It sounds like you're just trying to make some fancy point. That's all," said James.

Spencer studied James causing James to look at him.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing in the conference room with his hand on his chin while Morgan told everyone what he found out.

"Kate's cell phone was left in the car and then later turned up in her room," said Morgan.

"How?" asked Detective Mathias.

"We figure most of the story's true. That's why they never changed it," said Hotch.

"They did drop Kate off at the hotel. Pearson took Barrett home, just like they said. But then because Barrett was rejected, he circled back to punish Kate," said Emily.

"Well, why would she let him in?" asked Detective Mathias.

"Because he had this," said JJ as she showed Kate's phone.

"No sign of a struggle in the room," said Detective Mathias.

"Barrett lured her outside, maybe drugged her, took her to his boat," said Emily.

Spencer thought about the word that James has been frequently using.

"He was obsessed with the inlet. He knew the traffic patterns there, when the fishermen were coming in and tourist charters were going out," said Spencer.

"The blood from the catch attracts hundreds of sharks. It's a feeding frenzy out there that time of night," said Detective Mathias as he saw the horrified glances from the team.

"We asked him if he killed her. He didn't. Asked where her body is. He doesn't know," said Emily.

"Technically, those aren't lies," said Spencer.

Detective Mathias looked at Hotch.

"How can you prove this?" asked Detective Mathias.

"We'll get them to admit it," said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer, JJ, and Emily entered the room where James was sleeping when Emily looked at James.

"Why is the GPS on your boat missing?" asked Emily.

"It isn't," said James.

"He tossed it after he dumped Kate," said JJ.

James looked at JJ.

"Who are you?" asked James.

JJ held up Kate's phone.

"This. This was your ticket into her room," said JJ.

James looked at Spencer.

"Who is she?" asked James.

Spencer ignored James's question.

"You said the inlet's quiet between 4:00 and 5 AM. That's when you took Kate out, right?" asked Spencer.

"You didn't want the search party to find her, so you kept going. And going. You had six hours before work. How far did you get? About 75 miles out?" asked Emily.

Spencer quickly did some math in his head.

"A full tank on a single outboard motor will get you 150 miles. At 25 miles per hour, your round trip took just over six hours," said Spencer before giving James a smug look, "Which is why you were late for work," said Spencer.

"Oh, you didn't kill her. You just left her to die. That's why you asked for a polygraph. You knew you'd pass it," said JJ angrily.

Xxxxxxxx 

James tapped on the table as he looked at Spencer, JJ, and Emily.

"I think your time's up," said James.

"Oh, yeah? Well, you took away their daughter, their dignity. You don't get to win. We're going to find her," said JJ angrily.

"You still think she has a chance, huh?" asked James before JJ stormed out of the room.

James tried to walk to the door causing Spencer and Emily to quickly block the door causing James to look at Spencer who just stared at him.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at his desk showing Rossi some of the pictures of Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette that Maeve sent him while they were in Maryland when a sad JJ came towards them.

"No," said Emily.

"Wait a minute. I thought Hotch was supposed to-," said Morgan.

"It's above his pay grade. Strauss', too," said JJ.

Spencer looked at the woman who became a big sister to him.

"They can just take you away?" asked Spencer.

"So, we do nothing?" asked Emily.

"It's done," said JJ.

"It can't be that simple," said Morgan.

"It is," nodded JJ.

"This job is hard enough. What are they trying to do, bury us?" asked Morgan.

Emily gave a bitter chuckle.

"You're too good. That's the problem," said Emily.

"It's true. You're on everybody's wish list. Our loss is somebody else's gain," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at JJ.

"They can't just take you away," said Spencer.

JJ walked over to Spencer and rested a hand on his arm before Spencer looked at his watch.

"I should get going because I need to get some sleep before Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette wake up the house for feedings and diaper changes," said Spencer as he slung his messenger bag around his shoulder and walked out.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was checking on Jocelyn and Gabriella in their bedroom and smiled at the sight of his two-year-old and 14-month-old daughters sleeping before he headed towards the nursery where four-month-old triplets Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were peacefully sleeping in their cribs.

"Daddy loves you three," said Spencer before he left the nursery.

A few seconds later Spencer was entering his and Maeve's bedroom where he found Maeve exiting the master bathroom.

"What are you doing up?" asked Spencer.

"Stephanie and I just finished feeding and burping Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette 10 minutes ago before nature called," said Maeve before noticing a look on her husband's face, "I saw the text you sent me about Kate being found alive, but are you OK?" asked Maeve.

"The Executive Department forced JJ to transfer to the Pentagon," said Spencer.

Maeve's eyes went wide.

"Really?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"Its above Hotch's and Chief Strauss's pay grades," said Spencer before running a hand through his wife's auburn hair, "Even though you have seen all of my job offers, are you OK with me staying in the BAU instead of accepting a job that would allow me better pay while I get to come home every night?" asked Spencer.

"You love working for the BAU, and I know that you'll leave when you don't want to work for the BAU anymore or its time for you to retire," said Maeve.

Spencer yawned.

"Let's get some sleep," said Maeve.

"I want to take a shower first," said Spencer before winking at Maeve, "Since you were just up to tend to the triplets, do you want to join me?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded before she dragged her husband to the bathroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I promise that there will be more Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette in the next chapter.
> 
> This chapter also starts a week after the last chapter and I hope that everyone enjoys the reason why Spencer has much shorter hair in the episode JJ and the reason why he got sick on the jet.


	72. 6x03, Spencer Turns 29, & 6x04

Spencer followed Emily into the conference room when Emily noticed Morgan texting on his phone.

"Is that Ellie again?" asked Emily.

Morgan smiled.

"She texts me every morning on her way to school," said Morgan.

Spencer took a seat next to Morgan and looked at the godfather of his oldest daughter.

"How's she doing?" asked Spencer.

"Well, she's already got herself a BFF named Jill, and she thinks she wants to play soccer," said Morgan.

Emily smiled.

"She's adjusting. That's good," said Emily just as Hotch entered the conference room.

"Bristol, Virginia," said Hotch as he passed out files to Spencer, Emily, and Morgan, "The body of 25-year-old Jenny Delilly was found yesterday. She had been tortured, sodomized, and electrocuted before being forced to make a goodbye call to her parents. Her body was then dumped off Elden Street. A week ago, the body of Kara Kirkland was found in the same area having suffered identical injuries," said Hotch as he showed pictures from the crime scene.

"This reminds me of The Butcher case," said Morgan.

"Why does that name sound familiar to me?" asked Emily.

Spencer looked at Emily.

"The Butcher was a sexual sadist that killed 20 women in the same area of Virginia from 1984 to 1993 and then vanished. He tortured blond women in their 20s that lived in or near Bristol," said Spencer.

Emily looked at Hotch.

"That was one of Rossi's old cases, isn't it?" asked Emily.

"Yes," said Hotch.

"Does he know?" asked Morgan just as Rossi came into the room.

Emily looked at Rossi who was carrying a box.

"Some vacation. Did you get any sun?" asked Emily.

"I never got any anything," said Rossi.

"Do you think The Butcher's back?" asked Emily.

"I doubt it. We profiled him as a white male in his late 40s back then. He'd be in his 70s by now," said Rossi.

"Didn't you almost catch him?" asked Morgan.

"In the spring of '93, we narrowed the geographical profile. We alerted every blonde in their mid-20s in Bristol and the surrounding counties. The pressure got so intense, the killings just stopped," said Rossi.

"Well, the Copelands killed into their 70s. This could be him coming back," said Spencer.

"It's probably a copycat. If he's emulating the butcher, he could just be getting started," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was at his desk sending Maeve a text message.

I'M GOING TO BRISTOL, VIRGINIA. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU, THE KIDS, AND MY SISTER. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch walked out of the galley as he looked at his teammates.

"All right, let's go over victimology," said Hotch as he took a seat next to Emily.

"Both Jenny Delilly and Kara Kirkman were single professional women. Jenny had just gotten a job as a web designer, and Kara worked for a nonprofit," said Spencer.

"Each woman was taken from a populated area with no witnesses. Jenny from a crowded drugstore parking lot, Kara from the back patio of a ground-floor apartment when her roommate went inside to answer the phone," said Emily.

"Why not take the roommate?" asked Morgan.

"She's brunette. He prefers blondes," said Rossi.

"These vics were forced to make phone calls. Jenny left a message, and Kara spoke with her fiancé," said Emily.

"Garcia, were you able to trace the calls?" asked Hotch.

"My pretties, they're using disposable cells, so I'm coming up empty," said Garcia.

"We do have a timeline, though. According to the ME.'s report, both victims were dead for about three hours before they were found, which means based upon the times of their messages, they endured five additional hours of torture after making their goodbye calls," said Morgan.

"It wasn't enough that he caused his victims pain and suffering, it extended to their parents as well?" asked Spencer.

Emily looked at Rossi.

"Rossi, were the phone calls The Butcher made his victims leave similar?" asked Emily.

"Yeah, but the content varied. 13 vics left answering machine messages for loved ones, five actually talked to someone before they died, and two reached no one," said Rossi.

"But didn't The Butcher make his victims end their messages by saying they were enjoying it?" asked Emily.

"That was the signature," said Hotch.

"Wouldn't that make a sadist flaccid?" asked Morgan.

"It wasn't about him. It was about the parents. He wanted to make sure that they knew he had complete control and dominance over their daughters," said Rossi.

"All right, Morgan and Prentiss, go to the ME we need to compare ritual and MO. Rossi, Reid, and I will interview the families and go over the messages," said Hotch.

Morgan looked at the box that Rossi bought onto the jet.

"Rossi, what's in the box?" asked Morgan.

"Evil," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the pictures of the victims causing him to sigh.

"Even though Lynette will be turning five-months-old on the 17th, I keep on picturing an adult version of Lynette in these photos," said Spencer.

"It amazes me about how Lynette looks so much like your mother while Jocelyn and Arthur look like you while Gabriella and Joseph look so much like Maeve," said Emily.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"I know, and I think that Maeve's pleased that all five kids inherited my curls," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer walked into the bullpen of a Bristol police department with Hotch and Rossi when Detective Green looked at Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi.

"This isn't The Butcher, believe me," said Detective Green.

Rossi turned around and looked at the detective.

"We need a room with a whiteboard, a window, and five chairs," said Rossi.

"Unless The Butcher's Jack Lalanne, this is a younger copycat," said Detective Green.

Spencer looked at Detective Green.

"The bodies were left in the exact same location," said Spencer.

"Everybody knew the details of this case. The paper even printed part of the answering machine messages," said Detective Green.

"Have you been able to step up police presence on Elden Street?" asked Hotch.

"Well, it's a seven-mile stretch that runs through the city. I've done what I could considering our budget," said Detective Green.

"Are Detectives Clemmons, Benton, and Gallagher still here? They worked the first case," said Rossi.

"Clemmons and Benton both died two years ago. Gallagher retired from the force when his wife was killed at the Pentagon on 9/11," said Detective Green.

"So you're the lead Detective on this?" asked Rossi.

"Unfortunately. Look, the families of the victims should be here any minute. If there's anything I can do to help you guys, let me know," said Detective Green.

"Thank you," said Hotch before he, Spencer, and Rossi walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was writing on the whiteboard as he listened to Kara's fiancé talk.

"I kept asking her what was wrong, but... She just made me listen," said Kara's fiancé.

"Did your fiancée say anything that sounded out of the ordinary?" asked Rossi.

"No. She sounded like herself, considering the circumstances," said Kara's fiancé.

"You say that her lexical features are consistent with her vernacular?" asked Spencer.

"Huh?" asked Kara's fiancé.

Rossi decided to decipher for Kara's fiancé.

"Are the words hers?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah, that's what she said," said Kara's fiancé.

"At the end of the conversation, did Kara... Say that she enjoyed it?" asked Rossi.

"No, she didn't say she enjoyed it. What are you guys not telling me? I need some air," said Kara's fiancé before getting up and leaving the room.

A few seconds later Hotch joined Spencer and Rossi.

"What happened in there?" asked Hotch.

"We talked about the signature," said Spencer.

"Even though Jenny Delilly's message didn't have the whole signature, I want you to see if it matches any of the old Butcher phone transcripts," said Hotch.

"You think something in Jenny's call was scripted?" asked Spencer.

"Possibly," said Hotch before walking away.

A minute later Spencer was going through the transcripts of the previous phone calls and the current phone calls.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on a nearby table with a file on his lap while he listened to the recording of an older call with Rossi.

"Please tell mom I love her. Tell Joey the same. He wants me to say I enjoyed it, but I didn't," said a crying woman.

"Yes, she did. She's dead," said a man.

Rossi paused the tape as he looked at Spencer.

"He doesn't even sound human," said Rossi.

"Did you transfer all the tapes yourself?" asked Spencer.

"17 years ago he sounded like background noise, but when I digitized them, you could hear every word," said Rossi as he pressed play.

"Yes, she did. She's dead," said the man before Rossi paused the tape.

"It's stunningly creepy," said Spencer.

"I never caught The Butcher, but I caught his voice. I'd go to bed hearing him, wake up hearing him," said Rossi.

"It would be like hearing a message from Jack the Ripper. Why haven't you ever written about him?" asked Spencer.

"He had too much power. I need to find him first," said Rossi before he played another tape.

"Mom, dad, this is Susan. I'm in trouble. I'm in so much trouble," said Susan causing Spencer to look in his file while Rossi grabbed another file, "I know you taught me never to be afraid, but I am so afraid," said Susan.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"What number was she?" asked Spencer.

"Number 20. Susan Cole. His last victim," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at Hotch as he and Rossi briefed Rossi on what they found out.

"Jenny Delilly's message didn't match any old victims' messages until we get to Susan Cole, the butcher's last kill," said Spencer.

"Their messages were identical, minus the line about enjoying it, the butcher's signature," said Rossi.

"The victimologies are similar, too," said Spencer just as Morgan and Emily joined them.

Hotch looked at Emily and Morgan.

"What did the ME say?" asked Hotch.

"Multiple wounds from two separate knives on each victim. There's no way Jenny Delilly was abducted by one person," said Morgan.

"So two knives and two unsubs?" asked Hotch.

"He couldn't take Jenny alone. When you look at Kara's patio and the fact that the roommate went inside for two seconds, it's highly unlikely," said Morgan.

"So what are you saying?" asked Detective Green.

"We're looking for a team," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by the latest body in the woods with Hotch, Emily, Morgan, and Detective Green when Emily looked at an ID in her hands.

"Heather Langley. She lives nearby," said Emily.

"Third body in a week," said Hotch.

"I got additional units patrolling the area, but it's too big," said Detective Green.

"The unsubs fit into the community. They go unnoticed," said Hotch when Rossi joined them.

"This is the exact same place Susan Cole, The Butcher's last kill, was dumped. Heather's body is laid out in the same way," said Rossi as he crouched down to look at the body closer.

"Arms above her head, demeaning straddle," said Morgan.

"Exactly the same stab wounds," said Rossi as he pointed at the wounds.

Spencer who was now crouching down with his hands on his knees gestured to the wounds.

"The wounds are strategically placed so they miss the major arteries but inflict maximum pain," said Spencer as he stood up to his full height, "These unsubs aren't just trying to copy The Butcher, they're trying to exactly reenact his last kill," said Spencer.

"Copycats usually start from the beginning. Why are they fixated on the last crime?" asked Emily.

"Something about this particular case is significant to them?" asked Spencer.

"Morgan and Prentiss, contact the parents. See if they got a phone call," said Hotch.

Morgan looked at Detective Green.

"You should make the notification first," said Morgan.

Detective Green nodded.

"We will. And we'll, uh, bring the parents down to the station," said Detective Green.

"We need to release the profile," said Hotch causing Spencer to follow Emily, Morgan, and Detective Green.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting pretzel legged by Hotch when Rossi entered the room and erased everything except FATHER-SON PARTNERSHIP.

"This is what it is," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at what Rossi left on the whiteboard.

"A father-son partnership?" asked Hotch.

"Wait, an older Alpha with a younger submissive?" asked Spencer.

"It's very rare for sexual sadism to be an inherited trait. That's why we ruled it out," said Emily.

"What if he created his partner and groomed him? He would be in complete control and have his trust," said Rossi.

"It would explain how the butcher is able to abduct women. He's older, appears harmless, but his son lies in wait," said Morgan.

"The Butcher has a child. I never profiled that," said Rossi just as Detective Green entered the room.

"I just got a call from Heather Langley's father. Turns out he did get a message. He said he'd checked his phone. No one thought to check Mr. Langley's job. His secretary pulled the voicemail. She can play it for us," said Detective Green.

"Let's hear it," said Rossi.

Detective Green pressed a button on the land-line.

"Go ahead, please," said Detective Green before the voicemail started to play.

"Mom, dad, this is Heather. When you get this message, I'll probably be dead. Tomorrow you're going to find me," cried Heather before she continued, "And when you do, please know that I... I enjoyed it," said a crying Heather.

"I enjoyed it. That's his signature. It's him," said Rossi darkly.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer sitting on a filing cabinet when Hotch looked at his team while Rossi entered the room.

"We need to figure out why he's back, like BTK or the Grim Sleeper. Let's go over victimology one more time," said Hotch when Rossi sat down.

"He kills blondes who are living on their own," said Rossi.

"He takes them from public places with some form of ruse," said Spencer.

"He's reenacting his last kill. For what reason?" asked Rossi.

"Maybe there's something symbolic about the last kill. Let's hear her call again," said Rossi.

Spencer quickly thought about something.

"Hey, guys, maybe we should take a look at the victims that didn't call anybody. There were 13 recording messages and five documented conversations with loved ones," said Spencer.

"So what?" asked Morgan.

"So there were 20 kills. Two victims didn't call anyone," said Spencer.

"I just assumed those victims couldn't reach anyone," said Rossi.

"Let's pull the files of the victims that didn't leave a message. Reid might be onto something," said Hotch.

Spencer shot Hotch and Rossi a grin when Rossi looked at him.

"I wish you were around here in 1993," said Rossi.

"It would have been against the law for me to be an FBI agent when I was 11, Rossi," said Spencer causing some chuckles before Hotch looked at him.

"Hopefully the possible breakthrough you came up with will help us make sure you get home to your family in time for your 29th birthday this Saturday," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer pointed at the bulletin board as he looked at his teammates.

"So Sylvia marks was the butcher's first kill. Karen Bachner was his eighth," said Spencer.

"So why weren't they forced to make phone calls?" asked Hotch.

"Sylvia was his first kill. He was building up his confidence," said Rossi.

"Then he thinks to himself, how can I hurt the most people? I'll have them make calls," said Emily.

"And then six women after that made phone calls. Why did he stop at Karen?" asked Hotch before he decided to address Garcia on the phone, "Garcia, what are Karen Bachner's parents' names?" asked Hotch.

"George and Claire Bachner died in a car accident when Karen was 19," said Garcia.

Rossi who was looking at his notes spoke up.

"But my notes say Karen had a husband named Lee Mullens," said Rossi.

"But he didn't receive a call," said Emily.

"When I interviewed him at the station, he said he didn't have an answering machine," said Rossi.

"Do they have a child?" asked Hotch causing everyone to hear some typing.

"Uh, negative," said Garcia.

Rossi who was still looking at his notes spoke up.

"Wait a minute. They had a son. I wrote it down. Colby," said Rossi.

"Garcia, run Karen's maiden name. Bachner," said Morgan.

Garcia did some typing before speaking up.

"Oh-there it is, sir. You are totally right. Karen had a son, Colby Bachner, born at Johnson Memorial in Bristol, Virginia," said Garcia.

"Was the father there to sign the birth certificate?" asked Hotch.

"Yes. His name was... Lee Mullens," said Garcia before finding something, "Oh. Karen had Colby two years before she and Lee were married," said Garcia.

"Are the father or son still in the area?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah. Lee Mullens and Colby Bachner live at 1844 Shadow Wood Lane, which is six miles from where the victims were dumped," said Garcia.

"So maybe Karen Bachner never made a call because the most important person in her life was already in the room with her-her son," said Spencer.

"Oh, hell, no. They're licensed electricians," said Garcia.

Hotch grabbed his suit jacket.

"Let's go," said Hotch before he and everyone else rushed out of the room.

Xxxxxxxx 

After searching the house, Spencer joined Hotch, Emily, Rossi, and Morgan.

"Hey, guys. I think I found something," said Spencer as he motioned his teammates to follow him while Hotch looked at Morgan.

"Morgan, let's get all the police cars out of the neighborhood in case the son comes back," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer was showing his teammates what he found.

"Everything in the house is labeled- drawers, the refrigerator. I found donepezil and flashcards in the medicine cabinet," said Spencer.

"Donepezil? Alzheimer's?" asked Rossi.

Spencer nodded.

"It's a cholinesterase inhibitor. It improves acetylcholine, either by increasing levels in the brain or by enhancing nerve cells' response to it," said Spencer.

"So this guy gets to forgot while the family has to live with this forever," said Rossi.

"Alzheimer's affects short-term memory before it affects long-term," said Hotch.

"That it explains the scripted phone calls and the dump sites," said Emily.

"It also explains why he started up again. He's repeating his last kill because he can't remember it," said Spencer.

"He killed over a 10-year period. He probably remembers the earliest victims," said Hotch before Morgan joined them with something in his hands.

"What did you find?" asked Rossi.

Morgan pulled out a slide.

"He's got slides of all the prior abduction sites," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at Rossi.

"You want me to go in with you?" asked Hotch.

"I've got this," said Rossi before walking away.

Xxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer woke up to being given sloppy kisses by Jocelyn and Gabriella before he reached for his glasses and slipped them on before thinking about it being his birthday causing him to smile at Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"What's with the wake-up call?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn looked at her daddy as she thought about what her mommy who was waiting in the hallway with some yummy breakfast told her to say.

"Happy birfday, daddy," said Jocelyn as she gave her daddy another kiss.

"Thank you, Josie Posie," said Spencer before smiling at his 15-month-old daughter who was a replica of Maeve despite her hair not being a dark auburn like Maeve's.

Gabriella smiled at her daddy.

"Appy birfay, Dada," said Gabby as she gave her daddy a kiss.

"Thank you, Gabby," said Spencer just as Maeve who had Arthur on a baby carrier on her chest entered the bedroom with a tray filled with breakfast.

"Happy birthday, Spencer," said Maeve as she gave her husband a kiss before she set down the tray filled with breakfast, orange juice in glasses and sippy cups, plates, forks, and knives.

"Where are Joseph and Lynette?" asked Spencer.

"Right here," said Stephanie as she entered the master bedroom with Joseph and Lynette in her arms, "Happy birthday, Spencer," said Stephanie as she passed Joseph and Lynette to her brother.

"Thank you," said Spencer as he accepted Joseph and Lynette from his sister before looking at the tray that was filled with breakfast and noticed the number of plates, "I guess that we're all eating breakfast in here?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Stephanie as she grabbed the chair that Spencer and Maeve use to sit on when they put on their shoes before she grabbed Gabriella, "I'll be feeding Gabriella when I eat my own breakfast," said Stephanie.

"And I'll be feeding you while you hold Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette since they already ate," said Maeve as she started to remove Arthur from the baby carrier across from her chest.

A minute later, Spencer who had mastered the art of holding triplets at the same time was holding his three youngest children while Maeve fed him and herself breakfast, Stephanie was feeding Jocelyn and herself, while Jocelyn fed her own cut up breakfast to herself.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer was sitting in front of a birthday cake while his mom, Maeve, in-laws, Stephanie, his teammates, Jack, and Haley sang 'Happy Birthday' to him before he blew out the two candles that spelled out '29'.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next night Spencer entered the conference room with Emily when Morgan looked at them.

"Hey, good news. Ellie just got placed with a foster family, so, fingers crossed," said Morgan.

"Oh, that's great. I'm happy for her," said Emily just as Hotch entered the conference room.

"We got a case in Akron, Ohio. Two couples killed in two weeks," said Hotch as he started to pass out files.

"One a week? That's not much of a cooling-off period," said Emily.

Hotch pulled up some photos on the monitor.

"Scott and Kathy Hartway. Found in their car in an isolated spot," said Hotch.

"The Son of Sam had a short cooling-off period. He also attacked couples in cars," said Spencer.

"Yeah, but the first couple were killed in their house," said Hotch as he pulled up more pictures, "Robert and Allison Keppler. In both cases, the husbands were killed with a silenced 9-millimeter, the wife was stabbed multiple times," said Hotch.

"He crosses racial lines," said Rossi.

"And socio-economic ones. The Kepplers lived in an upscale neighborhood, the Hartways' were blue collar," said Hotch.

"That's a big change in crime scenes, car versus house. Two radically different MOs," said Morgan.

"Not to mention he subdues two people. That takes a lot of skill," said Rossi.

"There's no indication of how he overwhelms them. There's no antemortem bruising. He doesn't use a blitz attack," said Spencer.

Emily looked at the monitor.

"Well, he's got a 9-millimeter. He doesn't need to," said Emily.

"How about signs of forced entry to the car or the house?" asked Morgan.

"No. But Akron PD did find this," said Hotch as he pulled up more pictures.

Morgan recognized the marks.

"Handcuffs. So he restrains the men and saves the real savaging for the wife," said Morgan.

Rossi looked at the file he was reading.

"Is this right? They found a used condom on both the husbands?" asked Rossi.

"And both had Viagra in their systems and neither had a prescription," said Hotch.

Emily rubbed her nose a bit.

"So the unsub gives the men Viagra and then forces them to have sex before he kills them," said Emily.

"And given the timetable, he's gonna strike again soon. We fly to Akron tonight. Wheels up in three hours," said Hotch before leaving the room.

A minute later Spencer was at his desk sending Maeve a text message.

I'M HEADING TO ARKON, OHIO. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU, THE KIDS, AND MY SISTER. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Three hours later, Hotch was checking on something on his phone as he looked at his teammates.

"I'm just waiting on a few last-minute details. Let's go ahead and get started," said Hotch.

Rossi who was looking at the file in his hands looked at his teammates.

"I keep bumping on the fact that he makes a married couple have sex before he kills them. What is he accomplishing with that?" asked Rossi.

"You know, the stabbing of the wives is almost certainly piqueristic. The unsub gets sexual gratification from penetration with a knife. Most piquerists are impotent- men like Albert Fish, Iain Scoular, Andrei Chikatilo so for him, it could be a substitute for sex," said Spencer.

"The unsub could also be playing a mind game. Neither shot to the husband is clean, so they have to watch what he's doing to their wives as they're dying," said Emily.

"So this guy challenges their manhood by forcing them to have sex and then mocks them with the overkill. That kind of psychological torture makes him a sexual sadist," said Morgan.

"It would explain the amount of control he exhibits over the crime scene- the handcuffs, the condoms, the silenced weapon. He plans out every detail," said Spencer.

"If he's that precise, he would be just as precise in his victimology. But he's all over the map in terms of class and race," said Rossi.

"Well, there must be something else about the couples that attracts him. Something that he couldn't learn by stalking them anonymously. Maybe the couples met the unsub before," said Emily.

"Rossi and Reid, will you handle the family interviews?" asked Hotch.

Spencer and Rossi both nodded while Hotch looked at Morgan and Emily.

"Morgan and Prentiss, go to the latest crime scene. We need to learn as much as we can about him, so let's really pin down the MO," said Hotch just as Garcia came onto the jet causing Spencer, Hotch, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi to see a professional looking Garcia walk onto the jet.

"Well, look at you, look at you," said Morgan.

"Meet your new communications liaison," said Garcia before noticing a look from Hotch, "Trial communications liaison," said Garcia.

Rossi looked at Garcia.

"Garcia, I don't get to say this often, but I had no idea there was this side of you," said Rossi.

"Well, I figure since I'm going to have to interact with the mass populace, I should dress in the traditional costume of a mere mortal," said Garcia just as one of her contact lenses started bothering her, "Ow. Ow," said Garcia as she rubbed underneath her eye.

"What's wrong?" asked Morgan.

"Uh, It's my contact. It keeps getting weird and... Huh. There it goes," said Garcia as she closed her eyes, "No. Yes. No. Ow," said Garcia causing Morgan to chuckle.

Spencer gave a sympathetic smile.

"As someone who use to wear glasses all the time before transitioning to contact lenses, it's always difficult to adjust to contact lenses when you first get them, but eventually you'll get used to them," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer followed his teammates and Garcia into the police department where Garcia approached one of the detectives.

"Detective Crowley?" asked Garcia.

Detective Crowley approached them and shook hands with Garcia.

"Miss Garcia," said Detective Crowley.

"Hi," said Garcia.

"Thanks for coming," said Detective Crowley before looking at Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi, "And she emailed pictures of you guys. Agents Hotchner," said Detective Crowley.

Hotch shook hands with Detective Crowley before the detective shook hands with Rossi.

"Rossi, and Dr. Reid, right?" asked Detective Crowley as Spencer waved at him, "It's doctor, not Agent. She was specific about that," said Detective Crowley.

Spencer smiled.

"What else was she specific about?" asked Rossi.

"Everything your team needed. I sent her a list of family members who'd be willing to talk, and your boards are over there, all ready for you to set them up. I even got the push pins you asked for," said Detective Crowley just as an older man approached them and looked at Garcia.

"Excuse me. Are you Miss Garcia?" asked Mr. Keppler.

"Mr. Keppler. Hi," said Garcia as she shook hands with Mr. Keppler.

"Hi," said Mr. Keppler.

Garcia gestured to Detective Crowley.

"This is Detective Crowley. He'll show you to the interview room," said Garcia.

Detective Crowley shook hands with Mr. Keppler.

"Hello, sir. Right this way," said Detective Crowley as he led Mr. Keppler away.

Garcia looked at Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi.

"He is such a sweet man," said Garcia.

Hotch looked at Garcia.

"You contacted the family members already?" asked Hotch.

"Yes. Only two responded back immediately. That's Robert Keppler's dad, and then Scott Hartway's mom will be here in about an hour. Is that enough time?" asked Garcia.

"Yes. Perfect," said Hotch.

"OK. I'm gonna set up the boards unless you need something else," said Garcia.

"No, we're good," said Hotch.

"Great. Thank you," said Garcia before she and Spencer walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

After interviewing Mr. Keppler and Scott's mother, Spencer and Rossi took turns explaining what they learned about the victims before Hotch looked at them.

"So both victims were alpha males?" asked Hotch.

"It's the only trait we could find that connects the couples," said Rossi.

"We know that female type isn't specific to this unsub, but what if this is?" asked Spencer.

"Typically, alpha males only attack other alphas," said Hotch.

"That's how the unsub sees himself. These men are the only competitors he takes seriously," said Rossi.

"And the overkill on the wives is an expression of control in alpha male terms. He's proving his dominance over his rival by obliterating their mate," said Spencer.

"We need more details about these men's lives. I'll have Garcia pull up more personal information," said Hotch before seeing the desk that Garcia had commandeered was empty before noticing Detective Crowley, "Detective, have you seen Ms. Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"She's outside talking to a reporter. The guy from the local paper wanted a quote from the FBI," said Detective Crowley.

"Excuse me," said Hotch before walking away.

Spencer and Rossi exchanged glances.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was looking at slides from the second crime scene while Emily briefed him, Hotch, and Rossi.

"This is the second crime scene. The unsub took the Hartways to lovers lane. Then he turned the heat up in the vehicle and turned the radio to a soul music station," said Emily as she showed another slide.

"This is the first crime scene. Al Green was in the CD player, candles had been lit," said Morgan.

"He's staging the scene," said Hotch.

"Control is critical to him. We know this. But to a different end than we initially thought," said Emily.

"These murders are about the fantasy, only the fantasy isn't sadistic, it's romantic," said Morgan.

"Well, we profiled from the interviews that he's picking the husbands first. How's that romantic?" asked Spencer.

"Alpha males marry the most attractive females. Once he meets the husband, he knows the wife is gonna fit his needs," said Emily.

"We know this unsub is impotent, but what we're seeing here isn't the usual psychological block keeping him from getting aroused. This is physiological," said Morgan.

"How can you be sure of that?" asked Rossi.

"He brings Viagra to the crime scenes. If he wanted, he could pop a pill, let the drug take effect. Instead, he gives it to the husbands. Why?" asked Emily.

"It's not working for him anymore," said Rossi.

"Something definitely happened to this guy. Prostate cancer, surgery, something. But whatever it was, it cut him off from fulfilling his needs, so he's using the couples as surrogates," said Morgan.

"So why does he make the husband wear a condom?" asked Hotch.

"Well, we don't know that connection yet," said Morgan.

"He's going to kill the husbands anyway. He can't perform on the wives. The condoms are redundant," said Spencer.

"If the theory's right, he's acting out a fantasy in which contraception plays a key role. Until we understand what the role is, we're not gonna find him," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer briskly walked over to Rossi who was reading a file.

"I just heard. The unsub shot both victims last night?" asked Spencer.

"The housekeeper found them this morning," said Rossi.

"His routine was disrupted. That means he made a mistake," said Spencer.

"It also means he's out of control. He's enraged. He's going to attack again soon," said Rossi as he showed Spencer information on the victims.

"Paul Wilson, spinal surgeon," said Spencer.

"Alpha male just like the others," said Rossi.

Two coroners started to pass them with one of the dead bodies causing Spencer to look at the men.

"Can you just hold on for a moment?" asked Spencer.

The coroners stopped rolling the gurney causing Spencer to walk over to the body.

"The offensive and defensive wounds all over his body," said Spencer as he lifted up the sheet.

Rossi looked at the crime scene photos.

"He was cuffed behind his back. He still put up a hell of a fight," said Rossi.

Spencer noticed the bruises on Paul.

"Because he knew how. Look," said Spencer as he pointed at the bruises, "The wounds extend from his knees to the soles of his feet," said Spencer before he grabbed the sheet to cover Paul's body back up.

"That's full-contact training. Now, where would learn something like that?" asked Rossi.

"My assumption would be a mixed martial arts gym. MMA has skyrocketed among the men who want the most intense fighting possible," said Spencer.

Rossi nodded.

"Which our unsub would. It could be where he's finding his victims," said Rossi.

"I'll follow up with the families," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

After interviewing the families, Spencer looked at Hotch and Rossi.

"OK, so here's what I found out. Only Paul Wilson trained at an MMA gym, but all the other husbands worked out regularly, from the local YMCA to expensive fitness clubs," said Spencer.

Rossi nodded.

"Makes sense. Alpha males care about their appearance," said Rossi.

"The gym is also a good place to stalk victims," said Spencer.

"It still doesn't tell us how he goes from finding husbands in a gym to getting inside their house," said Rossi.

"No, but it does give us a list from which we can eliminate," said Hotch.

"Yeah, but we've got a bigger problem here. The unsub's fantasy was interrupted. At the least, he's hunting again tonight. At the worst, he'll escalate his violence," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Spencer and Rossi.

"Will you ask Crowley to gather his officers. We can give the profile," said Hotch.

Spencer and Rossi quickly walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at Detective Crowley and his officers as he started to give the profile.

"This unsub is an emasculated alpha male with a near obsessive-compulsive level of control in his behavior," said Spencer.

"And because of the repetition of details at the crime scenes, we know that his ritual is essential to him," said Hotch.

"These patterns are how he maintains dominance in a world he feels powerless in, both sexually and socially," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

"Paul Wilson's attack showed him how physically weak he was, and Debra Wilson's enticement reminded him of how futile his fantasies were," said Spencer.

"And as a result of this, this unsub is what we call decompensating," said Hotch.

"Now, what does that mean?" asked Detective Crowley.

"We use it to describe the collapse of OCD patterns that mentally ill patients use to cope. Once one fails, they generally all do. In this case, the unsub's ritualized fantasy has stopped working, and that makes him incredibly dangerous," said Spencer.

"So what was his fantasy?" asked Detective Crowley.

Xxxxxxxx 

"The end result of decompensation is a temporary psychotic break. He'll revisit old patterns to see if they still work," said Spencer.

And when he finds that they don't, he'll be compelled to destroy them and anyone engaging in them," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was in one of the bedrooms at the latest crime scene with Rossi who uncovered one of the victims.

"This was the last victim," said Rossi while Spencer's phone beeped causing Spencer to look at his phone, "The unsub came from the living room into here," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"Morgan says the hostess locked herself in here," said Spencer as he pocketed his phone.

"It didn't seem to slow him down," said Rossi.

Spencer crouched down and looked at the lock of the bedroom causing him to think about how he and Maeve started locking their bedroom door when Stephanie moved in.

"This is a deadbolt. The unsub could have easily shot his way through," said a shocked Spencer.

"He picked the lock?" asked Rossi.

Spencer stood up to his full height.

"He'd only do that out of habit," said Spencer.

"The deadbolt's designed for security. It takes expertise to get past that," said Rossi.

"We must be looking for a locksmith," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Rossi had Hotch on the phone.

"We think we're looking for a locksmith," said Spencer.

"You think he's a locksmith?" asked Hotch.

"We knew he was stalking his victims at the gym, but we never knew how he got into their lives," said Spencer.

"But when you're working out, where's the one place you leave everything personal? In a locker," said Rossi.

"Once the unsub finds an alpha male, he can pick the lock, get their address off their driver's license, and duplicate their keys in his work van outside," said Spencer.

"That's the missing piece to his MO. He got everything he needed from these men before they left the shower," said Rossi.

"Garcia's already ruled out gym employees and members. How's he getting in?" asked Hotch.

"Could be a third-party vendor called in to install the lockers," said Rossi.

"And called back when someone loses their key," said Spencer.

"All right. Come back to the station. We'll work this up," said Hotch before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer followed Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, Emily, and a few SWAT team members when a SWAT team member knocked on the door.

"FBI! We're coming in!" shouted a SWAT member before he kicked in the door.

10 seconds later Spencer, Hotch, Emily, and Rossi were pointing their guns at a crouching woman.

"Show me your hands. Who are you?" asked Hotch.

Maryann who was holding up her hands turned to look at the five profilers.

"Maryann Thomas," said Maryann.

"James Thomas' wife?" asked Emily.

Maryann nodded.

"Where's your husband?" asked Spencer.

"I don't know! He left for work this morning," cried Maryann when Morgan joined them.

"There's a gun locker in the closet. It's empty," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at Maryann.

"Get up. You're gonna help us find him," said Hotch.

Maryann used the kitchen counters to help herself up causing Spencer, Hotch, Emily, and Morgan to see a baby bump on Maryann.

"Please, tell me what this is about," said Maryann.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing with Emily and Detective Crowley when Hotch joined them.

"She's not going to give him up," said Hotch.

"She's the wife of an alpha male. She depends on him psychologically," said Spencer.

"Is there any chance that the unsub is the father?" asked Emily.

Spencer shook his head.

"Garcia said the prostate surgery was over a year ago, and there's no record of insemination," said Spencer.

"So how do we get her to admit it?" asked Hotch.

Spencer quickly formulated a plan.

"We need to ground her back into reality, give her something to hold on to for truth," said Spencer before looking at Detective Crowley, "Did you get those files we asked for, the unsolved murders?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah. I can have them here in five minutes," said Detective Crowley.

"Great, thanks," said Spencer before looking at Hotch and Emily, "If the unsub did kill someone in those files, it's most likely the father of her child. If it's an old swinging partner, he'd be easy to track down," said Spencer.

"That's risky. If we show her the files and he's not in there, we could lose her for good," said Hotch.

"Yeah, but if the father is in there, it could shake her loose. That baby is the only thing she would prioritize over her husband," said Emily as she pointed to the room that Maryann was in.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"I think I can do it. I can get her to cooperate," said Spencer.

"How?" asked Hotch.

"Right now, two alpha males are in there attacking her marriage. She'll react the same way to anyone challenging her husband's dominance. But I'm not a threat. I think she'll listen to me," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting across from Maryann.

"So, I read this pretty fascinating theory recently. It said that humans weren't designed to be monogamous, that in our hunter-gatherer phase, women took several mates. The idea was that if the men in the tribe didn't know who the father was, they'd all be more invested in the child. Interesting, right?" asked Spencer.

Maryann looked at Spencer.

"I guess," said Maryann.

"Truthfully, your lifestyle is, um, it's a sociological marvel. Don't get me wrong. I don't judge it or you. But I do think that the only reason you got into that was to make your husband happy. Just like you only got pregnant after his surgery to make him happy, only, I don't think that it's working," said Spencer sadly.

"That's not true. James is overjoyed to be a father," protested Maryann.

"So he didn't change around, like, month four or five of the pregnancy when you started to show? He didn't get moody or withdrawn or anything?" asked Spencer.

Maryann stayed silent.

"How about last night, when he came home with cuts and bruises? Didn't you ask him about that?" asked Spencer.

"No," said Maryann.

Spencer took a breath.

"So, Maryann, I know this is hard to hear, but I think that your pregnancy drove your husband to try to recreate those parties so he could feel in control again. Only, instead of swinging, he's killing people," said Spencer gently.

"Why won't you people listen to me? He's not capable of doing that," said Maryann firmly.

"How about killing the man who got you pregnant? Do you think he's capable of that?" asked Spencer.

"No. Because you'd be lying. This is his baby," said Maryann firmly.

Spencer closed his eyes a bit as he looked at the files in front of him.

"These files are recent unsolved murders, men who have been killed since you conceived. Now, if I'm right about your husband, I think that the father of your child is somewhere in here," said Spencer before he opened up the first file and placed it in front of Maryann, "Bob Atkins? Is it him?" asked Spencer.

Maryann looked at Spencer.

"I can't believe this," said Maryann.

Spencer opened up another file.

"James Boyd?" asked Spencer as he placed the file on top of the first one.

Maryann looked at Spencer.

"You don't give up, do you? You just can't accept the fact that my husband and I love each other," snapped Maryann while Spencer stayed silent and opened up another file and placed it in front of Maryann, "Yes, we have an unconventional marriage, but that's not a crime. We have a strong relationship. James respects me. He would never do anything-," said Maryann before she reacted to one of the files that Spencer placed in front of her.

After Maryann regained her composure, Spencer looked at Maryann.

"My wife, my mother, and my unit chief all say that I have what they call a fighter spirit that causes me to never give up," said Spencer.

"Do you have kids?" asked Maryann.

Spencer nodded as he showed Maryann a picture of him, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette together.

"Jocelyn's two, Gabriella's one, and Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are all four-months-old," said Spencer.

"They're adorable, but why doesn't the youngest baby girl look like you or your wife?" asked Maryann.

Spencer smiled.

"Lynette looks just like my mom," said Spencer just as Emily came into the room.

"We need you to call your husband," said Emily.

Maryann nodded as she used the land-line to call her husband.

"It went straight to voicemail. He must have turned it off," said Maryann.

"Maryann, we need you to tell us what you and your husband used to do before you got married. What your habits were," said Emily.

"You mean like where we went on dates?" asked Maryann.

"No, your sexual habits," said Spencer just as Maryann looked at him in shock, "Think of it. You don't just jump into swinging. Most people have games building up to it. What were they?" asked Spencer.

Maryann rubbed her forehead.

"He'd sometimes pretend to pick me up," said Maryann.

"What does that mean?" asked Emily.

"We'd meet at a bar. I'd arrive and he wouldn't be there. He was in the back watching me," said Maryann.

"What were the names of the bars you went to?" asked Spencer.

"Just one. Dunley's. It's at the town mall," said Maryann.

Spencer quickly walked away as he took his phone out.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer was handing Hotch his case report when Hotch looked at him.

"Before you leave to go home to Maeve, the kids, and your sister, please close the door and sit down," said Hotch.

Spencer followed Hotch's instructions before sitting down across from Hotch.

"Did I do anything that affected my work performance?" asked Spencer.

Hotch inwardly smiled as he thought back to the first time he met 21-year-old Spencer who ended up transforming to a self-confident 29-year-old man over the past seven years.

"You didn't do anything wrong, but you really need to stop selling yourself short," said Hotch.

Spencer blinked owlishly at his unit chief.

"What?" asked Spencer.

Hotch flashed back to the words that Spencer said about why he should question Maryann before he started to repeat them.

"'Right now, two alpha males are in there attacking her marriage. She'll react the same way to anyone challenging her husband's dominance. But I'm not a threat. I think she'll listen to me," said Hotch.

"I did get her to open up," said Spencer.

Hotch nodded.

"You did," said Hotch before becoming serious, "I think you need to rethink about not being an alpha male and being a threat," said Hotch.

Spencer gave Hotch a confused look.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Spencer.

"Even though you're right about not looking like a threat, I consider you an alpha male psychologically because you use your intellect to survive everything you've been through while twisting people with your words," said Hotch.

Spencer opened his mouth to speak up, but Hotch decided to continue.

"When I first met you and learned about your background, I instantly knew that you were an alpha male psychologically since you were able to survive for eight years without CPS taking you away from your mother after William walked out, continue getting an education and not fail at all, and you made the difficult choice on institutionalizing your own mother when your weakling of a father didn't have the guts to do it himself," said Hotch before smirking a bit, "You had your own fair share of alpha male moments when it comes to your interrogation with Eric Miller that had him sobbing by the time you, Elle, and I left the interrogation room. You insisted on going onto that train to see if you could bring down Dr. Bryar and save Elle and all of those passengers lives. You took control over Tobias Hankel. You saved my ass and yourself from Chester Hardwick when I was about to fight him. Your behavior during the Owen Savage case. You told me that you were staying in that lab after you were infected with anthrax. What you said to your father after he punched you. Rossi told me about your confrontation with Dr. Malcolm that made me wish I was in that room. There are a few more cases and other situations I can name from the past seven years that all proves that you are more an alpha male than you would ever admit," said Hotch before he told Spencer to go home to Maeve, his kids, and his sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I decided to end this chapter here while I decided not to write everything that happened during Spencer's 29th birthday because I really needed to include the Spencer and Hotch moment above this because of a debate my grandma (She has seen every episode of Criminal Minds from the beginning) and I had over the phone when I talked to her about this chapter.


	73. Safe Haven

Spencer looked at Maeve as they got ready for bed.

"With Halloween being 13 days away, we really need to think fast about costumes," said Spencer.

"Do you know if Stephanie is coming trick or treating with us again?" asked Maeve.

"She's already planning on joining us," said Spencer.

"Let's bounce some ideas to each other since we're going to need eight costumes since my parents are already planning on staying here to pass out candy," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was eating breakfast as he fed Arthur when Arthur looked at his mommy who was feeding his brother.

"Mama," said Arthur.

Maeve whipped her head towards Spencer and Arthur.

"Did you just say Mama, Arthur?" asked Maeve.

Arthur grinned at his mommy.

"Mama," said Arthur.

"You just made my day, Arthur," said Maeve before looking at her husband with a smug look on her face, "It seems like Arthur's going to continue being a Mama's boy since he crawled to me first while saying 'Mama' as his first word," said Maeve causing some chuckles.

Spencer shook his head as he gave Arthur another spoonful of pureed bananas.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting at the conference table with his teammates when Garcia started to brief them on their current case.

"Last night, all four members of the Bennett family were killed in their home in Council Bluffs, Iowa," said Garcia sadly as she showed pictures of the kids, "Jake and Sandra Bennett were the parents of Sammy, 11, and Kayla, nine," said Garcia sadly.

Spencer quickly pulled out his badge where he quickly pulled out a photo of Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette together while Hotch looked at his team.

"Agent Beeks in the Omaha field office called me. The previous night, the other family, the Archers, were killed just across the state line in Nebraska. He thinks it's the same offender," said Hotch while everyone looked at pictures of the Archers.

Morgan looked at the pictures.

"The M. O. is consistent. Both mothers died due to severe blunt-force trauma, and the fathers suffered multiple stab wounds," said Morgan.

Rossi looked at the report that dealt with the children as he thought about his teammates' children.

"The children were all strangled. Violence only in the kids' rooms, but no sexual abuse on any of the children. That's odd," said Rossi.

"Odd comes up right now, because the Bennett father was not just stabbed, he was also…," said Garcia as she cleared the monitor and looked at her teammates, "And those pictures are in your personal files because I didn't think they needed the help of 1080p," said Garcia.

Rossi looked at the picture.

"His chest was opened, organs disturbed, intestines removed," said Rossi.

"That's awesome," said Garcia sarcastically before she continued, "Could we please leave the gross part of the conversation for the plane?" asked Garcia.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"The father of the Archer family had multiple stab wounds but no dissection," said Spencer.

"So he went from piquerism to this overnight?" asked Emily.

"Two families in two days. He's on a spree," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"Wheels up in 30," said Hotch before he got up and left the room.

Spencer quickly left the conference room and a few seconds later he had Maeve on the phone.

"You have a case?" asked Maeve.

"I'm going to Nebraska and I'm really going to need pictures of the kids sent me to me," said Spencer.

"Children?" asked Maeve.

"Yes," said Spencer.

"Right now Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Arthur are all awake while Joseph and Lynette are napping. So do you have a few minutes to talk to them before you get on the jet?" asked Maeve.

"I do," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer's face broke into a huge grin when he heard Jocelyn's voice.

"Hi daddy," said Jocelyn.

"Hello Jocelyn," said Spencer.

"Hi Dada," said Gabriella.

"Hello Gabriella," said Spencer.

"Dada!" exclaimed Arthur.

Spencer's face broke into a wide smile.

"Did mommy, grandma, grandpa, Jocelyn, and Gabriella teach you how to say 'Dada' after I left for work, Arthur?" asked Spencer.

"I did, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"Jocelyn did teach Arthur how to say 'Dada'," said Maeve.

"You go on a case, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer shook his head as he thought about how fast Jocelyn's language skills were improving ever since Maeve became a stay at home mom.

"Daddy is going to Omaha, Nebraska," said Spencer.

"Stay safe, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"Daddy promises to stay safe," said Spencer.

"We go see grandma D when you come home?" asked Jocelyn.

"Only if I find out that you've been a good girl for mommy, grandma Mary, Grandpa Joe, and auntie Stephanie while I'm away because if you end up having more than three timeouts while I'm gone, you won't get to see grandma Diana this Saturday if she's having a good day," said Spencer.

Jocelyn sighed.

"OK daddy," said Jocelyn.

"I see Nana?" asked Gabriella.

Spencer smiled.

"Only if grandma Diana is having a good day," said Spencer before looking at his watch, "I have to get going, but I'll try to find time to talk to Joseph and Lynette later," said Spencer.

"Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, Lynette, and I all love you, Spencer," said Maeve.

"I love you guys too and I promise to stay safe," said Spencer before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing in the kitchenette smiling at a picture on his phone when Emily joined him.

"New picture of the kids?" asked Emily.

Spencer nodded.

"When I told Maeve that I need a lot of pictures of the kids sent to me, she realized that I'm working a case that deals with kids," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "I can't believe the I known her for over three years already," said Spencer.

Emily smiled a bit as she thought about how rough the year 2007 was for Spencer.

"She definitely entered your life at the right time," said Emily just as Rossi spoke up.

"Check this out," said Rossi.

Spencer and Emily made their way to Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan.

"No forced entry at either house," said Rossi as he showed Hotch a picture of the dining room table, "Both dinner tables are set for five people, not four," said Rossi.

"Maybe they knew him and invited him to dinner," said Morgan.

"Both families live in different states but only eight miles apart. Is it possible they knew each other?" asked Spencer just as Hotch got Garcia on the laptop.

"Garcia, did you find any overlap between the Bennett and Archer families?" asked Hotch.

"Zip. They didn't work, shop, eat, or worship in any of the same places," said Garcia.

"Worship?" asked Morgan.

"Both families religious?" asked Hotch.

"And then some. Pretty much all their social lives revolved around some kind of church activities," said Garcia.

"Maybe he forced the families to make dinner as part of a ritual, like Karl Arnold," said Emily.

Spencer thought about the case he worked on nearly five years ago.

"The Fox was a classic family annihilator who targeted patriarchs," said Spencer.

Morgan held up a picture.

"The dissection of the last dad makes me think the unsub was focused on male parents as well," said Morgan.

"I'm not so sure. There's a lot of overkill on the mothers," said Rossi.

"All right, when we land, Morgan, Prentiss, and I will go get set up at the field office with Agent Beeks. Dave, you and Reid drive to Council Bluffs while the crime scene's still fresh," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"Before Garcia signs off, I need to tell you guys that Arthur said 'Mama' to Maeve this morning while he said 'Dada' to me on the phone earlier," said Spencer.

Everyone smiled as they thought about the five-month-old baby boy who looks like his father.

"Since Arthur is already crawling and saying 'Mama' and 'Dada', I take it that he'll be the triplet who takes after you the most?" asked Rossi.

"I believe so, but I just hope that there's no jealousy in the future if one of the triplets ends up being smarter than the other," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer walked up the stairs in the Bennett family home while being saddened at the thought of two children who lost their lives.

"Family annihilators tend to kill the children first. It makes the parents suffer the most," said Spencer as he started to look around the room while Rossi made it upstairs.

"Maybe that wasn't the only reason," said Rossi as he looked downstairs, "Mom comes up to say that dinner is ready," said Rossi.

Spencer started to imagine two children tied up on the floor.

"First thing she sees the children. She runs to them," said Spencer.

"She opens up her back to attack. He uses the children as bait," said Rossi.

"The father arrives next," said Spencer as he started to walk to another location in the room, "He runs to the family just as the mother did. The unsub repeats the attack," said Spencer.

"It worked the first time," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"It's a risky plan. The unsub needs 10 or 15 minutes alone with the children to tie them up," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Rossi entered the kitchen when Rossi looked at the table.

"The table's set for five," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the food that was on the counter.

"They were going to have tacos," said Spencer.

"The big pot has red meat, the small one has…." said Rossi before he looked at the smaller pot, "Some sort of tofu mix. Now, if a psychopath was forcing you to cook dinner, would you take the time to make vegetarian sides?" asked Rossi.

Spencer thought of something.

"He obviously didn't force Sandra to make dinner. She wasn't afraid of him," said Spencer.

"He was their guest," said Rossi.

"He's too disorganized to bring a gun. All the other items he used on the families came from within the house," said Spencer before he pointed to the knives, "Kitchen knives, jump ropes, belts," said Spencer.

"The Bennetts trusted him with their kids. They had to have known this guy," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at his teammates and Agent Beeks as he told everyone about Sandra.

"Sandra was a sixth-grade teacher, she ran a church program for adult literacy, and volunteered at a local soup kitchen," said Spencer.

Emily pointed at a picture of Monica.

"Monica Archer was a nurse at Northern Omaha Medical, and she worked pro bono with disabled veterans at the V.A.," said Emily.

"Maybe he posed as a victim, asked for their help," said Agent Beeks.

"It's likely these women would help a stranger but doubtful that they'd let him upstairs," said Hotch.

"It could be another volunteer," said Spencer.

"If they met him doing charity work, he could seem trustworthy," said Rossi.

"OK, so, we'll look into volunteers who worked with both Monica Archer and Sandra Bennett, but even so, neither of these women would have left their children with someone they didn't know well," said Emily.

"It's unlikely that it's a stranger, but we haven't found a single person that knew both families," said Spencer.

"Great. So we have a disorganized killer on a spree who appears perfectly stable," said Emily.

"People trust him on sight," said Rossi.

"And he has absolute confidence that no one will guess what he is," said Hotch just as Spencer's phone rang causing him to see that Maeve's calling him causing him to quickly walk away as he answered his phone.

"Is everything OK?" asked Spencer as he heard Lynette crying in the background, "Is that Lynette?" asked Spencer.

"Lynette won't stop crying and I thought that having her hear your voice would help calm her down," said Maeve.

"Put her on," said Spencer just as he heard Lynette's crying sound louder.

"You're now on speaker," said Maeve.

"Is Lynette missing daddy so much?" asked Spencer.

Lynette instantly stopped crying and started to babble.

"I guess she was because she's now smiling," laughed Maeve.

"I guess she found a way to manipulate you into calling me so she could hear my voice," chuckled Spencer.

Maeve laughed.

"I know," said Maeve.

"Ahhhhhhhhh," screeched Lynette.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh," mimicked Spencer as he ignored the looks that he was being given from agents, "As much as daddy wants to talk to you, Lynette, I have to get back to work," said Spencer.

"We'll call daddy around bedtime," said Maeve.

"Daddy loves you and your siblings, Lynette," said Spencer.

"I love you, Spencer," said Maeve.

"I love you too, Maeve," said Spencer before hanging up.

A minute later Spencer was rejoining his teammates.

"Was everything OK back home?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"Lynette was crying because she wanted to hear my voice," said Spencer.

"How old is Lynette?" asked Agent Beeks.

Spencer grinned.

"She just turned five-months-old on Sunday," said Spencer.

"First child?" asked Agent Beeks.

"His fifth," said Emily.

Agent Beeks looked at Spencer in shock.

"You look a bit young to have five kids," said Agent Beeks.

Spencer smiled.

"I just turned 29 and I have a two-year-old daughter, a 15-month-old daughter, and Lynette also has two brothers who also turned five-months-old on Sunday," said Spencer.

Agent Beeks quickly connected the dots.

"Triplets?" asked Agent Beeks.

Spencer nodded.

"Multiples runs through my wife's side of the family," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "Even though its exhausting to have a daughter who's going through the terrible two's, a 15-month-old daughter who's already showing signs of having autism, and five-month-old triplets who are all teething; I don't regret having a big family with my wife because my kids are helping me make up for the childhood I lost when it came to being a child prodigy, having a sick mother, and deadbeat dad," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer and Rossi stood on top of a ditch when Agent Beeks approached them.

"He dissected the guy's arm postmortem. I think it's our guy," said Agent Beeks.

"Just one victim?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah. He's in the passenger seat," said Agent Beeks as he gestured to the truck.

Spencer looked at the ditch before looking at Rossi.

"Since there's no mud to deal with this time, we're both going down that ditch together. You'll also be supporting me or I'll make sure to take your Italian leather boots with me to the firing range to use for target practice because I have a re-qualification next week Monday," said Spencer.

Rossi shuddered as he thought back to Maeve's anger before she dumped her tea on his boots.

"Let's go," said Rossi.

Two minutes later Spencer and Rossi were looking at the truck with Agent Beeks.

"Who is he?" asked Rossi.

"Louis Hannum. 41 years old, well-known local Reverend. He closed the church after a canned food drive at 6 PM, told the other volunteers he was taking the donations to the Salvation Army three miles northeast on Route 6," said Agent Beeks.

"Did he leave with anyone?" asked Rossi.

"No, they said he left alone. We're still getting names of everyone who was there," said Agent Beeks.

"Before now, he's attacked families in their homes. Now just one victim on the side of the road? It doesn't really fit his victimology," said Spencer.

Agent Beeks moved closer to the body.

"Well, it looks like he stabbed the Reverend while he was driving and then the truck crashed down here, he pushed him over, tried to drive away, but the truck was stuck," said Agent Beeks.

Spencer approached Rossi.

"His rage was so blinding, he takes out the driver while in motion. He's lucky he didn't crash into oncoming traffic," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at the cut up arm that revealed the bones.

"Then he immediately calms down and dissects the victim's arm?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, he's incapable of thinking five minutes ahead. It's like he's got A.D.D.," said Agent Beeks.

Rossi thought of something.

"A short attention span is putting it mildly. He's got wild mood swings, he's impulsive," said Rossi.

Spencer made eye contact with Rossi.

"Young adults are inherently non-threatening," said Spencer.

"Parents would allow him to be alone with their children because he's the same age," said Rossi.

"If he's prepubescent, it would also explain why there's no sexual experimentation on the victims," said Spencer.

"You guys can't be serious," said Agent Beeks.

Rossi looked at Agent Beeks.

"Think about it. He opens up human bodies out of curiosity, the same way I used to open up radios and TV sets when I was 13," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Agent Beeks looked at Spencer.

"He's been in the system? I thought you said he's from suburbia," said Agent Beeks.

"He grew up in medium socio-economic status, but his rage against families tells us that he experienced extreme abuse or neglect, so at some point, he was most likely removed from his family. Now, I had Garcia widen the search of missing children to those in foster homes and juvenile care facilities, all represented by these 10 black dots," said Spencer as he pointed at the geographical profile he made.

"10 kids fit our profile. That's great," said Emily.

Spencer shook his head.

"Actually, each dot represents a thousand currently in the system," said Spencer.

Emily's eyes widened in shock.

"10,000 children?" asked Emily.

"Nebraska's one of the nation's highest per capita state ward populations. Now, using the age and the gender of our suspect, I was able to whittle down the search, and that yielded this interesting pattern," said Spencer as he waved his hand around the map.

"A pattern of red dots. Give me one more hint," said Agent Beeks.

"The red dots represent 33 boys between the age of 10 and 17 who became wards of the state this year, all abandoned at major hospitals," said Spencer.

Agent Beeks realized what Spencer was talking about.

"The state Safe Haven Law," said Agent Beeks.

"Wait a minute. I thought the Safe Haven Law was so that women could leave unwanted babies in hospitals instead of leaving them in dumpsters," said Emily.

"That's correct, but initially there was no age limit in Nebraska," said Spencer.

"He's right. The law now just covers infants, but we still get teenagers left at hospitals with a note pinned to their jacket. Some are even driven in from out of state," said Agent Beeks.

"Now, Monica Archer, our first victim, worked at this hospital, Northern Omaha Medical," said Spencer as he marked his geographical profile, "If the unsub's parents abandoned him there, it's probably where they met," said Spencer.

Emily nodded.

Xxxxxxxx 

After explaining his theory to the rest of the team, Hotch looked at him.

"So what happens here when a child is abandoned?" asked Hotch.

"The hospital contacts social services. The act of abandonment immediately labels the parents unfit and the child becomes a ward of the state," said Spencer.

"So he goes into foster care," said Hotch.

"Ideally, but most parents won't take older children. In which case, he'd be sent to a juvenile facility," said Emily.

"The same one that houses delinquents?" asked Morgan.

Emily gave Morgan a concerned look.

"That's right," said Emily softly.

"Did Northern Omaha Medical register an adolescent boy as a ward of the state on that day?" asked Hotch.

Morgan rubbed his eyes.

"Garcia said no, but she's still looking," said Morgan.

"If Monica wanted to keep him out of a facility, she might have gone around protocol," said Rossi.

"But she might still have documented it," said Hotch before looking at Spencer and Rossi, "Reid and Rossi, go to the Archer house and see if you can figure out what her plan was," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer followed Agent Beeks through the Archer family home while Agent Beeks looked at him and Rossi.

"I don't know what you'll find. This was the first crime scene, so believe me, my guys went over it with a fine-tooth comb," said Agent Beeks.

"I'm sure they did, but now we know that Mrs. Archer chose to take the suspect home instead of taking him so social services like she should have, we need to try to figure out why," said Spencer.

Rossi thought about Mrs. Archer's career.

"She was a nurse for 15 years. She would know how to work the system," said Rossi as he opened up a little notebook.

Spencer looked at a picture of Mrs. Archer.

"Maybe she called in favors with social workers or knew some foster parents that could take him in," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the land-line.

"They've got messages," said Rossi.

"My guys checked it the first day. Those must be new," said Agent Beeks.

Rossi pressed a button so they could listen to the messages.

"This is Brittany at Dr. Olsen's office. Eric missed his 9 AM. Please call to reschedule," said Brittany.

The phone beeped just as another message started to play.

"Hi. Hello. My name is Nancy Riverton, and your son Jeremy missed his bus at the rest stop on Route 6. He's fine. He's safe. Don't worry. He's with me. But if you could just give me a call…," said Nancy.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"What were the names of the Archer children?" asked Rossi.

Spencer quickly used his eidetic memory to recall the name of the children.

"Eric and Daniel. No Jeremy," said Spencer.

"And she said she picked up this kid on Route 6," said Agent Beeks.

Rossi realized that Jeremy already picked his next targets.

"It's him," said Rossi.

Agent Beeks quickly dialed a number.

"Hey, I need an address for a number-515- that's Des Moines. Name is Nancy Riverton," said Agent Beeks.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood with his teammates as Garcia told them about Jeremy.

"Monica Archer called a friend at the Northern Omaha Children's Hospital about an abandoned 13-year-old boy. Monica was going to bring him in the next day," said Garcia.

"We need to talk to that friend," said Hotch.

"Oh, no, I already did that. Apparently, the children's hospital and child services have a strong rapport," said Garcia.

"Did she get a name?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah. She said the child's name was Niko Bellic, and his hometown was Newton, Iowa," said Garcia.

"Say that again- "Niko Bellic?" asked Agent Beeks.

"The thing about that is that-," said Garcia.

"Niko Bellic is the name of a main character in "Grand Theft Auto IV."" said Rossi.

Spencer turned around from the map he was looking at and gave Rossi a look.

"What? I know things," said Rossi.

"Guys, he's headed due East on Route 6. It passes right through Newton," said Spencer.

"He probably didn't expect the question and gave away his real hometown," said Rossi.

"Garcia, call the Iowa State Police, tell them to be on the lookout for a minivan headed East towards Route 6," said Hotch.

"Will do," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting near Hotch and Rossi as he listened to Garcia on the phone.

"2, 200 families in Newton have kids under the age of 18. In other words, a lot," said Garcia.

"He would have acted out long before now," said Hotch.

"He's got a juvie record, he's well known to truant officers, and he's probably been kicked out of school, maybe several," said Spencer.

"We thought he was running away, but he's heading home," said Hotch.

"He's got a plan," said Rossi.

Morgan who was conferencing in spoke up.

"Taking his rage out on surrogate mothers isn't doing it for him anymore. Now he's ready for the real thing," said Morgan.

"Garcia, we need to I. D. this kid so we can find his mom and warn her," said Emily.

"Got it," said Garcia before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at the text message he received from the hospital as he looked at Hotch, Emily, and Rossi.

"Nancy Riverton got out of surgery. She's gonna make it," said Spencer.

"She's lucky," said Rossi.

"She managed to control him long enough to save her children. She's impressive," said Hotch.

"Mrs. Sayer asked that she and her daughter be notified if and when Jeremy is released," said Emily.

"BAU should keep his file handy, too," said Rossi.

Hotch looked over where Morgan was sitting along and got up.

"Excuse me," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer quietly entered Jocelyn's and Gabriella's bedroom and smiled at the sight of two-year-old Jocelyn sleeping in her bed while 15-month-old Gabriella slept in her crib. Spencer walked over to Jocelyn and leaned down and gave his oldest daughter a kiss.

"Daddy loves you, Josie," whispered Spencer before he walked over to Gabriella's crib and kissed his fingers before gently pressing his fingers against Gabriella's forehead, "Daddy loves you, Gabby," whispered Spencer.

A minute later Spencer entered Arthur's, Josephs, and Lynette's nursery and smiled at the sight of Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette peacefully sleeping in their cribs just as he heard Joseph make some grunting noises in his sleep.

Spencer gently lifted up Joseph and instantly felt a whiff of a stinky diaper as the five-month-old baby boy woke up and grinned at his daddy.

"I guess daddy timed his homecoming perfectly," whispered Spencer as he carried Joseph to the changing table.

Joseph laughed at his father as his daddy started to quickly change his diaper.

After getting Joseph to go back to sleep and making sure that Arthur's and Lynette's diapers were all clean and dry, Spencer quickly noticed that the bedroom light was on underneath Stephanie's closed bedroom door causing him to knock.

"Come in," said Stephanie.

Spencer opened the door of his sister's bedroom and smiled at the sight of his 15-year-old sister typing away on her laptop.

"I hope that you are going to get some sleep soon," said Spencer.

Stephanie looked up from her laptop and smiled at her brother.

"Welcome home and I'm just finishing up on my rough draft for my essay on "Of Mice and Men" for my 10th grade English class," said Stephanie.

Spencer smiled.

"Are you going to need me to edit your essay for you?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Stephanie.

"Just make sure to print it off when you are done so I can go through it," said Spencer.

"Yes dad," said Stephanie.

Spencer shook his head as he walked into his sister's bedroom and sat down on his sister's bed.

"You don't have to call me 'dad', Stephanie," said Spencer.

"Even though you are my half-brother, you have been a much better father to me than dad was," said Stephanie.

Spencer got up and hugged his sister.

"I wish that I met you when you were born, but I'm grateful that I get to spend your high school years watching you turn into a beautiful young woman," said Spencer before looking at his sister, "What do you say about working on your driving this weekend so we can make sure you earn your driver's license shortly after your 16th birthday in January," said Spencer.

Stephanie grinned.

"Yes please and I hope its OK to use some of the money that both mom and dad left for me to buy my first car as soon as I earn my license?" asked Stephanie.

"As long as you make sure that there's plenty of money to get you through college," said Spencer.

Stephanie grinned as she gave her brother a salute before she saved her work on her flash drive.

"I'm going to get some sleep now," said Stephanie as she exited Microsoft Word.

"Need me to tuck you in?" asked a smirking Spencer.

Stephanie quickly grabbed one of her small pillows and threw it at her brother.

"I'm not a toddler like Jocelyn and Gabriella or babies like Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette," said Stephanie.

"I know," said Spencer before he exited his sister's room and headed towards the master bedroom just as Maeve exited the bathroom.

"I heard you through the baby monitors, but what took you so long to join me?" asked Maeve.

"I saw that Stephanie was awake, so I spent a few minutes talking to her," said Spencer.

Maeve smiled at her husband.

"Because of the case you just worked on, I arranged a surprise in the bathroom," said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer smiled at the sight of a bubble bath.

"While we soak in the tub, I'll be massaging your shoulders," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled at his wife.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were in their bathtub where Maeve was massaging her husband's shoulders.


	74. Devil's Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone loves the Halloween costume theme that Spencer and Maeve decide to do for their children and themselves!

Spencer grinned at Jocelyn as they ate breakfast.

"Do you know what we're doing this Sunday?" asked a grinning Spencer.

Jocelyn tilted her head.

"We go get candy?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer nodded.

"Halloween is on Sunday and Halloween is the only time that kids are allowed to accept candy from strangers," said Spencer.

Jocelyn nodded seriously as she thought about her daddy telling her to not talk to people she doesn't know.

"We go see gandma D on Sunday?" asked Jocelyn.

"Only if grandma Diana is having a good day, but she's looking forward to seeing us in our Halloween costumes," said Spencer.

"I can't ait to be a enguin," said Jocelyn.

Spencer and Maeve smiled while Stephanie looked at her oldest niece.

"You and your siblings will be the best penguins ever," said Stephanie before looking at her brother, "Are you sure that its OK for me to bail out on trick or treating and attend the Halloween dance at my school with Jeremy?" asked Stephanie.

"None of us are disappointed at you for wanting to bail out on helping out with trick or treating to attend your school Halloween dance with Jeremy," said Spencer.

"Besides, Jack asked us to tag along when he goes trick or treating this Sunday so Aaron and Haley will be helping us out," said Maeve.

Spencer quickly finished eating what he had on his plate before looking at his sister who had cleaned off her plate.

"Do you want a ride to school?" asked Spencer.

"Yes please," said Stephanie.

"We'll be leaving in five minutes, so please hurry up," said Spencer.

"OK Spencer," said Stephanie as she got up and placed her plate, fork, and knife into the sink before she hurried upstairs to grab her backpack.

Five minutes later, Spencer was driving his sister to school.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over two hours later, Spencer walked along the catwalk with a mask on his face and a candy bucket in his right hand as he headed to the conference room with Emily.

"The cool thing about Halloween is that it's a uniquely American holiday," said Spencer as he removed his mask, "I mean, despite its obvious origins in the Celtic Festival of Samhain and the Christian All Saints Day, it really is a melting pot of various immigrants' traditions and beliefs. It became a little more commercialized in the 1950s with trick-or-treating, and today it rivals only Christmas in terms of popularity," said Spencer as he stopped by the round-table.

Emily looked at Morgan and Rossi as she sat down.

"All I asked was what theme Halloween costume he and Maeve are doing this year," said Emily.

"I've been sworn to secrecy," said Spencer before grinning, "After Maeve and I take the kids trick or treating, we're going to the reenactment of the 19th-century Phantasmagoria," grinned Spencer when Garcia entered the room.

"I don't want to know," said Rossi.

"Oh, yeah, you do. Phantasmagorias are these amazing pre-cinema projected ghost shows invented in France, where the showman attempted to spook the audience using science magic," said Spencer excitably.

Emily, Garcia, Morgan, and Rossi all smiled as they thought about how excited Spencer was when Maeve gave Spencer the tickets during his birthday dinner before Garcia looked at her teammates.

"Guys, I wouldn't have to worry about losing my feminine curves if you all paid more attention to all the trees we're consuming around here," said Garcia as she passed out files before she sat down.

"When did you become an eco-freak?" asked Morgan while Hotch entered the conference room.

"Baby, I was born green," said Garcia.

"We're going to Detroit," said Hotch.

Spencer flopped back in his seat.

"It's Halloween weekend!" exclaimed Spencer.

Hotch inwardly smiled as he thought about the excitement Spencer has been showing about his most favorite holiday when it came to decorating his house and his desk.

"Arson investigators have noticed a three-year trend in the days leading up to Halloween," said Hotch.

Spencer realized why they were going now.

"Devil's Night," said Spencer.

"This unsub is killing only these three days out of the year," said Hotch.

"How's he doing it?" asked Rossi.

"He's burning his victims alive. He's abducting seemingly random people and dumping their bodies in abandoned parts of town. He struck again last night," said Hotch.

"Yeah. Tony Torrell, 40. He lives in the suburbs, but he was found 20 miles away in the Rivertown District," said Garcia.

"He's attacking the city at its most vulnerable time," said Rossi.

"What does he do during the rest of the year?" asked Spencer.

"He's dormant," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"You know, arsonists are typically white males between 17 and 25 who can't stay away from fire," said Spencer.

"Yeah, they're addicted to it and there's no rehab," said Morgan.

"And they target dwellings, not people," said Spencer.

"So you're saying he burns his victims alive but he's not an arsonist?" asked Garcia.

"Fire is simply his weapon," said Morgan.

"And Devil's Night gives him the perfect cover to kill," said Spencer.

"Then we've got 48 hours before he disappears again," said Hotch.

"Well, his last victim was athletic. He wouldn't be easy to subdue. The offender must be just as strong or might have an upper hand if he's younger," said Morgan.

"Still, how does he transport his victims across the city and get them inside buildings without being noticed?" asked Emily.

A minute later Spencer got Maeve on the phone.

"You have a case?" asked Maeve.

"I'm going to Detroit, Michigan and I'm hoping that I'll make it home in time to take the kids trick or treating and our date night," said Spencer.

"Its OK, Spencer. If you do miss trick-or-treating, I'll send you pictures of the kids in their costumes while we'll have our own horror movie marathon when you get back," said Maeve.

"Thank you for understanding," said Spencer.

"Do you have time to talk to the kids?" asked Maeve.

"I'm heading to the jet right now, but I'll try to call at bedtime," said Spencer.

"You know the rules about staying safe," said Maeve.

"I promise to stay safe and I love you," said Spencer.

"I love you too," said Maeve before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

As they were flying to Detroit, Emily looked at her teammates.

"Now, I thought Devil's Night was Halloween Eve," said Emily.

"The moniker "Devil's Night" is somewhat deceiving. In Detroit, it's actually a three-day citywide cultural phenomenon, complete with masks, chaos, and costumes," said Spencer.

"Say that three times fast," said Rossi.

"Sounds like Mardi Gras," said Emily.

Spencer nodded.

"Yeah, a violent one. Vandals and amateur arsonists literally set hundreds of fires," said Spencer.

"Who burns their own city?" asked Rossi.

"It started as pranks in the 1930s but escalated in the 1970s with disenfranchised youth," said Spencer.

"Well, given today's economy, it must be a free-for-all. They've got record-breaking unemployment and foreclosures, leaving a lot of displaced, desperate people," said Morgan.

"And every single one of these victims suffered unimaginable pain," said Emily.

"I'm sure that's what gets him off, watching them burn," said Morgan.

"It gives him power and control," said Hotch.

"The top of the whodunit list is first responders. Firefighters, arson investigators, cops, and paramedics," said Morgan.

"Civil servants with a hero complex," said Spencer.

"All of whom will be helping us," said Rossi.

"This guy's angry," said Emily.

"Aren't they all?" asked Rossi.

"Not like this. Have you seen these?" asked Emily as she passed Rossi the crime scene photos.

"Extreme anger usually manifests from a quick temper, but this guy's patient," said Spencer.

"I'm gonna ask Garcia to notify us the minute that someone's reported missing," said Hotch.

"Burns three people annually. It's like his Christmas," said Rossi.

"And the rest of the year he just plans- targeting his victims and then choosing the buildings he wants to kill them in," said Morgan.

"There's a flaw in his plan. We know about it," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi followed Lieutenant Al Gardner into a room at the fire department.

"We're stretched as it is, but we've set up a joint task force with the Detroit P. D. to catch this guy," said Lieutenant Gardner.

"It's pretty extensive," said Spencer.

"I'd say don't profile me, but you're in a roomful of suspects, right?" asked Lieutenant Gardner as he entered the room that he was lending to the BAU.

"A city full," said Hotch.

"Victims abducted across every socioeconomic divide," said Spencer.

Lieutenant Gardner looked at the pictures of the victims.

"And this son of a bitch is about to burn a few of them alive," said Lieutenant Gardner.

"Problem is, we've gotta catch up," said Rossi.

"And we know he's gonna be watching," said Hotch.

Lieutenant Gardner turned around and looked at Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi.

"Well, we're gonna bust him this year," said a determined Lieutenant Gardner.

"We've got two agents on the way to last night's crime scene," said Hotch.

"Great. I'll meet them there. I hope we find something soon. It gets dark early this time of year," said Lieutenant Gardner.

"And we'll head to the morgue," said Hotch.

"Hope you have a strong stomach," said Lieutenant Gardner.

Spencer wrinkled his nose.

"I'm still debating if I prefer the smell of dead bodies over stinky diapers," said Spencer.

Lieutenant Gardner looked at Spencer.

"You have kids?" asked Lieutenant Gardner.

"A two-year-old daughter who is thankfully potty trained, a 15-month-old daughter, and five-month-old triplets," said Spencer.

"Hopefully we'll catch this guy so you don't miss your three youngest kids' first Halloween," said Lieutenant Gardner.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at Hotch and Rossi.

"The first time I looked at these victims on the map, none of it made sense. Seven different victims, various ages, sex, and ethnicity," said Spencer.

"What do you see now?" asked Hotch.

"The first victim…," said Spencer as he grabbed a file.

"Often tells us the most," said Rossi.

"Tommy Proctor," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the file that Spencer handed him.

"Well, his rap sheet is longer than the Nile. It looks like he's always walked on the dark side," said Rossi.

"The first kill inspired him. What's different about it?" asked Hotch.

"Two things. First of all, his body wasn't found for days. He was buried deep in the building," said Spencer.

"That often tells us that they know each other," said Hotch.

"Not to mention it took many botched attempts to burn them," said Spencer.

"Because the unsub didn't realize how difficult it is to actually burn a human body," said Rossi.

"Or it's overkill. He wanted Proctor to suffer the most," said Hotch.

"Which definitely makes it personal," said Rossi.

"If he knew the first victim, it's a good chance he knew them all," said Spencer.

"We just have to find out how," said Rossi.

"We can start by talking to Tony Torrell's wife," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Rossi finished interviewing Tony's widow and told what he found out, Lieutenant Gardner looked at Rossi.

"You make him sound like he's Freddy Krueger or something," said Lieutenant Gardner.

"No, but I do think he's severely burned," said Rossi.

Spencer rubbed his eyes a bit.

"It explains why he chooses this time of the year. He doesn't have to hide his scars," said Spencer.

"What about his victims?" asked Lieutenant Gardner.

"He's punishing them for wronging him," said Hotch.

"Wronging him? What about his second victim?" asked an outraged Lieutenant Gardner as she held up a picture of a woman, "Have you looked at Josephine Davis' life? She was the nicest woman in the world. How did she wrong this guy?" asked Lieutenant Gardner.

"He's had interactions with all of his victims, some more personal than others," said Hotch.

"So he's acting out of revenge. Kiersten and Tony didn't even speak to him," said Lieutenant Gardner.

"Maybe not that night, but at some point in the past," said Emily.

Morgan quickly thought of something.

"Now, wait a minute. Josephine was abducted from her husband. Tony was abducted from his wife," said Morgan.

"You think these couples represent the happiness he covets?" asked Emily.

"Or something he lost. He's a young guy with a deformity. Major insecurities come with that," said Morgan.

"A trauma like that would be devastating for him and anyone in his life," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Lieutenant Gardner looked at the BAU team.

"Do you know how rare it is for an arsonist to be a burn victim?" asked Lieutenant Gardner.

"Less than 3.5%," said Spencer quickly.

"This guy's not an arsonist. He's a serial killer who uses fire. And that choice of weapon tells us that he's aggressive, driven, and destructive, just like fire itself," said Morgan.

"But why would someone so controlling choose the most unpredictable weapon?" asked Emily.

"This juxtaposition tells us there's more going on with him than we realize," said Spencer.

"He's probably experienced some kind of loss these past few years that started him down this path," said Rossi.

"We should look at accidents where couples were burned," said Hotch.

"We're talking about hundreds of fires," said Lieutenant Gardner.

"Focusing on ones where gasoline was the accelerant," said Hotch just as Morgan's phone rang.

"Leaving his victims in the heart of Rivertown, in the center of these buildings themselves, may be subconscious on his part, but it says that this affected his very core," said Emily.

"All right, hold on. Somebody else has just been abducted," said Morgan.

"How do we know this is our guy?" asked Lieutenant Gardner.

"Because his daughter said a monster took her daddy away," said Morgan.

Spencer held his breath as he pulled out his phone and quickly found a picture of him with Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Lynette together.

A minute later Garcia was talking about the abducted person.

"The victim's name is Christopher Edwards. He's 35. He lives in the suburbs," said Garcia.

"What part?" asked Lieutenant Gardner.

"Birmingham," said Garcia.

"How far is that from the Rivertown District?" asked Hotch.

"Not more than 40 minutes. He might already be inside," said Lieutenant Gardner.

"Let's lock it down. We'll trap him," said Hotch.

"I'm going down there," said Lieutenant Gardner.

"I'll go with you. Garcia, have Detroit P. D. set up roadblocks," said Hotch.

"Got it," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

"OK, from the look of Kaman Scott's early years, he was on a fast track to be some kind of hoodlum bad boy super convict, but something happened in 2004 that made him change his evil tune, 'cause then there are no arrests, there are no suspicions, there's no sign of rehab, but he totally cleaned up," said Garcia.

"Maybe that's when he met someone," said Emily.

Spencer thought about the first victim.

"Has he ever been arrested with a man named Tommy Proctor?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, once, uh, 2002... Yikes, and then they collided again in 2005, like literally collided. Kaman was in an accident and his car blew up," said Garcia.

Morgan looked at Emily.

"Well, there's your gas accelerant," said Morgan.

"He was hit by that guy, Tommy Proctor," said Garcia.

"There's your revenge," said Rossi.

"Twist of fate. The life he left behind came back to haunt him," said Emily.

"So Tommy walks away without a scratch and Kaman suffers a ton of third-degree burns, had a boatload of skin grafts, was in a coma for a couple of months, lost his apartment," said Garcia before finding something else, "Oh, and then there's that guy- his landlord was Tony Torrell," said Garcia.

"So we were right. He does have a revenge list," said Spencer.

"What about family, friends, acquaintances?" asked Rossi

"No, that Kaman is a lone wolf. And his address just came up. Big bad lives at 5923 Mills," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Rossi approached Hotch and Lieutenant Gardner.

"Kaman Scott worked for Chris Edwards. He was fired seven months ago," said Hotch.

"Why did he kill him here?" asked Lieutenant Gardner.

Hotch looked at Lieutenant Gardner.

"Roadblocks forced him out of his comfort zone," said Hotch before looking at Spencer and Rossi, "Anything in the van?" asked Hotch.

"Welding equipment, cans of gasoline," said Rossi.

"And a cage," said Spencer.

After a few seconds of silence, Lieutenant Gardner looked at Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi.

"I'm getting everyone in the city down here on this," said Lieutenant Gardner before walking away.

"Without his car, he's going to lie in wait until he can't anymore. Then he's gonna lash out again," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer approached Hotch, Morgan, and Emily just as he heard Morgan say something to Hotch.

"Hotch, you ran into a burning building?" asked Morgan.

"I didn't have a choice. Her name's Tracy. Kaman's trying to find her," said Hotch.

"That man put his life on the line to protect her," said Spencer.

"So she means something to him," said Emily.

"She means everything," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer walked into his house where the smell of pumpkin pancakes reached his nose and as soon as he locked up his revolver he headed towards the kitchen.

"Happy Halloween!" exclaimed Spencer.

"You home, daddy!" said Jocelyn.

Spencer gave each of his children a kiss before looking at Maeve.

"At least I won't be missing trick-or-treating and our date night tonight," said Spencer.

Maeve noticed the dark circles underneath her husband's eyes.

"I'm glad that you aren't going to miss out on trick-or-treating, but you look like you need some sleep," said Maeve.

"Other than sleeping on the jet, I'm planning on getting a few more hours of sleep," said Spencer.

"No pway?" asked Jocelyn.

Maeve looked at her oldest daughter.

"Daddy didn't get any sleep since he went to Michigan, but I'll play with you while daddy sleeps," said Maeve.

"OK," sighed Jocelyn.

Maeve looked at her husband who was filling his plate with pancakes, scrambled eggs, and some breakfast sausage.

"Mom, dad, Stephanie, and I will corral the kids while you shower and catch up on some sleep," said Maeve.

"Thank you," said Spencer before looking at his oldest daughter, "When daddy wakes up for lunch, you can tell me about how you spent your morning," said Spencer.

"OK," said Jocelyn as she placed a forkful of cup up pancakes into her mouth.

Xxxxxxxx 

Maeve looked at her husband who was wearing a red, orange, and white striped suit jacket, white dress pants, a white dress shirt, a blue bow tie, and a hat on his head.

"You make a really handsome Bert, Spencer," said Maeve as she fixed her husband's bow tie.

Spencer chuckled as he looked at his wife who was wearing a white dress that went down to the middle of her legs that had a red sash around her waist and a white hat.

"Thank you, and you make a great Mary Poppins," said Spencer.

"Thank you, and we should go get the kids up and into their costumes," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled.

"At least we have plenty of time to go visit mom for a few minutes before we go over to the Hotchners and join Hotch, Haley, and Jack for trick or treating," said Spencer.

"I think it was sweet of Jack to invite us to go trick-or-treating with him during his birthday party a few days ago," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled.

"Hotch told me that despite Jocelyn being two and Jack being five, it seems like Jack developed a crush on Jocelyn," said Spencer.

Maeve chuckled.

"I've noticed that when Haley and I get together with the kids for play dates while you and Aaron are on cases," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Joe and Mary smiled as they took in the sight of their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren dressed up as Mary Poppins, Bert, and penguins.

"You all look so adorable in your Halloween costumes," said Mary.

Spencer blushed.

"Thank you, mom," said Spencer and Maeve in unison.

"We should get your pictures taken before you guys head to the hospital to show off your costumes to Diana," said Mary.

"We see Nana D?" asked Gabriella.

"Grandma Diana is currently having a good day, and she's really looking forward to seeing us in our costumes," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were sitting on the couch with Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette on their laps while Jocelyn and Gabriella sat between them while Joe took a picture of the family of seven before Jeremy arrived to take Stephanie to their school's Halloween dance.

Xxxxxxxx 

Diana smiled as she took in the sight of her son dressed up as Bert, Maeve as Mary Poppins and her five grandchildren who were all dressed up as penguins.

"I love it that you guys decided to do a "Mary Poppins" theme this year," said Diana.

Spencer grinned.

"I remember watching "Mary Poppins" with you as a kid and when Maeve and I watched the movie with Jocelyn and Gabriella, both girls loved the dancing penguins scene," said Spencer.

Diana smiled.

"You also loved that scene when you were a little boy, Spencer," said Diana.

"Maybe the next time you come over for dinner, we can watch "Mary Poppins" as a family," said Maeve.

"Wonderful idea," said Diana before looking at the clock, "I need pictures of you guys before you guys leave to go trick or treating," said Diana.

Spencer and Maeve smiled at each other before they flagged over the closest nurse.

"What can I do for you guys?" asked Nurse Clarice.

Diana looked at Clarice.

"Can you please take some pictures of me with my son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren before they leave to go trick or treating?" asked Diana.

"I can certainly do that," said Nurse Clarice before smiling at Jocelyn and Gabriella, "You two make really adorable penguins," said Nurse Clarice.

Jocelyn looked at her grandma's favorite nurse.

"Tank you," said Jocelyn.

"Ank you," said Gabriella.

After getting the triplets out of their stroller Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were on the couch all smiling for the pictures that Nurse Clarice were taking before Diana insisted on having a picture of just her and Spencer taken together.

Xxxxxxxx 

Haley looked at Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette who were all in their Halloween costumes.

"I love the "Mary Poppins" them you guys decided to do," said Haley.

"I wuv enguins," said Jocelyn.

Hotch smiled at the two-year-old girl who was a female version of her daddy.

"Your daddy has told me about your obsession with penguins," said Hotch.

Haley looked at Spencer.

"Did you guys go to the hospital so your mom could see you guys in your Halloween costumes?" asked Haley.

"We did and mom got a kick out of our costumes while agreeing to watch "Mary Poppins" the next time she's checked out of the hospital for a family dinner," said Spencer.

Jocelyn shook her pumpkin-shaped bucket.

"What do you got in there?" asked Hotch.

Spencer smiled.

"A bunch of the nurses and doctors were putting candy into Jocelyn's and Gabriella's buckets," said Spencer.

"That's so sweet of them," said Haley.

Spencer smiled.

"All of the nurses and doctors who are in charge of my mother's care all adore the kids since my mom loves to tell them about her grandchildren," said Spencer just as he saw Gabriella grabbing a Reese Peanut Butter Cup out of her bucket, "Oh no you don't, Gabby," said Spencer as he quickly took the Reese Peanut Butter Cup from Gabriella and passed it to Maeve.

"We're definitely going to need to go through Gabriella's bucket later and make sure that there's no candy that contains any type of nuts," said Maeve.

"Eventually she'll understand that she has a nut allergy," said Hotch.

Spencer and Maeve nodded in agreement as they thought about the changes they made in their diet so they wouldn't put Gabriella at risk while Jocelyn looked at Hotch and Haley.

"Ere's Jack?" asked Jocelyn.

"He insisted on getting into his costume alone," said Haley just as everyone heard Jack speak up.

"Mommy. Daddy don't look at me," said Jack.

"I'm not looking. Are you almost ready?" asked Hotch.

"Yes," said Jack.

"Do you need any help?" asked Hotch.

"No," said Jack.

"OK," said Hotch just as Jack came into view causing Spencer, Maeve, Hotch, and Haley look at a suit-clad Jack with confused faces, "Whoa. That is definitely not Spider-man," said Hotch.

Jack looked at his parents and honorary aunt and uncle.

"He's not a real superhero," said Jack.

"He's not? OK, I give up. Who are you supposed to be?" asked Hotch.

"I'm you, daddy," said a smiling Jack.

Spencer and Maeve smiled as they watched Haley blink back tears while Hotch smiled as he walked towards his son.

"Come here, buddy," said Hotch as he scooped up his five-year-old son, "OK. Let's go get some candy, my little G-man," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Jack.

"Maybe you should ask your daddy for his ID to make you officially look like an FBI agent," said Spencer.

"Great idea," said a grinning Hotch as he set his son down and quickly found his ID and clipped it to Jack's suit jacket.

"Now your an official FBI agent, Jack," said Hotch.

Jack grinned when he saw Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Lynette.

"Hi, uncle Spencer. Hi auntie Maeve, Hi Josie, Gabby, Arthur, Joey, and Lynette," said Jack.

"Hi Jack!" exclaimed Jocelyn.

"Hi Ack!" exclaimed Gabriella.

Arthur grinned at Jack.

"Ack!" said Arthur.

Spencer and Maeve looked at each other before grinning.

"This is the first time Arthur tried to say Jack," said Maeve as she wiped a tear that was falling.

Spencer looked at Jack.

"And we appreciate you inviting us, Jack," smiled Spencer.

"I like Josie," said Jack.

"Can we pwease go get candy now?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer and Maeve chuckled.

"We need more pictures taken before we go trick-or-treating, Jocelyn," said Maeve.

After Haley took pictures of the Reid family with Hotch and Jack, Jack looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"Can I please hold Josie's hand?" asked Jack sweetly.

"Yes you may," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Maeve was pushing a stroller that contained Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette with Haley walking with her as they talked about their children while Spencer held Gabriella's hand, Jocelyn holding Gabriella's and Jack's hands, while Hotch held Jack's hands as they went around the neighborhood.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer and Maeve were sitting in a theater holding hands as they watched the reenactment of the 19th-century Phantasmagoria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope that everyone loves the way I included having Spencer being there to witness Jack telling his father that he's him for Halloween.
> 
> I was suppose to be born on Halloween of 1993 by a planned C-section, but I ended up being my mom's early birthday present by being born a week earlier instead of being born the day after her birthday.


	75. Middle Man

Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were all in Diana's hospital room listening to Diana reading out loud to them when Spencer's work phone rang causing a sighing Spencer to look at his wife, children, and mother.

"Its work," said Spencer as he got up and walked to a corner in his mom's room and answered his phone without checking the caller ID, "Dr. Spencer Reid," answered Spencer.

"We have a case," said Hotch.

"Right now I'm in Alexandria, Virginia visiting my mom with Maeve and the kids. I'm going to quickly drive Maeve and the kids home before driving myself to Quantico," said Spencer.

"Do you have your go bag and revolver in yours and Maeve's SUV?" asked Hotch.

"Why?" asked Spencer.

"I have just left Washington DC and I can quickly swing by and pick you up so you can get to Quantico faster," said Hotch.

"OK and how much longer until you get here?" asked Spencer.

Hotch gave an estimate before he hung up. As soon as Spencer pocketed his phone, he saw Jocelyn and Gabriella standing by his feet.

"You have a case, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

"Dada go bye-bye?" asked Gabriella.

Spencer nodded as he scooped up his two oldest daughters.

"Daddy has to go away for a few days, so we need to say goodbye to grandma," said Spencer.

"OK daddy!" exclaimed Jocelyn.

Spencer walked over to Maeve and his mother with his two oldest daughters on his hips when Diana who had Lynette on her lap closed her book.

"You need to return to your knightly duties, Spencer?" asked Diana.

Spencer nodded as he set his two oldest daughters down and took his nearly six-month-old daughter from his mom.

"At least I visited you on Halloween, picked you up on my way home from work so you could come over for dinner twice, and Maeve, the kids, and I have already been here for two hours before my phone rang," said Spencer as he kissed Lynette's head.

"At least you try to visit me more than the families of the friends I have made here, Spencer," said Diana before she gave her son a hug while being careful of Lynette, "Please stay safe, Spencer," said Diana.

"I promise, mom," said Spencer.

Maeve who was putting Joseph and Arthur into their stroller looked at her husband.

"Do you have time to take the kids and me home?" asked Maeve.

Spencer looked at his wife as he loaded Lynette into the triple stroller.

"Hotch will be here in five minutes to pick me up so we can carpool to Quantico, but there's enough time for me to help you load up the kids," said Spencer before looking at his two oldest daughters, "Go say goodbye to grandma," said Spencer.

Jocelyn and Gabriella quickly ran over to their grandma who knelt down and gave them each a kiss and a hug.

"You two be good girls for mommy, grandma Mary, and grandpa Joseph while daddy's away," said Diana.

"OK gandma," said Jocelyn as she gave her grandma a kiss.

"OK, Nana," said Gabriella as she gave her grandma a kiss.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were loading their kids up in the Reid family SUV as a team before Hotch pulled up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Nearly an hour later Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates when Garcia handed Emily a tablet.

"Whoa," said Emily as she looked at her tablet.

Garcia continued to pass out tablets.

"Welcome to the 21st century. Yay, technology. Behold. Everyone has a new tablet," said Garcia.

Spencer thought about his ability to read faster on paper as he looked at Garcia.

"We've gone paperless?" asked Spencer.

Garcia placed some files in front of Spencer.

"Fear not, Doctor of the Dark Ages," said Garcia while Spencer started to open up his files, "I went old school for your anti-technology quirk paper files, hard copy photos but the abacus is your responsibility," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at Garcia.

"When it comes to reading 20,000 words per a minute I prefer paper, but I wouldn't have been able to receive my Ph.D. in engineering without using computers," said Spencer as he pulled out an iPad out of his messenger bag, "Stephanie convinced Maeve and me to buy tablets a few months ago and I finally decided that it was time to bring it with me to work so I don't have to carry my personal laptop with me everywhere so I can Skype with Maeve, the kids, and Stephanie on the road," said Spencer.

Before Garcia could respond, Hotch gave Garcia a stern look.

"Garcia, not that I don't appreciate your efforts, but exactly where did the funding for these come from?" asked Hotch.

"I did a thing," said Garcia nervously.

Hotch gave Garcia another stern look.

"A thing?" asked Hotch.

"Best not talk about the thing," said Garcia quietly.

"We'll talk about the thing later," said Hotch.

Garcia tapped on her tablet.

"Okay," said Garcia as she pulled up pictures of females onto the monitor, "Instead, let's talk about harvest season because it is harvest season in Indiana, and farmers are finding more than corn in their fields. Meredith Joy, Kimberly Jukes, and Amanda Frye were all discovered murdered in Johnson County, Indiana," said Garcia.

"All three women were exotic dancers living in different counties in the state. Kimberly Jukes, the first victim, went missing six weeks ago," said Hotch.

"And in each instance, the women finished their shifts, but they never made it to their cars," said Garcia.

Morgan looked at the information on his tablet.

"It says here Amanda Frye was found 90 miles from her house. This guy's going a long way to abduct his victims," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at his teammates as he rocked back and forth in his chair.

"If he's dumping the bodies in the same county, it's a good chance he's located nearby. It shouldn't be too hard to work up a geographical profile," said Spencer.

Emily looked at the autopsy report about Meredith.

"Meredith Joy put up quite a fight. She's got defensive wounds all over her body," said Emily.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"And the lab discovered two different samples of DNA under her fingernails, so we're dealing with at least a team," warned Hotch.

"One that rapes, beats, and strangles their victims in a cornfield," said Rossi as Garcia pulled up more pictures.

"They're using condoms. I bet one of these guys has a record, and he doesn't want us connecting the DNA," said Emily.

Hotch quickly went through the crime scene photos on his tablet before he looked at his teammates.

"And they're accelerating their attack schedule," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the files in front of him.

"Three weeks between the first and second kill, two weeks between the second and third," said Spencer.

Garcia pulled up another picture.

"Meredith Joy died October 31st," said Garcia.

"Now they're down to one week," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at Hotch.

"Who's missing?" asked Rossi.

Garcia pulled up another picture.

"Her name is Stephanie Wilson. She was abducted last night from Club Prowl in Tippecanoe County. She finished her shift at midnight, but she never made it home to her two-year-old daughter. Babysitter called the police. Stephanie's car was left in the parking lot like the others," said Garcia.

Spencer quickly pulled out his phone and found a picture of his sister and Jocelyn together and looked at it.

"And there's a clear pattern. All the women have been abducted on Friday night and murdered sometime Sunday evening," said Hotch.

"Which means we've got less than two days to save Stephanie Wilson," said Morgan.

A few minutes later Spencer was sending Maeve who talked about taking a nap while the kids did a text message.

I'M GOING TO INDIANA. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU AND THE KIDS. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on a ledge with his bad knee bent as he rubbed his leg.

"Hey, guys. Look at the patterns on the cornfields. It's all hard turns and zigzags. They had to have been chasing these women," said Morgan.

Spencer scratched his leg as he tried to keep the flashbacks to Hankel abducting him at bay.

"Do you think they escaped?" asked Spencer.

"Maybe if it was just the one time, but all three?" asked Morgan.

"They let them go so they could chase them again. The women probably thought they were being released," said Hotch.

"I'd say we're most likely looking for two dominant alpha male personalities, but we shouldn't rule out one dominant who allows his submissive to have sex with these victims in order to control him," said Morgan.

"Well, it certainly speaks to their arrogance if they're that confident the women won't get away," said Emily.

Hotch reached over to the laptop and pressed a button.

"Prostitutes and strippers usually make easy targets. Maybe they need to up the challenge. The hunt could be what gets them off," said Rossi just as Garcia's face popped up on the laptop.

"Garcia, focus on prior sexual crimes in the area. This kind of confidence doesn't get built overnight," said Hotch.

"Yeah, I am compiling as we are face-timing. I'm also running DNA results through unsolved crimes in Indiana and the surrounding states," said Garcia.

"Good. Let me know as soon as you find anything," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"You know, interestingly, all three victims had downers and uppers in their system," said Spencer.

"Well, were the drugs used to subdue the women, or is it a ruse to get them to come home with them?" asked Emily.

"Prentiss and Reid, go to the club where Stephanie Wilson worked to find out. Dave, you and Morgan work the dumpsite. I'll work victimology at the local sheriff's station," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer politely averted his eyes as he listened to Emily question one of Stephanie's coworker Tara.

"What would it take for you or one of your co-workers to go home with a customer?" asked Emily.

"Nothing. I have a boyfriend," said Tara.

Spencer made eye contact with Tara.

"Does he know that you work here?" asked Spencer.

Tara noticed the wedding band on Spencer's left finger.

"It's how we met. He doesn't have a problem with it. Do you?" asked Tara.

"No, not at all. I'm from Las Vegas. I don't have a problem with it. I just, um These are questions that we have to ask," said Spencer quickly.

"We are not judging you. We're just trying to find Stephanie. Now, you said you met your boyfriend here, so you did go home with a customer once before," said Emily.

"Those were the early days. Everyone's a little wild in the beginning," said Tara.

"Not the veterans?" asked Emily.

"We know to play it safe," said Tara.

Spencer thought about his own sister who worked hard to make good grades, help take care of her nieces and nephews, and followed the rules that he and Maeve gave her.

"Was Stephanie the type of girl who played it safe?" asked Spencer.

"She never really went through a wild phase. All she cared about was getting home to her daughter," said Tara.

"Did anyone try and take her home last night?" asked Emily.

"Everyone tries. Every night," said Tara.

"Nothing stood out?" asked Emily.

"I know she got asked to go to a party. We all did, but she turned them down," said Tara.

Spencer caught something that Tara said.

"Them plural?" asked Spencer.

"There were these two guys. They got dances from each of us," said Tara.

"What kind of party were they offering?" asked Emily.

"I never got a chance to find out. It's bad business to discuss private deals on the floor," said Tara.

"Can you show me where you and Stephanie gave them their dances?" asked Emily.

"Yeah," said Tara as she got up and led Spencer and Emily over to where she and Stephanie were, "Over here," said Tara.

Tara pointed at the booth she was in.

"I was in here while Stephanie was in that one," said Tara as she pointed at the booth that she was in.

Emily made her way to the booth that she was in while looking at Tara.

"Okay. Could you sit down?" asked Emily as she sat down.

"Yeah," said Tara as she sat down.

Emily looked at Spencer who was politely averting his eyes.

"All right, I can see the whole room, but I can't see my partner. If you're working as a team, you both want to see the girl you're gonna take home. Why would they do it somewhere where they can't see each other?" asked Emily.

"We should take a look at the club surveillance footage," said Spencer.

Tara looked at Spencer and gestured to his wedding band.

"Do you have kids?" asked Tara.

Spencer nodded.

"I have five kids under the age of three with my wife because multiples run through my wife's side of the family," said Spencer.

"Any daughters Stephanie's daughter's age?" asked Tara.

Spencer nodded.

"I have a two-year-old daughter," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at the surveillance footage as he made eye contact with the manager.

"Only two cameras. There's a lot of blind spots. How do you keep an eye on all the girls?" asked Spencer.

"We got the one guy in the back, one guy on the floor at all times," said the manager.

Emily looked at the footage.

"It looks pretty full. Are you always this busy on the weekends?" asked Emily.

The manager looked at Spencer and Emily.

"Only on theme nights," said the manager.

Spencer focused on the footage.

"The unsubs probably picked crowded nights to make sure they blend in," said Spencer.

"Well, they're smart. They make a plan of attack before they get to the club. Then they separate and choose their prey," said Emily.

"I doubt they were very happy when Stephanie turned them down. Alpha personalities don't handle rejection well," said Spencer.

"They abducted her from the parking lot just like the others. It didn't matter what she said. Stephanie was going to that party whether she wanted to or not," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting in front of a computer as he listened to his teammates and Sheriff Salters talk.

"We know these guys are local, so we should be looking for anybody working fields or agriculture," said Morgan.

"The only problem is more than half of Indiana is farmland," said Sheriff Salters.

"Garcia, were either of the other clubs having theme nights when the girls went missing?" asked Emily.

"Oh, my gosh. All of them. Meredith Joy was abducted on Dollar-Draft Night, Amanda Frye on Ladies Night, and Kimberly Jukes on Fantasy Football Friday," said Garcia.

Morgan looked over where Spencer was sitting.

"So, Reid, you were right. They're targeting nights that the clubs were at capacity so they won't be easily recognized by the security cameras," said Morgan.

Spencer ignored Morgan as he noticed something.

"Reid," said Morgan.

Spencer held up a finger as he paused the surveillance footage.

"Guys, I think I found our two unsubs. These guys have gotten dances from half the girls in the club. They're very careful to hide their faces from the cameras, and this guy seems to be communicating with someone across the room," said Spencer as his teammates joined him.

Emily watched the footage.

"But if his partner's sitting in the booth next to him, who's he talking to?" asked Emily.

"Garcia, do you have another angle?" asked Hotch.

"No such luck, head Hotcho. The other camera faces the door," said Garcia.

"If there's a third unsub, we could be looking at a pack," said Hotch.

"That makes sense. If these two in the booths are underlings, they would look to the pack leader to choose the target," said Emily.

"That's why they abduct the women from the parking lot," said Rossi.

Spencer turned his head and looked at his teammates and Sheriff Salters.

"Stephanie only knew about the first two men. If there was a third, she never would have seen them coming," said Spencer.

"Garcia, any luck with the DNA database?" asked Hotch.

"Nothing in a five-state radius, but I am opening my parameters to nationwide. That is gonna take some time, though," said Garcia.

"That's the one thing we don't have. We have 24 hours before Stephanie Wilson ends up in a cornfield," said Rossi.

Hotch thought about there being a third unsub.

"We might even have less than that," said Hotch.

Sheriff Salters looked at Hotch.

"What do you mean?" asked Sheriff Salters.

"Two unsubs working toward a common goal is one thing. Add a third, and all bets are off," said Hotch.

"We only found two traces of DNA. One of them probably doesn't know about the murders," said Morgan.

"The pack hierarchy will start to break down. They'll question their leader," said Rossi.

"And when that happens, the alpha will have to reassert his authority, and Stephanie Wilson will be the object of his aggression," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

"We believe the men we're looking for are college students. That's why the killings coincided with the beginning of the fall semester," started Hotch.

"This means they're most likely in their late teens to mid-20s, but don't rule out older students who transferred in or enlisted in the military right out of high school," said Spencer.

"Right now we're canvassing colleges in the area," said Rossi.

"College students are impressionable kids eager to fit in and find their place in the world. This environment is conducive to the creation of a pack," said Hotch.

"In a typical pack, not all members are created equally. There will be a dominant one, an alpha personality who's most likely the oldest member of the group. We believe he could be from out of state and has likely committed similar crimes before. The lieutenant will be fiercely loyal to the pack leader. The alpha demands this. He probably comes from a broken home where he felt a loss the dominant was able to fill. And finally, we have the follower, the newest member of the pack. He hasn't cemented his loyalty to the alpha when already he's starting to question his role in the group. It's unlikely this member is privy to the pack leader's ultimate agenda," said Spencer.

"It won't be long before the dominant realizes the low man is a liability. We need to find this man before the pack eliminates him," said Hotch.

"How do we do that?" asked Sheriff Salters.

"We drive a wedge between them. Amp up the pressure. This is our best chance at finding Stephanie alive," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

"I come bearing new information. After I expanded my search nationwide, CODIS bounced back a DNA match to a series of rapes in Louisiana," said Garcia.

Hotch looked at Spencer and Rossi.

"The dominant's done it before," said Hotch.

"DNA matched only one unsub, but there's another sample in the Louisiana cases," said Garcia

"He had partners before," said Spencer.

"Just not the same ones," said Hotch.

"So he moves on when the pack dissolves," said Rossi.

"Louisiana P.D. were crazy close to solving who done it, but then the rapes stopped. Two locals went missing and they pinned the crimes on them," said Garcia.

"I'm sure they didn't just happen to disappear," said Spencer.

"Garcia, do a search of local colleges for students from Louisiana," said Hotch.

"Yeah, I'm gonna do that. Garcia out," said Garcia before she hung up.

"If he's killed his partners before, he'll do it again," said Hotch.

"But if he kills his accomplices, Stephanie Wilson is as good as gone," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Morgan approached Sheriff Salters.

"Stephanie?" asked Morgan.

"No. Male victim. We managed to I.D. what was left of him. Name's Scott Kagan. He was a sophomore at Ernstrom College," said Sheriff Salters.

"This might be one of our unsubs," said Spencer.

"We said they'd eliminate the weakest link, and it looks like he was it," said Morgan.

"The pack isn't just breaking apart. They're completely collapsing. Rather than kill Stephanie Wilson, they've decided to eliminate one of their own. I mean, how long until the lieutenant realizes that he's expendable as well?" asked Spencer.

"Hopefully soon. Stephanie may have gained another day, but that's not gonna last," said Morgan.

"We have another problem in that they've changed pattern also. We're three counties away from the normal disposal area," said Spencer.

"Maybe they saw the patrol cars at the usual dumping grounds and got spooked," said Morgan.

Sheriff Salters scoffed.

"No, not a chance. My guys were parked at the edge of the field. No one saw them," said Sheriff Salters.

"Well, then maybe they knew about the patrols in advance," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

As they were driving back to the police station, Spencer and Morgan were conferencing in with the rest of the team.

"Scott Kagan is like a super outcast. Record of marijuana possession in high school moved on to harder stuff in college. Scott rushed the fraternity Kappa Lota Phi but was thrown out before he became a full member. According to his school counselor records, he never really fit in anywhere," said Garcia.

"Well, not for lack of trying. That's exactly what made him vulnerable to the alpha," said Hotch.

"He didn't stand a chance. The dominant befriended him and gave him a place to belong," said Rossi.

"Garcia, we know the pack leader is connected to the rapes in Louisiana. Do any students at Ernstrom College match to that area?" asked Emily.

"No such luck. I have cross-referenced with the profile, location, and criminal record. I have zilch," said Garcia.

"Let's concentrate on the lieutenant. He's our local connection," said Hotch.

"Check the entire state, Fort Wayne to Evansville. This guy knows the country roads like the back of his hand," said Rossi.

"Like Scott, both members were probably rejected by fraternities or athletic organizations," said Emily.

"Their actions must have been deemed inappropriate to get them kicked out not just drug offenses but violence as well," said Spencer.

"And they knew about the police traps. At least one of the unsubs is connected to the investigation," said Hotch.

"Do you think they have an inside man?" asked Garcia quietly.

"It's possible. Run background checks on members of the sheriff's department, civilians, and officers alike," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

After going through Chris's dorm at Ernstrom College, Spencer and Morgan were talking to Hotch on the phone.

"Hotch, he's not in the dorms," said Morgan.

"And he's not answering his phone," said Rossi.

Spencer thought about what he learned about Sheriff Salters.

"You know, if Salters inflicts physical punishment on Chris, then it's highly unlikely he's the alpha of the group," said Spencer.

"No, based on what we know, Chris wouldn't be dominant. Nor would he have the confidence to lead, but if the dominant protected Chris," said Hotch.

"He'd have his unwavering loyalty," finished Rossi.

"Sheriff, when Chris started Ernstrom, was there an upperclassman who befriended him or who he looked up to? Did he join a fraternity? Did he play on a sports team?" asked Hotch.

"He didn't do this," said Sheriff Salters.

"Garcia, anything?" asked Hotch.

"I'm searching, sir," said Garcia before she started typing.

"Track team," said Sheriff Salters.

"And Kappa Lota Phi," said Garcia.

"That's what we've been missing. Garcia, expand your previous Louisiana search to former Ernstrom students who fit our offender profile," said Emily.

Spencer and Morgan heard Garcia typing.

"Narrowing, narrowing Molto Bene. Michael Kosina of Louisiana. Uh, let's see. He was kicked out of Kappa Lota Phi after questionable sexual conduct with a student in 2004. The charges were dropped, but the incident earned the fraternity probation from its national chapter," said Garcia.

"Michael Kosina. I met him. He caused Chris' bar fight. He did this to my son?" asked Sheriff Salters.

"Were Kosina and Chris at Ernstrom at the same time?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah. Chris was a freshman when he was a senior. Michael dropped out a few weeks later after he got into an altercation with one of his professors," said Garcia.

"This type of dominant would definitely have issues with authority," said Rossi.

"Tell me you got an address, baby girl," said Morgan.

"En route as we flirt, baby," said Garcia.

"Morgan, wait until Sheriff Salters arrives. He might be able to talk to Chris," said Hotch.

"All right, but, you know, Hotch, if that doesn't work, Prentiss could be our best shot," said Morgan.

"True. The pack objectifies women. They wouldn't know how to handle negotiating with one," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer got out of the front seat of an SUV and used the door to barricade himself as he pointed his revolver at Michael while Morgan looked at Chris and Michael who were holding Stephanie hostage.

"Hey! Chris Salters! Michael Kosina! FBI. Give yourselves up," ordered Morgan.

Michael looked at Spencer, Emily, Morgan, Sheriff Salters, and a bunch of officers.

"We want to negotiate," said Michael.

Sheriff Salters looked at Michael.

"The time for that is over, son," said Sheriff Salters.

"Oh, I wish I was your son, Sheriff. It wouldn't be my ribs getting bruised," said Michael.

Sheriff Salters looked at his son.

"Christopher, walk this way and we'll work it out," ordered Sheriff Salters.

"Don't you get it? He's done taking orders from you," said Michael.

Chris looked at his father.

"Sorry, Dad. Can't," said Chris.

Morgan looked at Emily.

"Prentiss, go. Go," said Morgan.

Emily stepped forward.

"Michael. Chris. My name's Emily Prentiss. I'm holstering my weapon. I just want to talk," said Emily as she holstered her gun and held up her hands.

"That's what they all say," said Michael.

"That's quite a feat manipulating a cop's son into committing rape and murder," said Emily.

"Shouldn't we be talking about how your fine ass is gonna get us out of here?" asked Michael.

"You wish. Look around. Everyone's guns are trained on you. Not Chris. You. No one wants to shoot a cop's kid. But you? I might shoot you myself," said Emily.

"You call yourself a negotiator?" asked Michael.

Emily looked at Chris.

"Chris, I know you're loyal to Michael. I get it. He was there for you when you thought nobody else was," said Emily.

"Nobody was," said Chris.

"That might be true. But you need to understand that Michael's done this before," said Emily.

Michael looked at Chris.

"Don't listen to this bitch! She's trying to get us to surrender. We should rush them now," said Michael.

Emily looked at Chris.

"You don't want to do that, Chris, do you? That's suicide for you. Michael doesn't care. He was gonna kill you the moment things got tough anyway. Just like he killed his last team," said Emily.

"What's she talking about?" asked Chris.

"Two men went missing following a series of rapes in northern Louisiana. What do you think happened to them?" asked Emily.

A betrayed Chris looked at Michael.

"Is that true? Were you gonna kill me, too?" asked Chris.

"What do you mean, too? I didn't kill Scott. You did," said Michael.

A shocked Chris looked at Michael.

"You said that it was to protect us," said Chris.

"Us, me. It's all the same. It doesn't matter anyway. We're not getting out of here, either one of us. I need to know you're with me. To the end. Well?" demanded Michael before continuing, "Too late," said Michael just as he tried to shoot Chris while Sheriff Salter shot him instead.

As soon as Michael was down, Emily rushed over to Stephanie while Chris looked at his father.

"What did you do?" asked Chris as he pointed his gun at his father.

Morgan walked closer.

"Put it down! Put it down!" demanded Morgan.

"It's over, Christopher. It's over," said Sheriff Salters.

"I am not going to jail," said Chris.

Sheriff Salters looked at his son.

"We'll get you a good lawyer. We'll figure out a way to get your sentence reduced," said Sheriff Salters.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, Dad? A chance to play hero," said Chris.

"Son," said Sheriff Salters.

"Well, too late. You don't get to win this one," said Chris as he tried to shoot himself in the head only for his father to shoot him in the arm.

Spencer who was grateful that he didn't have a flashback to his father shooting him in the arm a couple of months ago spoke into the mic on his vest.

"Medic, we need a medic," said Spencer.

Sheriff Salter went to his son and helped him lay down.

"I had to, son," said Sheriff Salters.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting away from the rest of his team when Hotch joined him.

"Are you OK?" asked Hotch.

Spencer rubbed his left arm.

"I'm just shocked that I didn't flash back to the time that William shot me in the arm when I watched Sheriff Salters shoot his own son," said Spencer.

"With how your memory is, I'm surprised too," said Hotch.

"I also didn't have any flashbacks to the time that Hankel abducted me while I was in that cornfield with Morgan," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about the psychologist he once went to school with helped Spencer with his PTSD.

"Maybe the exposure therapy you did with Dr. Moss helped out and I owe him a drink for helping you," said Hotch.

A shocked Spencer looked at Hotch.

"How familiar are you with Dr. Moss?" asked Spencer.

"I went to school with him and after I helped him out with something he told me that if I ever needed a favor he'll help me," said Hotch.

"And helping me was your favor," said Spencer.

"I told your mother during your birthday four weeks ago that I promised myself that I would be there for you any way I could," said Hotch.

Spencer tilted his head as flashed back to seeing Hotch chuckle at something his mom said.

"When it comes to hearing you laugh at something that my mom said, what else were you two talking about?" asked Spencer.

Hotch just smiled as he looked at the small scar on Spencer's wrist causing Spencer to groan as he thought about the times his mom told Maeve, his in-laws, and Stephanie about his attempt to be a tightrope walker.

"I'm really going to need to ask my mom about telling nearly everyone bout the time I attempted to be a tightrope walker on the backyard fence," grumbled Spencer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If you haven't checked out my one-shot Spencer's 29th Birthday which is a missing scene for chapter 72 of this story, I highly recommend you check it out because of Hotch's moment with Spencer's mom.


	76. Reflection of Desire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up changing the first scene of Spencer, Hotch, and Emily at the train station because Spencer won't gawk at other woman who isn't Maeve.

Spencer looked at Jocelyn and Gabriella as they ate cranberry muffins and cranberry pancakes for breakfast before looking at the fridge where there were pictures of turkeys that Jocelyn and Gabriella colored in themselves.

"Mommy and grandma Mary will be making turkey in the oven for Thanksgiving in 15 days," said Spencer.

"Gandma D come over?" asked Jocelyn.

"Grandma Diana will be joining us only if she's having a good day," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked at the calendar and thought about Christmas coming soon.

"Santa come soon too?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer, Maeve, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary all laughed.

"He'll be coming in 44 days, Josie," said Spencer.

Stephanie looked at her oldest niece.

"With Santa coming in 44 days, that means you need to be a good girl because Santa has his elves watching us and he checking his naughty and nice list every single day," said Stephanie.

Jocelyn nodded as the pigtails her daddy pulled her hair into bounced.

"OK," said Jocelyn as she put another forkful of cranberry pancakes into her mouth.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at the round table eating one of the cranberry muffins from breakfast when Hotch and Rossi joined him.

"A muffin from home?" asked Rossi.

Spencer nodded.

"Mary decided to make cranberry muffins and cranberry pancakes this morning and she forced me to take one of the muffins to work," said Spencer just as Garcia entered the room and turned on the monitor and sat down.

"Kelly Landis went missing three days ago. Two days ago, the Georgetown "Monitor" received this," said Garcia as she pulled a bunch of papers out of her purse.

"So whoever took this, took Kelly. And wanted the world to know it," said Hotch before he noticed a playbill with Garcia's name on it, "Is that you?" asked Hotch.

Garcia became guarded as she covered up the playbills while Rossi looked at Hotch and Garcia.

"Where was she found?" asked Rossi.

"Uh, she was found in Georgetown, in an alley, late last night," said Garcia as she opened up her tablet.

"I sent Morgan and Prentiss," said Hotch.

"Only one victim?" asked Rossi.

"It's what he did to her that concerns me," said Hotch.

Garcia grabbed a file.

"Morgan sent these, also late last night," said Garcia as she passed the file to Spencer.

Spencer opened the file and started to look at the crime scene photos.

"He and Prentiss are waiting in the District," said Hotch.

"The body seems posed. Left arm raised…," said Spencer before he noticed what was missing, "Oh... That's a first. I see your concern," said Spencer.

A curious Garcia looked at Spencer.

"What?" asked Garcia.

Rossi noticed what Spencer noticed.

"A photo wasn't all he took," said Rossi.

"Reid, what?" asked Garcia.

"Her lips have been removed," said Spencer.

Garcia became grossed out.

"Oh, my God," said Garcia.

Spencer took another bite of his muffin.

"Maybe a trophy," said Rossi.

Spencer who was almost finished chewing spoke up.

"Maybe he ate them?" asked Spencer as he continued chewing.

Garcia looked at Spencer as she wondered how he was able to handle eating during briefing.

"Ok, now I have that memory burned in my mind for the rest of my life," said Garcia.

Spencer's lips twitched up a bit.

"You asked," said Spencer as he noticed Hotch's lips twitch up a bit.

Rossi looked at the photo on the TV screen.

"The photo he sent to the "Monitor" and the way her body's posed and the mutilation, it must be a representation of someone," said Rossi.

"At least by sending a photo, the media's opened a line of communication," said Spencer.

"Now that he's got the media's attention, we can expect more of these," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Emily were sitting on a table together when Detective Croft stood up and walked closer to the BAU team.

"33 years. Two days left to retire. Not once did I have my name in print," said Detective Croft as he dropped a newspaper on the table, "Now it's alongside a 22-year-old girl left butchered in an alley," said Detective Croft as he sat on a table.

Hotch turned around and looked at Detective Croft.

"Who found her?" asked Hotch.

"Homeless guy," said Detective Croft.

"We need to compile a list of Kelly's direct relatives, friends, co-workers, boyfriends, everyone," said Hotch.

"When we got the photo, I expected a ransom, not a body," said Detective Croft.

"This isn't about money. It's about that," said Morgan as he gestured to the TV that currently showed a reporter speaking, "Attention," said Morgan.

"By sending in the photo, the unsub's handiwork becomes the center of attention," said Emily.

"It wasn't sent. It was walked into the "Monitor" building. No one saw a thing," said Detective Croft.

Hotch looked at his team and the officers in the room.

"From here on out, nobody talks to the press," said Hotch.

"The last thing we need is the media naming her killer," said Emily.

"It'll have an emotional effect on her killer, but positive or negative, neither one will help," said Morgan.

Detective Croft looked at Spencer, Hotch, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi.

"You know, you guys usually work serial murders. All we have is Kelly," said Detective Croft.

Spencer looked at Detective Croft.

"What you have is unique, in fact. It's a first for all of us," said Spencer.

"Kelly represents someone specific to the unsub," said Morgan as he pointed at the crime scene pictures, "Love and hate in equal measure," said Morgan.

"What the hell does cutting her lips off represent?" asked Detective Croft.

Spencer pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"It's a fetish, an obsession linked either to a profoundly deep love or possibly disgust of lips. As Morgan pointed out, emotions that are in direct conflict with one another," said Spencer.

"It's his signature," said Hotch.

"And not one that's on any database," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

"The office for the Georgetown "Monitor" is here on M Street. Kelly's body was found in Rykers Alley here," said Hotch as he pointed at a map of DC.

Spencer looked at his teammates and Detective Croft.

"Three blocks west is where he hand-delivered Kelly's photo," said Spencer.

Hotch pointed at the map again.

"And 10 blocks farther east are offices of practically every major media outlet," said Hotch.

"Why choose the "Monitor"?" asked Rossi.

"He reads it or it's his comfort zone," said Morgan.

"You think he lives in Georgetown?" asked Detective Croft.

"Until we find signs of sexual assault, we can't be sure it's a he," said Emily.

Morgan looked at the file in his hands.

"It says that Kelly lives in Alexandria but she works on the Hill. Is that correct?" asked Morgan.

"She didn't have a chance. It was her first day as a Senate Page," said Detective Croft.

Emily looked at Detective Croft.

"What time was she supposed to report for work?" asked Emily.

"9 AM. neighbors saw her leave in the morning. She didn't have a car. If she used the bus or the Metro, no one saw her," said Detective Croft.

Morgan closed his eyes.

"Can we see a copy of the autopsy report?" asked Hotch.

"Happening downstairs as we speak," said Detective Croft.

"And we'd like to see a list of everyone you've interviewed so far," said Hotch.

"It's on my desk. I'll get it," said Detective Croft before he walked away.

Hotch looked at Spencer, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi.

"Kelly's body was dumped in the district. It's likely that she was abducted and killed here, too," said Hotch.

"Then he's local," said Morgan.

"And MPD's done a comprehensive neighborhood canvass," said Hotch.

Morgan nodded.

"They have," said Morgan.

"They've probably already interviewed the unsub," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Rossi were watching Dr. Hecht work on Kelly.

"If she was offered food or water, she didn't accept it. Her stomach's empty, and she's dehydrated," said Dr. Hecht.

"Not that she could have accepted anything. She was restrained," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Dr. Hecht as he walked closer to the medical examiner.

"Dr. Hecht, did you find any signs of sexual abuse?" asked Spencer.

"No," said Dr. Hecht.

"Cause of death?" asked Rossi.

"Suffocation. But not manual strangulation," said Dr. Hecht.

"Was the mutilation post- or antemortem?" asked Spencer.

"Post," said Dr. Hecht as she turned over Kelly's body, "Never get used to that," said Dr. Hecht.

Spencer leaned forward before he noticed something in Kelly's open mouth.

"There's something in her throat," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Dr. Hecht pulled the paper that Spencer found lodged in Kelly's throat as she talked to Spencer and Rossi.

"The air must have dislodged it, otherwise I'd have seen it," said Dr. Hecht as she took the paper to an area that already had a light turned on.

Spencer who already had latex-free gloves on looked at Dr. Hecht.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

Rossi watched Spencer gently open up the crumpled piece of paper.

"A page from a book?" asked Rossi.

Spencer continued to open up the paper as he talked.

"I don't know. It's old paper. The blood and the saliva has sort of smudged the words. There's a lot of text," said Spencer as he grabbed a magnifying glass, "It appears... To be in old courier. You know what? It's typed, not printed," said Spencer as he started to read what he could read out loud, ""Nothing moves in the street. "A cool breeze and gentle rain do little to silence Robert's beating heart."," read Spencer as he looked up at Rossi.

Rossi looked at Dr. Hecht.

"From the time Kelly was found, how long had she been dead?" asked Rossi.

Spencer removed his latex-free gloves and tossed them in the trash.

"Lividity indicates half an hour," said Dr. Hecht.

Spencer looked at Rossi and the medical examiner.

"Georgetown's where he kept her captive," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the autopsy report causing him to be shocked.

"Trihalomethane was found in her hair," said Rossi.

"Chloroform?" asked Spencer.

"Who uses chloroform nowadays?" asked Rossi.

Spencer tilted his head.

"You know, chloroform, the glamour shots- it all feels like a throwback to another century," said Spencer as he used his work phone to take a picture of the paper before sending the picture to Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that night, Spencer quietly crept into Jocelyn's and Gabriella's bedroom and smiled at the sight of the two sleeping toddlers before he headed into the triplets nursery and smiled at the sight of Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette sleeping in their cribs. After making sure that the nearly six-month-old triplets diapers were clean and dry, he walked into his and Maeve's bedroom and smiled at the sight of his wife sitting up in bed reading a book.

"Sorry that I missed dinner and helping with tucking in the kids," said Spencer.

Maeve closed her book and looked at her husband.

"Even though I'm glad that local cases allow you to come home at night, its OK if you have to work longer because my parents, Stephanie, and I make a good team putting down three babies and two toddlers without your help," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled at his wife.

"At least I'll be able to eat breakfast with you, Stephanie, the kids, and your parents before I drive Stephanie to school and drive myself to the police station," said Spencer before looking at the clock, "Since I have to be at DC Metro Station for 8 AM briefing tomorrow morning, I know that I should take a shower and get some sleep before any of the triplets wakes us up," said Spencer.

"Can I join you?" asked Maeve.

Spencer smiled as he held out his hand to his wife and led her to the bathroom.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was standing next to Rossi while Hotch briefed everyone on the latest missing victim.

"Penny Hanley, 19. She lives in Arlington, works in an art gallery. Yesterday she didn't make it to work or back home," said Hotch.

"She caught the Metro to Union Station. Her father dropped her off," said Detective Croft.

"Her purse was found a few blocks away on a side street. It's most likely where she was abducted," said Morgan.

"Kelly was taken for three days. If he's holding to the pattern, Penny's already on day two," said Hotch.

"Today the Georgetown "Monitor" will receive a photo," said Rossi.

"Whatever happens, we cannot allow another photograph like Kelly's to be published. We need to get ahead of the media. They've already named him "the Hill Ripper."," said Emily.

"I want undercover units to lock that building down. And if you see him, let him walk in. Do not apprehend him before," said Detective Croft.

"We're looking for a white male in his mid to late 40s, approximately 6 feet tall, slim build," said Hotch.

"We think he's a local and a loner, and he's most likely unemployed," said Morgan.

"He's moving his victims around the city unseen, so we know he has a vehicle. It's probably an older model, but well maintained," said Emily.

"What does he think this is?" asked an officer as he gestured to the picture of a bloody piece of paper.

"A page from what we believe is a script was found inserted in Kelly's throat. Somehow in the unsub's mind, Kelly seems to have failed expectations," said Spencer.

"Although there were no sexual interactions ante or postmortem, the removal of the lips is in itself a sexual act," said Rossi.

"A behavior which tells us we're dealing with a borderline personality," said Spencer.

"Based on the obvious theatricality of the case, we think he worked in or around the arts," said Emily.

"Three days may represent a three-act play, of which Kelly was the star," said Morgan.

"Kelly was killed three days after she was abducted. That means Penny may only have a day left," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood in the lobby of Union Station while thinking about how often he walked through this station since he moved to DC.

"This building has three exits- north, south, and west," said Spencer as he pointed at the exits, "You're here to target a woman, but you don't want to attract attention," said Spencer.

"Well, standing in the middle and gawking at women, would certainly attract attention," said Hotch before he noticed that Spencer was watching Maeve walk past them with a shopping bag from a boutique in her hands.

Maeve who heard what Hotch said decided to have a bit of fun.

"Hi Spencer," smirked Maeve as she winked and blew a kiss at her husband before walking away while laughing.

Hotch shook his head as he watched his youngest agent gawk at his wife.

"Like you're doing now," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly stopped watching his wife and looked at Hotch.

"What's that?" asked Spencer.

Emily smiled as she watched Maeve go to the exit that would lead her to the train that would take her home.

"Just like that," said Emily as she snapped her fingers, "IQ. of 187 is slashed to 60," said Emily before she walked away.

Hotch looked at Spencer as they started to walk.

"But sitting and reading the paper would give him an excuse to watch without being noticed," said Hotch.

"Far enough away not to attract attention but close enough to make sure she's the right one," said Spencer as he and Hotch watched Emily walk, "You know, she works 15 blocks east of here. Her father said she walked through this train station every day," said Spencer.

Hotch watched Emily walk by before he looked at Spencer.

"If he were sitting here, he's on camera," said Hotch as he and Spencer looked at one of the security cameras before looking at Spencer, "Did you know that Maeve was going to be in this area today?" asked Hotch.

"Maeve talked about wanting to get a new dress for our next date night and she always takes the Metro if she's not taking any of the kids along," said Spencer.

A couple of minutes later Spencer, Hotch, and Emily were talking to a security guard as they looked at the surveillance footage.

"How many cameras cover the area?" asked Hotch.

"Three, but only two are operable- cameras eight and seven," said the security guard.

Spencer thought about the time that Penny was most likely abducted.

"Can you go back to yesterday around 4 PM?" asked Spencer.

The security guard followed Spencer's instructions before Emily noticed Penny on the monitor.

"OK, camera seven. There she is," said Emily.

"Can you bring up camera eight? Can you enlarge it and keep it rolling, please?" asked Hotch.

The security guard followed Hotch's instructions causing Spencer, Hotch, and Emily to see a little girl around eight-years-old walking to the unsub causing all three adults to think about Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Lynette looking like her in a couple of years.

"See the girl walking in front of the man?" asked Hotch.

"Well, he's seen Penny. Look," said Emily as she watched the unsub walk away.

"Can you go back to the exact moment that he sat down?" asked Spencer.

The security guard followed Spencer's instructions before Spencer spoke again.

"Freeze it right there," said Spencer as the security guard paused the footage, "OK, calculating the time code from the moment that he left the station, he sat there for over three hours," said Spencer.

"We profiled he has his own vehicle," said Hotch.

"It was the only way he could abduct Penny off the street," said Emily.

"Three hours exceeds any parking meter. Get all this footage to Garcia," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on a table holding a soda that came with the dinner he ate when Morgan pointed at a map.

"We closed off this entire area. Cops are all over it," said Morgan.

"They're going door to door where it's a five-block-radius with over 2,000 homes," said Spencer.

Emily scoffed.

"Unless they get lucky, that could take days," said Emily.

"Undercover units have staked out the Georgetown "Monitor" building," said Rossi.

Hotch walked over to the laptop they were using to video chat with Garcia.

"Garcia, anything on the footage?" asked Hotch.

"Lab is analyzing it frame by frame, but it was pretty clear he doesn't know those cameras are on him," said Garcia.

Spencer took a sip of his soda.

"Permits?" asked Hotch.

Garcia did some typing.

"Cross-checking with the profile, we've got male, late 40s, truck, van, or SUV. That brings it down to 600 potentials," said Garcia.

"Garcia, what zone covers Rykers Alley, M Street, and Charlotte street?" asked Morgan.

"Two zones," answered Garcia.

"No, that doesn't help," said Morgan.

"Well, come on, I'm the high priestess of all things digital, but I'm not a God," said Garcia.

Spencer took another sip of his soda.

"What permit covers all zones?" asked Emily.

Garcia did some typing.

"Only one. Disabled," said Garcia.

"This guy isn't disabled," said Rossi.

"Maybe he knows someone who is," said Emily just as Detective Croft entered the room.

"A kid on a BMX dropped this off at the "Monitor" a half hour ago," said Detective Croft as he placed a bagged up glamour shot onto the table, "Said a bum gave him 20 bucks," said Detective Croft.

"Well, at least it didn't make the news," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at the picture.

"It buys us some time, right?" asked Detective Croft.

Hotch looked at the picture before studying Garcia.

"Until he finds another way to contact the media," said Spencer.

Hotch made his decision.

"We'll do it for him. Garcia, I need you here as soon as possible," said Hotch.

"Sure. What for?" asked Garcia.

"We need him to break cover, get out in the open. Call a press conference with every major media outlet present," said Hotch.

Garcia quickly realized what Hotch wanted to do.

"Oh, I am not the one you want in front of that camera," said Garcia.

"Yes, you are. Detective, we need every available unit," said Hotch before he, Spencer, Emily, Rossi, and Detective Croft got to business.

Morgan walked up to the laptop and looked at Garcia.

"Hey. You're gonna be fine. No, I will not be fine," said Morgan.

"I will suck. I will suck. And what happens then?" asked Garcia.

"Penelope. Penelope, stop it. We just gotta buy some time to get ahead of this guy," said Morgan.

Garcia realized what would happen.

"He'll be watching, you mean?" asked Garcia.

"I'm gonna be right by your side. Now get your butt over here," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer, Morgan, Emily, and Rossi approached Hotch and Garcia.

"That's why I stay in a room 6 by 9 feet. I feel safe there," said Garcia.

"Garcia, what about the Tolgate Theater?" asked Hotch.

"What's that?" asked Rossi.

"Tolgate Theater?" asked Emily.

"It's a small repertory theater in Dean Street. Where they do a lot of," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"Reid, we know what it is," said Morgan.

An angry Garcia looked at Hotch.

"That is not the same thing," said Garcia before she started to walk away.

Hotch quickly blocked Garcia.

"Garcia-," said Hotch gently.

"I- I can't even look at you right now. I am mad. I asked you not to say anything," said Garcia.

Hotch looked at Garcia.

"We need him to see a face and a look that he recognizes," said Hotch firmly.

"Well, he likes blondes, and I'm red now," said Garcia.

"We can change that," said Emily as she passed Garcia a bag with a wig.

"Toward the end, Morgan's gonna hand you a note. Take a moment, let the group settle... And when you have everyone's attention, read it out. You're gonna be fine," said Hotch.

Rossi rested a hand on Garcia's shoulder to get Garcia to look at him.

"You'll be great, Red," said Rossi before he, Spencer, Hotch, and Emily all walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting in the front passenger seat on the SUV that Emily was driving when Hotch called him causing him to answer his phone.

"You're on speaker," said Spencer.

"Reid, where are you?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at a street sign.

"We're headed south down Jackson Street. There's hardly anything moving," said Spencer.

"Except cop cars. We've seen five in the last 10 minutes," said Emily as cop cars sped past them, "Hotch, if he's out here, he's got nowhere to go," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

After their attempt to chase after the unsub, Spencer and Emily approached Hotch who was soothing Penny.

"Penny, your dad's going to meet us at the hospital," said Hotch.

Emily looked at Hotch.

"He got away, but you hit him," said Emily.

Spencer thought about the blood that he and Emily found in the alley.

"We found traces of blood down the alley," said Spencer.

"K-9 units are on the way," said Detective Croft.

Hotch looked at Penny.

"We'll get him, though. I promise," soothed Hotch.

Penny looked at Hotch.

"Agent Hotchner," said Penny.

"Yes?" asked Hotch.

"Please don't leave me," said Penny.

Rossi looked at Hotch.

"Go ahead. We've got this," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Spencer, Emily, Rossi, and Detective Croft.

"Thank you," said Hotch before paramedics closed the doors.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer, Emily, Rossi, and Detective Croft approached the unsub's car.

"This car has a disabled permit," said Rossi.

"Registered to who?" asked Detective Croft.

Spencer stood outside of Rhett Walden's house with Rossi, Emily, and Detective Croft when Detective Croft spoke into a megaphone.

"Rhett Walden, this is the police! We know you're in there. Come out with your hands up," said Detective Croft into the megaphone.

After a minute of silence, Detective Croft spoke into the megaphone again.

"This is the police. We know you're in there. Come out with your hands up," said Detective Croft.

The door opened causing Rossi who was pointing his gun at the door to look at Spencer and Emily who both had their guns also pointed at the door.

"He's coming out," said Rossi.

Spencer cocked his revolver as Rhett came outside while carrying his dead mother's body causing Spencer, Emily, and Rossi who were all disturbed to lower their guns.

"Get down on the ground!" shouted Detective Croft.

Rhett followed Detective Croft's orders while Detective Croft noticed the blood.

"Need a medic!" shouted Detective Croft as paramedics came over.

Emily noticed Rhett's dead mother's face.

"Rossi. Her lips," said a disturbed Emily.

Spencer recognized the lips from a photo of Kelly.

"They're Kelly's," said an equally disturbed Spencer before Rhett laughed.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next night Spencer pulled into a parking spot and turned off his car before he quickly got out and headed towards the front passenger seat and opened up the door and helped Maeve out of his ancient Volvo.

"Thank you, Spencer," said Maeve.

Spencer closed the front passenger door and locked it.

"Your welcome, Maeve," said Spencer just as Hotch, Haley, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi approached them.

"Such a gentleman, Spencer," said Haley.

Spencer blushed a bit while Maeve grabbed his hand.

"Nice to see you two finally join us," said Hotch.

Maeve laughed.

"My parents surprised us with dinner reservations and there was a bit of a delay with getting our table," said Maeve.

Haley pulled Maeve into a hug before she took in the sight of the long sleeved green knee length dress that contained a sweetheart neckline on Maeve while Spencer wore a suit, a white dress shirt, and a green tie that matched Maeve's dress.

"I love that dress on you," said Haley.

"I bought it yesterday," said Maeve.

"Is this the same dress you were carrying in that bag when Aaron, Spencer, and I saw you at Union Station yesterday?" asked Emily.

Maeve nodded.

"It's the same dress because my parents and Stephanie told me that they were kicking us out of the house so we can have a night to ourselves without the kids," said Maeve.

"Even though I really love Jack, I always cherish the child-free nights," said Haley.

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting between Maeve and Hotch as they waited for Garcia's play to start.

After the play was over, Spencer and Maeve were standing with Hotch, Haley, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi when Garcia approached them.

"What did you guys think?" asked Garcia.

"You were great," said Morgan as he pulled Garcia into a hug.

After Morgan pulled Garcia out of his hug; Spencer, Maeve, Hotch, Haley, Emily, and Rossi all took turns congratulating Garcia on a job well done before Spencer and Maeve politely excused themselves so they could drive to Alexandria, Hotch and Haley excused themselves to head home to Jack, while Garcia, Morgan, and Emily were treated to drinks by Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Nearly an hour later Spencer and Maeve were settled in their room when Maeve who was now wearing loungewear pulled out a travel chess set from her bag.

"Why did you pack a chess set?" asked Spencer.

Maeve smirked as she looked at her husband who was still dressed up in his suit.

"We're going to play strip chess," said Maeve.

Spencer groaned as he felt his body start to react as he sat down across from Maeve.


	77. Into The Woods & Thanksgiving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise you guys that the next chapter will be longer and here's a warning about a certain F-word being said during a cute scene in this chapter.

Spencer was eating breakfast with Maeve, the kids, Stephanie, and his in-laws when Mary looked at her family.

"When it comes to Thanksgiving being next week Thursday, I'm planning on going shopping for Thanksgiving today," said Mary.

Spencer thought about Hotch already telling him that their team will be getting Thanksgiving off.

"Will I be able to help cook?" asked Spencer.

Mary shook her head.

"Maeve, Stephanie, and I will be cooking while you and Joe entertain the kids," said Mary before looking at her oldest granddaughter who was a splitting image of her father while her shoulder length brown curly hair was pulled into two pigtails, "Will you like to go shopping with grandma today?" asked Mary.

Jocelyn nodded.

"Yes gandma," said Jocelyn before she stuffed another forkful of cut up pancakes into her mouth.

Mary looked at her son-in-law.

"Will Diana be joining us if she's having a good day?" asked Mary.

"Dr. Reynolds said that if mom is having a good day, she'll be cleared to join us with a nurse to help supervise her," said Spencer just as his work phone vibrated causing Spencer to see a text message from Garcia.

WE HAVE A CASE AND PLEASE PACK CLOTHING AND SHOES THAT YOU WON'T MIND WEARING IN THE WOODS. BRIEFING IS STILL AT 10 AM. ~ PG

"Spencer?" asked Maeve.

"I was just alerted about there being a case and I should pack clothing and shoes that I won't mind wearing in the woods. I can still arrive at the office at my normal time," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband who was already wearing dress pants, a dress shirt, tie, sweater vest, and a suit jacket.

"I'll help you repack your go bag before you leave," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at his two-year-old daughter and 16-month-old daughter.

"Josie and Gabby, I need you two to be good girls for mommy, Auntie Stephanie, Grandma Mary, and grandpa Joe while I'm away," said Spencer.

Jocelyn thought about the consequence of not being allowed to visit grandma Diana if she has more than three timeouts when her daddy's working.

"Yes daddy," said Jocelyn.

"Yes Dada," said Gabriella.

Lynette who was eating some baby cereal looked at her daddy.

"Dada," said Lynette.

Spencer grinned at his youngest daughter who was a splitting image of her grandma Diana when it came to her growing curly blonde hair and blue eyes.

"You made my day by saying your first word, Lynette," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at baby Joseph who looked like a male version of her as she became sad at the thought of Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette all turning six-months-old in a day.

"When are you going to say your first word because Arthur said 'Mama' last month, Lynette just said "Dada", and you only smile, laugh, and babble," said Maeve.

Stephanie dropped her fork on the floor.

"Fuck," said Stephanie causing Spencer, Maeve, Joe, and Mary to glare at the 15-year-old teenager.

"I'm sorry," said Stephanie.

Maeve looked at her two oldest daughters.

"Please do not repeat that word," said Maeve firmly.

Jocelyn and Gabriella both nodded while Joseph accidentally dropped a piece of baby cereal on the floor.

"uck," said Joseph causing Spencer, Maeve, Joe, Mary, and Stephanie to exchange horrified glances while Jocelyn looked at her parents, grandparents, and aunt.

"Joey say bad word," said Jocelyn.

Xxxxxx 

Over an hour later, Spencer's heart dropped as he saw a smiling face of a 10-year-old boy on the monitor while Garcia looked sadly at her teammates.

"10-year-old Daniel Lanham was reported missing while on a camping trip with his father last November. His remains were just discovered by hikers in Pennsylvania," said Garcia sadly.

Spencer looked at the map in his file.

"That's really close to the Appalachian Trail," said Spencer.

"The Rangers are the ones calling us in," said Garcia as she sat down.

Spencer shifted in his seat as he thought about growing up near the Mojave Desert as he looked at his teammates.

"The trail covers 14 states and is nearly 2, 200 miles long. It's a miracle he was ever found," said Spencer.

"I don't think he was supposed to be," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at the picture of Daniel's remains as he thought about Jack, Henry, Arthur, and Joseph.

"The unsub could have left him for the elements, but he wrapped him in plastic," said Rossi.

"Remorse?" asked Emily.

Rossi looked at Emily.

"Think he bonded with the kid?" asked Rossi.

"If he's an opportunistic offender, probably not," said Emily.

"What are the chances that Daniel was his only victim?" asked Morgan.

"Not good," answered Spencer.

Hotch looked at Garcia.

"Garcia, will you let the Rangers know that we'll be there within the hour?" asked Hotch.

"Yes, sir," said Garcia.

A few minutes later Spencer was heading to the locker room to change into jeans, a t-shirt, an FBI sweatshirt, and converse sneakers that Maeve insisted on packing.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at his teammates who all ended up changing into jeans, sweatshirts, and hiking books like him or in Morgan's case jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt as they flew to Pennsylvania.

"Guys, I started a geographic profile on the assumption that the Appalachian Trail is this unsub's hunting ground," said Spencer.

"We got lucky with Daniel. I doubt we'll find any more bodies," said Emily.

"Parents think their kids are lost, but what's worse, he has them," said Rossi.

"Hiding out in the middle of nowhere," said Morgan.

Emily thought about the reports she already read.

"The Pennsylvania police considered Daniel's father a suspect. They interviewed him several times," said Emily.

Hotch thought about his past experience as a criminal prosecutor.

"Without a body, they can't charge him," said Hotch.

"Well, he appeared to be obsessed with finding his son. He even went back into the woods dozens of times following Daniel's disappearance. He claimed he was searching for him," said Emily.

Spencer thought about how he would continue to search for his children if they were missing like Daniel was.

"All right, we'll start with Daniel's life. He's been exposed to a large suspect pool. Community, school, family friends- we can't rule anybody out," said Hotch.

Emily looked at Spencer who was wearing jeans and an FBI sweatshirt.

"Did you or Maeve decide to repack your go bag?" asked Emily.

"Even though there's a possibility that I won't be in the field during this case, Maeve insisted on repacking my go bag with the clothing I wear around the house during my days off," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about the sweatshirt he gave Spencer during his first Christmas as a father and seeing Spencer wear the sweatshirt on days there were play dates between his son and the Reid children.

"Did she pack the Super Dad sweatshirt I got for you during Jocelyn's first Christmas?" asked Hotch.

Spencer chuckled.

"Maeve did pack that sweatshirt while I packed the FBI sweatshirts I acquired over the years," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Rossi looked at Spencer and Ranger Turner as he made his way towards a table to sit on.

"Daniel may have been his only human contact for months," said Rossi.

"You think he's done this before?" asked Ranger Turner.

"It's difficult to say. Most child offenders dispose of their victims immediately," said Spencer.

"They become overwhelmed with reality and sometimes shame until the urge builds up again," said Rossi.

"This guy's moved past that, though. He feels no remorse about his compulsions," said Spencer.

"He's most likely had other victims. If he's a preferential offender, they'd be about the same age as Daniel," said Rossi while Spencer quickly got Garcia on the phone.

"Garcia, look for prepubescent boys who went missing from the Appalachian Trail in the last year," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"Better make that five years. This guy's had a lot of practice," said Rossi.

"Please make it five years," said Spencer before hanging up.

After pocketing his phone, Ranger Turner noticed the wedding band on Spencer's left ring finger and looked at him.

"Do you have kids?" asked Ranger Turner.

"Yes," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at a desk working on his geographical profile when he heard Rossi speak to Hotch.

"You think he's telling the truth?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah, I do," said Hotch just as Emily, Morgan, and Ranger Turner joined them.

"We found another body at the disposal site, wrapped in plastic, roughly Daniel's age," said Emily.

"His clothing matches a missing persons report. Boy's name is Tyler Stolts, and he was abducted 23 months ago," said Ranger Turner as he passed a file to Hotch.

"When did Lanham move to the area?" asked Morgan.

"Summer of '09. Then we can clear him as a suspect," said Rossi.

Spencer turned to look at his teammates and Ranger Turner.

"Tyler went missing in October of 2008, Daniel the following November," said Spencer.

"So he takes a kid off the trail in the fall and keeps him all winter," said Emily.

"It's like he's hibernating with him," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Morgan looked at Spencer.

"What'd you find, Reid?" asked Morgan.

"I went back 10 years, matching reports of missing children with Daniel and Tyler's victimology, and in my estimation, this unsub may have taken 12 victims," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"How can you attribute all of those to the same offender?" asked Rossi.

"The dates and locations of the abductions create an unmistakable pattern," said Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"Then if he's been abducting children for 10 years, why weren't we called in before now?" asked Emily.

"The thing is, he walks the entire trail, end to end, and each way takes approximately six months," said Spencer as he pointed at a location on his map, "His sixth victim was taken from Dawsonville, Georgia, in 2006, then he walked all the way to Manchester, Vermont, and he took a seventh victim in 2007. He wasn't down South again until 2009. When James Clutter's parents woke up from a night of camping, he was gone. They just assumed he wandered off," said Spencer as he showed the abduction sites on the map of the trail.

"We didn't get called in because nobody knew he existed. The crimes are years apart and across state lines," said Hotch.

"The interesting thing is, 10 years ago he was a more aggressive hunter, likely on the move hunting and killing all 365 days a year, but two years ago he stopped traveling so far," said Spencer.

"He's slowing down," said Emily.

Spencer thought about how his mobility is occasionally affected after being shot above the left knee 14-months-ago.

"I think something's affected his mobility," said Spencer as he moved his bad leg a bit, "Old age or an injury from years of living on the trail. But the odd thing is, for the past two winters, he's returned to this 30-mile radius," said Spencer as he pointed at his map, "He takes a victim with him in the fall to stay with him until spring somewhere within that area," said Spencer.

Rossi thought about the state they're in.

"These are harsh winters. He needs to find shelter," said Rossi.

"And it would have to be heavy camouflaged. Even the most experienced hikers haven't seen it," said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer who was wearing a pair of jeans and another one of his FBI sweatshirts was furiously working on his geographical profile as he thought about the new missing kid before he used a walkie-talkie and quickly pressed the button that would get him connected to Hotch's walkie-talkie.

"Hotch," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Hotch responded to him.

"Go ahead, Reid," said Hotch.

Spencer continued to work on his geographical profile as he spoke.

"OK, worst-case scenario- the children were taken at 9 PM. That gives him roughly a 12-hour head start at three miles per hour," said Spencer before Hotch spoke up.

"He's got two children," said Hotch grimly.

Spencer did some more calculations.

"At 2 miles per hour, that's roughly a 24-mile radius, the same ground we profiled last night," said Spencer as he used a compass to draw a new circle on his geographical profile, "But, Hotch, if he's an experienced tracker, he'll probably realize he's being hunted by now and discard all nonessentials," said Spencer.

"Like Ana," said Hotch grimly as he thought about Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Lynette.

Spencer thought about the smiling faces of Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Lynette while being grateful that his daughters were all currently under the age of three.

"She's not his type," said Spencer.

"Until we have reason to believe otherwise, we have to assume she's alive. We'll deliver the profile and get search and rescue teams going," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was furiously working on his geographical profile to find the unsub's hideout as he mumbled to himself.

"Let's see, iron deposits in McKee's pond, so the water's undrinkable. So that would leave…," said Spencer to himself before he heard footsteps approaching him causing him to look up and seeing a sad Mr. Lanham.

"I always thought I had searched every inch of those woods," said Mr. Lanham as Spencer stood up to his full height, "Do you ever think he ever heard me calling his name?" asked Mr. Lanham.

Spencer thought about the time Tobias Hankel held him hostage and how he knew that his teammates were looking for him.

"Even if he didn't, I'm sure he knew you were looking for him," said Spencer gently.

"I was," said Mr. Lanham as he walked closer to Spencer and looked at the geographical profile that Spencer was working on, "I knew he was out there somewhere," said Mr. Lanham.

Spencer noticed Mr. Lanham looking at his geographical profile while thinking about Hotch asking him to keep Mr. Lanham busy when Hotch told him that he was sending Mr. Lanham to him.

"Mr. Lanham, do you mind if I ask you a few questions? You know this area better than anyone, and I think that you can help us find these children," said Spencer.

Mr. Lanham removed his backpack as he noticed the gentle look in Spencer's expressive brown eyes before noticing the gold wedding band on Spencer's left ring finger.

"You have kids?" asked Mr. Lanham.

Spencer smiled.

"I have two sons and three daughters," said Spencer.

Mr. Lanham looked at Spencer in shock.

"You look young to have that many kids," said Mr. Lanham.

Spencer chuckled.

"Even though I turned 29 last month, I get that a lot," said Spencer before grinning a bit, "My wife and I have a two-year-old daughter, a 16-month-old daughter, and six-month-old triplets," said Spencer as he pulled out his wallet out of his pocket and showed Mr. Lanham a family portrait and pointed out which child was which.

"Cute kids you got there and Jocelyn and Arthur both look like you," said Mr. Lanham.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

"Why aren't you in the woods like everyone else?" asked Mr. Lanham.

"I have a bad knee from an injury I sustained in the field last year in September, so it's just easier for me to stay here since I'm my team's go-to guy for geographical profiling," said Spencer before he and Mr. Lanham got to work.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer grabbed a large map as he looked at Mr. Lanham.

"Hey, when do the temperatures drop below freezing?" asked Spencer as he set the map on the table and marked it.

"By Thanksgiving at the latest," said Mr. Lanham.

Spencer continued marking the map.

"They'd have to go where the food supply is. And that saves us another five miles. What about shelter? Where did you stay when you were out there?" asked Spencer.

"I was holed up in a cave mostly," said Mr. Lanham as he watched Spencer mark the map, "Caves have a natural temperature," said Mr. Lanham.

"They provide their own heating source," said Spencer before he and Mr. Lanham continued to bounce off ideas to one another.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer heard Emily address him through his walkie-talkie.

"Reid, I'm sending you a picture of a flower this guy collects," said Emily causing Spencer to quickly grab his phone and see that he was getting an email.

"It's loading right now," said Spencer.

After studying the picture of the flower and thinking about the books he read, he spoke up.

"It's devil's claw. It's a homeopathic pain treatment most commonly used for swollen joints. The little girl told Hotch that the unsub walked with a limp. He could be using devil's claw as a pain treatment," said Spencer.

"The unsub needs drugs?" asked Ranger Turner.

"It would explain why he's covering less and less ground each year," said Emily.

"You know, the thing is, though, that flower wouldn't keep him mobile for eight months. If he's suffering from a degenerative disease, he'd have a hard time getting around without painkillers," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through his maps as he listened to Hotch and Rossi talk.

"All the trailheads in the area have been closed. Rangers are processing everyone coming off," said Hotch.

"He knows every inch of this place. He'll get out on a route we didn't even know existed," said Rossi.

Spencer approached Hotch and Rossi with one of his maps and pointed at a city on the map.

"Guys, his first abduction off the trail was Jonestown, Pennsylvania. What if he grew up around here?" asked Spencer.

Hotch nodded in agreement.

"He could have a friend or relative in the area," said Hotch.

"The closest city is Harrisburg. He needs supplies, medication, and a place to hide," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer looked through the window to watch Mr. Lanham study the map that they spent the past couple of hours refining together when he slowly entered the room and alerted Mr. Lanham his presence.

"He got away," said Spencer grimly.

Mr. Lanham stood up to his full height as Spencer continued to walk towards him as he thought about Ana being found while Robert was still out there.

"What about the kid?" asked Mr. Lanham.

Spencer stopped walking.

"He's headed to the hospital," said Spencer before looking at the sweater he was given to give back to Mr. Lanham, "Uh... We, uh... We found this in the mine shaft," said Spencer gently.

Mr. Lanham took the sweater from Spencer and looked at it.

"It's Daniel's," said a broken Mr. Lanham.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lanham," choked Spencer he walked away so Mr. Lanham can grieve in private.

Xxxxxxxx 

As Spencer, Hotch, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi flew home from Pennsylvania, Emily decided to bring up how Shane must have gotten away.

"Shane must have seen the police presence and just taken off. It was easy for him," said Emily.

Morgan thought about the sexual abuse he went through by the hands of Carl Buford.

"Robert's a tough kid," said Morgan.

Rossi decided that he needed to cheer up his dejected team a bit.

"Knowing he fought back will help him get through this," said Rossi before he decided to lighten things up a bit. "In my entire career, I've only brought back a handful of kids to their parents after the 24-hour mark. This is not a loss in my book," said Rossi.

Hotch decided that he needed to bring up something positive.

"Before now, nobody knew that there was a pedophile hunting on the trail. Now we know who he is and what he looks like," said Hotch.

"His photo's been sent to all the Ranger stations," said Rossi.

"Do you think he'll go back there?" asked Morgan.

Emily shook her head.

"Well, he can't function anywhere else," said Emily.

"He's got no place to hide. We've taken that away from him," said Hotch.

Spencer was fiddling with the shoelace on his converse sneaker as he thought about hearing Mr. Lanham sob as he left the room to give Mr. Lanham some privacy.

"It's just hard to accept there's no justice for the families he destroyed," said Spencer grimly.

Hotch looked at Spencer as he thought about hating the current look on Spencer's face.

"We'll get him," reassured Hotch as he made a mental note to call Maeve while Spencer was driving himself home.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered the house to find Maeve looking at their extensive DVD collection.

"Maeve?" asked Spencer.

Maeve stood up to her full height and made her way towards her husband.

"Aaron called me and told me that you might need some cheering up," said Maeve as she hugged her husband, "And I thought that after you take a shower and talk about the case, we can watch "Furry Vengeance" together," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled as he shook his head.

"You want to watch that movie after I spent the past two days in a ranger station in the woods?" asked Spencer.

Maeve smiled.

"I consider "Furry Vengeance" one of the funniest movies ever, and you need a lot of laughter before going to bed because I'm not allowing you to go to bed upset," said Maeve.

Spencer pulled his wife into a kiss.

"I love you, Maeve," said Spencer.

"I love you too, Spencer," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer was taking a hot shower to wash away the case before he checked on all five sleeping babies and toddlers and said hi to Stephanie before he joined Maeve downstairs in the living room where they talked about the latest case before they started to watch "Furry Vengeance".

Xxxxxxxx 

Eight days later Spencer smiled as his mother approached him with Nurse Clarice.

"Are you excited about getting to spend Thanksgiving with Maeve, the kids, Stephanie, my in-laws, and me again?" asked Spencer as he hugged his mother who was wearing a skirt, a blouse, and a tweed jacket.

Diana smiled.

"I am," said Diana.

Spencer looked at Nurse Clarice who was dressed casually in jeans, a sweater, and converse sneakers while her long brown hair was pulled into a ponytail.

"I hope that your family isn't too upset about you joining my family for Thanksgiving so my mom has a medical professional supervising her," said Spencer.

Nurse Clarice gave Spencer a sad smile.

"I'm an only child of only children and my parents died in the World Trade Center during 9/11. I do have a boyfriend, but we aren't ready for me to meet his family," said Nurse Clarice before grinning a bit, "And I really love spending time with Diana's grandchildren while I supervise your mom during visitations at your house," said Nurse Clarice.

Diana held up the bag she was carrying.

"I knitted more gifts for you, Maeve, and the kids," said Diana.

Spencer shook his head before smiling.

"With how bad this past winter was, Maeve, the kids, Stephanie, and I are really going to be prepared for this winter," smiled Spencer.

"That's the plan," said Diana before looking at her son, "Let's get going so I can spend time with Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette before I can make sure that you eat enough turkey and side dishes to put on a couple of pounds," said Diana.

Spencer smiled as he shook his head as he led his mother and his mother's favorite nurse to his car.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer was sitting around his dining room table with Maeve, his mother, his in-laws, Stephanie, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, Lynette, and Nurse Clarice as they took turns saying what they were thankful for before everyone started to eat the Thanksgiving feast that Maeve, Mary, and Stephanie prepared together.


	78. What Happens at Home & 25 to Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other than warning you guys that this chapter is a long one because of combining What Happens at Home and 25 to Life, this chapter starts on December 8th of 2010.
> 
> I'm going to have it that Ashley Seaver is a year older than Spencer.

Spencer entered the conference room with his teammates sans Rossi while Hotch briefed them on their latest case.

"Three women murdered inside a gated community in Southeastern New Mexico in the last two months," said Hotch.

Spencer and Morgan both sat down.

"All three inside?" asked Morgan.

Hotch pulled up a picture of a woman.

"Marjorie West was strangled in her home in the middle of the night while her family was out of town. They found her the next morning," said Hotch before he showed another picture, "Jill Long was strangled in the laundry room while her husband and sons were camping in the backyard. And last night, Aubrey Jacobs was killed in her home office while her daughter and husband were asleep in the house," said Hotch as he showed a picture of the last victim.

"Occupied dwellings is as high-risk as it gets," said Morgan.

"And he's fearless," said Spencer.

"Proximity, the chance he might get caught... That could be part of it for him," said Emily.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"You said gated community. I'm assuming that means security?" asked Spencer.

"A small security staff and perimeter cameras. Everything's recorded 24-7, and no one has entered or left the compound since last night except residents. It looks like the unsub is part of the community," said Hotch as aerial footage of the community showed on the monitor, "The local Detective says that demographics, general makeup, and socioeconomic status of the residents is essentially the same," said Hotch.

"That's going to make a profile difficult," said Emily.

"Unless we examine a different set of parameters," said Hotch.

"Different parameters?" asked Morgan.

"Rossi's working on that right now," said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was at his desk calling Maeve to let her know that he was heading to New Mexico before he spent time talking to Jocelyn and Gabriella while hearing Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette all babble at him while saying words that they mastered.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later, Spencer approached his teammates when he heard a woman speak.

"Concussion. Hand-to-hand got a little out of control," said Ashley.

"How's the other guy?" asked Emily.

"Don't ask," said Ashley.

Spencer approached his teammates as he slung his messenger bag around his neck.

"I was remediated in the academy also," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Ashley.

"Agent Seaver, Dr. Reid," said Rossi.

Ashley looked at Spencer and noticed the gold wedding band on the youngest profiler's left ring finger.

"Um, what was your issue?" asked Ashley.

"What was my issue? Marksmanship, physical training, obstacle course, Hogan's Alley, you know, pretty much everything that wasn't technically book related. They ultimately had to make exceptions to allow me into the field, but since I joined this unit over seven years ago I ended up becoming a capable field agent," said Spencer.

"Agent Seaver's going to accompany us to New Mexico," said Hotch.

"She is?" asked Morgan.

"As a consultant," said Hotch.

"On?" asked Morgan.

"She has a unique perspective," said Rossi.

Ashley looked at Hotch and Rossi.

"They don't know?" asked Ashley.

"Well, we weren't sure how you wanted to, uh…," said Rossi nervously.

Ashley looked at Spencer, Emily, and Morgan.

"Seaver's not my original last name. It's my mother's maiden name. Mine used to be Beauchamp. My father is Charles Beauchamp," said Ashley.

Spencer instantly recognized the name.

"As in the Redmond Ripper Charles Beauchamp?" asked Spencer.

Ashley nodded.

"That's him," said Ashley.

"He killed 25 women over 10 years in rural North Dakota," said Spencer before looking at Rossi, "I think that you caught him, right, Rossi?" asked Spencer.

"Hotch was on that team, too," said Rossi.

"Based on her life experience, we were hoping that Agent Seaver might recognize something in the family dynamics inside the community that could be helpful. We have a plane waiting," said Hotch.

Rossi gestured to everyone to get going despite Spencer and Ashley following him while Emily and Morgan stayed back to talk to Hotch.

"I'm excited about getting to see the look on Jocelyn's face when she opens up my Christmas present in over two weeks," said Rossi.

Spencer shook his head.

"You really spoil my kids, Rossi," said Spencer.

"Even though Aaron and Haley practically adopted you when you joined the BAU, you ended up becoming a son to me the past couple of years causing your children to end up being my grandchildren," said Rossi.

Ashley looked at Spencer.

"How many kids do you have?" asked Ashley.

Spencer pulled out his wallet and showed Ashley a picture of his kids as they walked to the elevators with Rossi.

"Jocelyn is two-years-old, Gabriella will be 17-months-old on the 15th, and Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette will be seven-months-old on the 17th," said Spencer.

"That's a lot of kids," said Ashley.

"I know, but having a big family with my wife helps make up the lack of childhood I had when it came to being a child prodigy who ended up graduating high school at 12-years-old and starting college before turning 13," said Spencer.

"Didn't you break the record by joining this unit at 22-years-old?" asked Ashley.

"I did," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer walked with his teammates and Ashley towards the man who was walking towards them.

"Detective Ruiz?" asked Hotch.

Detective Ruiz nodded.

"That's right. Call me Felix," said Detective Ruiz.

Hotch shook hands with the detective.

"I'm Agent Hotchner," said Hotch before he gestured to Morgan, "These are Agents Morgan and Prentiss. Dr. Reid, agent Rossi, and Agent Seaver," said Hotch as he gestured to each person who either shook hands with the detective or in Spencer's case waved.

"Thanks for coming. As your tech requested, we moved everything from the station right here into the model home," said Detective Ruiz as he gestured to the house behind him.

"Thank you," said Hotch.

Morgan looked at Detective Ruiz.

"Agent Prentiss and I would love to take a look around, get a feel for the area," said Morgan.

"We'd like to see the latest crime scene, too, if that's possible," added Emily.

"Of course. Let me just get everybody situated and I'll walk you over there," said Detective Ruiz.

"Oh, we can find it," said Emily.

"You sure?" asked Detective Ruiz.

"Yeah. It's no problem," said Morgan.

A second later Spencer was following Hotch, Rossi, Ashley, and Detective Ruiz into the house where they will be based at.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing around the model of the gated community with Hotch, Rossi, and Ashley as he went through files when Detective Ruiz looked at them.

"These are the evidence boards," said Detective Ruiz as he uncovered the bulletin boards that contained the crime scene photos, "As you can see, we're still in the process of moving in. I didn't think the whole neighborhood needed to see the photos," said Detective Ruiz.

Hotch looked at Detective Ruiz.

"You're right. It's a lot of work, Detective. Thank you," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at the notes in front of him.

"Color-coded and annotated," said Rossi.

Detective Ruiz who uncovered another bulletin board looked at Spencer, Hotch, Rossi, and Ashley.

"Yeah, well, I'm not just the primary Detective. I also live in the community," said Detective Ruiz.

Hotch looked up at the detective.

"Really?" asked Hotch.

"Three blocks right up on the left," said Detective Ruiz as Spencer watched Ashley walk towards the crime scene photos and looked at them, "My wife thought it would be an excellent place to raise the kids. She's changed her opinion in the last couple months," said Detective Ruiz.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Ashley and thought about how looking at crime scene photos really affected him in his early years even though they're forever etched into his brain.

"You OK?" asked Spencer.

Ashley turned around and looked at Spencer.

"Yeah. Let's get to work," said Ashley as she joined Spencer and started going through files with him.

Detective Ruiz looked at Hotch and Rossi.

"I hope you don't mind, but I also worked up a cursory profile," said Detective Ruiz.

A surprised Hotch looked at Detective Ruiz.

"You did?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah. I took an FBI seminar on serial crime in Albuquerque. Twice," said Detective Ruiz.

"Let's see what you've got so far," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly joined Hotch, Rossi, and Detective Ruiz.

"All right. He's organized. He took everything to the scene, he left nothing behind. Which means he lives with a spouse or some kind of long-term partner. Has a steady, skilled job. Physically, he presents himself as non-threatening, but he craves power and control, so he may have a job or an activity that gives him that," said Detective Ruiz.

An impressed Rossi looked at Detective Ruiz.

"Not bad," said Rossi.

Detective Ruiz sighed.

"Unfortunately, I just described 64 of the 71 men who live in the subdivision," said Detective Ruiz.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through the information that Garcia sent to him to print off as he listened to Garcia on his phone.

"And that is the whole kit and kaboodle on each of your 64 suspects. Nothing really stands out. They're all pretty plain," said Garcia.

Spencer thought about Detective Ruiz's eagerness.

"That's pretty much the main issue we're going to have here," said Spencer.

"Yeah. Vanilla doesn't make your job any easier," said Garcia.

"No, it does not," agreed Spencer.

"So, um, how's it going with the agent whose father was a…? You know" asked Garcia nervously.

"How'd you know that?" asked Spencer.

"I might have looked into someone's hidden background," said Garcia nervously.

Spencer shook his head as he thought about finding out that Garcia doing a background check on Maeve, his neighbors, Detective LaMontagne Jr., and JJ's neighbors.

"One of these days your either going to get written up, suspended, or fired for doing unauthorized background checks because the FBI already does background checks and psychological evaluations on all of us before they allow anyone work for the FBI. Hotch wasn't happy with you when you did your own background check on Maeve, my neighbors, Will, and JJ's new neighbors," warned Spencer.

"I am not gonna let some strange new person travel with my family and not find out who they are," said Garcia.

Spencer shook his head.

"Even though you are protective of us, Hotch and Rossi were the ones to ask Cadet Seaver to consult on this case and not you, Garcia," said Spencer sternly as he looked over where Ashley was working with Rossi and decided to answer Garcia's question, "Well, she seems fine and I'm not going to let her past affect me from working with her," said Spencer.

"Did you tell her that you're married?" asked Garcia.

"She know because I saw her looking at my wedding band and Rossi brought up the kids," said Spencer.

"Are you going to tell her what your father did nearly five months ago?" asked Garcia.

"I'm not sure yet because she's trying very hard to protect her reputation like everyone else is doing for my sister's, my kids, and my reputation because of what my father did five months ago," said Spencer before hanging up before focusing on the papers in front of himself.

10 seconds later he felt someone's presence by him causing him to turn and look at Chief of Security Harvey Brinkman looking at all the papers in front of him.

"What's all that?" asked Harvey.

"Our technical analyst ran background checks on the suspects," said Spencer.

"Oh, I could have given you that," said Harvey.

Spencer inwardly shook his head.

"We typically gather our own intelligence. Our federal databases tend to have more detailed information," said Spencer.

"Well, how do you know they're more detailed if you haven't seen ours?" asked Harvey.

Spencer shook his head.

"It's nothing personal, chief," said Spencer.

"It's just, you could have asked," said Harvey.

Spencer nodded.

"Next time I will," said Spencer before he quickly walked away as he kept on looking back at Harvey as he joined Rossi and Ashley and looked at Rossi as he decided to use the voice he spoke in when his kids were sleeping, "Has anyone vetted them?" asked Spencer quietly.

"Garcia's doing a separate check on police and security staff," said Rossi quietly.

"Why?" asked Ashley quietly.

"Law enforcement and security are the kind of jobs that would attract this unsub," said Rossi quietly.

Spencer looked at Ashley.

"Dennis Rader, BTK, was a compliance officer in Park City, Kansas. Kenneth Bianchi, one of the Hillside Stranglers, worked as a security guard in California and Washington. Psychopaths love official jobs and uniforms," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through papers when Ashley approached him.

"All that stuff you said about BTK and the Hillside Strangler, it's all in your head?" asked Ashley.

Spencer raised his eyebrow as he realized that not everyone at Quantico knew about his eidetic memory.

"I have an eidetic memory," said Spencer.

Ashley's eyes went wide as she realized that the youngest profiler in the BAU can never forget anything.

"So you know everything my dad did, then. I only know what I was told and what was in the papers. I don't have a lot of details," said Ashley.

Spencer thought about what his own father did over five months ago and how he's choosing not to talk to anyone about what his father did in a public setting.

"Uh, what sort of details…?" asked Spencer just as Hotch joined them.

"Agent Seaver. There's going to be a community meeting tonight. We're going to all look for visual cues, but I want you specifically to concentrate on family interactions," said Hotch.

Ashley nodded.

"Yes, sir," said Ashley.

Rossi looked at Harvey.

"Chief. We need to have a place to hold a town meeting," said Rossi.

Harvey quickly thought of the place where a meeting could happen.

"Well, there's a church on the east side of the development," said Harvey.

Hotch looked at Harvey.

"Will you have your men notify residents that there will be a meeting there tonight? Stress that it's important but not compulsory," said Hotch.

Harvey nodded.

"Yeah," said Harvey.

"Thank you," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at Harvey.

"6 PM," said Rossi.

Detective Ruiz who was sitting in front of a laptop looked at Hotch.

"Agent Hotchner," said Detective Ruiz.

"Sir," said Hotch as he walked towards Detective Ruiz.

"You should see this. This guy's Frank Morris," said Detective Ruiz as he played the video causing Spencer, Ashley, and Rossi to listen.

After pausing the video, Detective Ruiz looked at Hotch.

"Now, the profile could include somebody in the neighborhood watch, right?" asked Detective Ruiz.

"It could. We'd have to know more about his activities," said Hotch.

"Exactly. I'll have him brought in," said Detective Ruiz.

"We're going to try something else," said Hotch as he walked towards Spencer, Ashley, and Rossi, "Can you make some officers available to run a sign-in table at a community meeting tonight? One of the things we're going to be examining is body language in a group environment," said Hotch.

"Body language?" asked Detective Ruiz.

"It's something that the unsub won't be able to control even if he were to try to," said Hotch.

"Right. Right. I'll have some uniforms detailed to the meeting," said Detective Ruiz.

"Will you also tell Brinkman that the unsub will display something that he can't control," said Hotch.

"OK," said Detective Ruiz before walking away.

Rossi looked at Hotch.

"You think they'll be able to keep that to themselves?" asked Rossi.

"Let's hope not," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was standing with Hotch, Rossi, and Ashley at the altar of the gated community's church when Emily and Morgan joined them.

"We just came from the last victim's house. The unsub used the garage as access. Maybe a remote door opener made to be universal," said Morgan.

"The police are saying it's random, but how could you randomly find a woman so vulnerable? Garcia's going over backgrounds again, trying to highlight anyone with tech experience."

Hotch looked at his team.

"She's also doing a full workup on Brinkman and Ruiz. They had that kind of access," said Hotch quietly before noticing no Detective Ruiz, "Has anyone seen Ruiz?" asked Hotch.

"I saw him a while ago," said Rossi.

Spencer thought about where he last saw Detective Ruiz.

"He set up everyone filling out forms, but I haven't seen him since," said Spencer.

"We need to ask for help in a different way. Tell people that we're looking for someone who might have seen something rather than someone who did something. No one thinks that their friends or neighbors are capable of this. We should get started," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly followed Rossi towards one of the sides of the church.

Xxxxxxxx 

After the meeting, Spencer approached his teammates and Ashley.

"Guys, of the 64 suspects, 18 of them didn't show up," said Spencer.

"OK," said Hotch before looking at Emily, "Prentiss, take Ashley back to the model home, go through the 18 names and add the pet information," said Hotch.

Emily picked up the papers that Spencer brought over.

"I got it," said Emily before she and Ashley walked away.

Hotch looked at Morgan.

"Garcia's working on technical backgrounds?" asked Hotch.

"Yes," said Morgan.

"OK, let's get her the 18 names," said Hotch before looking at Rossi, "And Ruiz never got here?" asked Hotch.

"No. Neither did the security chief," said Rossi.

"OK, as far as I'm concerned, we have 20 no-shows," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer approached Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan.

"The unsub's killed two nights in a row. It's a major escalation," said Spencer quietly.

"We need to start over," said Hotch quietly.

"What do you mean?" asked Morgan.

"I think we go back to the beginning. Local P.D. gave us a list of 64 out of the 71 possible males. I think we throw that out and start with the original 71," said Hotch quietly.

Spencer tilted his head towards the direction that Detective Ruiz was standing and talking to the victim's widow before whispering.

"What about Ruiz?" asked Spencer.

"He's definitely on the list," whispered Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered the model home with his teammates as he pulled a piece of paper out of his messenger bag.

"Hey, Reid, where's the list of people that didn't make the meeting?" asked Morgan.

"Right here," said Spencer as he handed Morgan the list before he started to count the stack of files.

"We need to look at all 71 files. We need to eliminate suspects our way, not theirs," said Hotch just as Morgan got Garcia on the phone.

"Garcia, I got you?" asked Morgan.

"Fingers at the ready," said Garcia.

Detective Ruiz joined Spencer, Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi before looking at the team.

"What's up?" asked Detective Ruiz.

Spencer who finished counting the files looked at Detective Ruiz.

"There are only 67 files here. Where are the other four?" asked Spencer.

"Well, one of them is me," said Detective Ruiz while Spencer nodded, "And the other three are the victims' husbands," said Detective Ruiz.

Morgan looked at Detective Ruiz.

"Why would they automatically be cleared?" asked Morgan.

"Wouldn't they? I mean, if you're gonna check them, you might as well check me," said Detective Ruiz.

"We are," said Rossi.

A shocked Detective Ruiz looked at Rossi.

"Detective, where are the missing files?" asked Hotch.

"Right over there," said Detective Ruiz as he walked over to a nearby counter and grabbed them.

"Garcia, we need you to run a few more names," said Rossi as he opened up a file, "Phillip Long," said Rossi.

Everyone heard some typing.

"Long has no suspicions on his record, no arrests, and no technology either," said Garcia.

Rossi opened up another file.

"Drew Jacobs," said Rossi.

Garcia did some typing.

"Drew Jacobs has a couple arrests for assault when he was younger. I'll give you more details on that in a sec. Is this the husband of the woman whose computer I went through?" asked Garcia.

"Yeah," said Morgan.

"She was really unhappy with him. She said he was distant, he left her alone at night," said Garcia.

"Yeah. Wandering around outside," said Detective Ruiz.

Rossi looked at Detective Ruiz.

"Outside?" asked Rossi.

"As a matter of fact, before his wife was killed, he was my top suspect," said Detective Ruiz.

Garcia did some typing before noticing something.

"Wait, wait. He's an I.T. expert who travels around the world," said Garcia.

"He's a tech. All right, thanks, baby girl," said Morgan before hanging up just as Emily and Harvey joined them.

"What's going on?" asked Emily.

"There was another murder," said Morgan.

"What?" asked Emily.

"During the meeting," said Rossi.

Emily looked around for Ashley.

"Where's Seaver?" asked Emily causing Hotch to quickly take action by calling Ashley.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over six hours later Spencer was crawling into bed next to Maeve to get a few extra hours of sleep.

Xxxxxxxx 

Nearly a week later Spencer was sitting at his desk doing paperwork when he heard familiar voices and the sound of little footsteps running.

"Daddy," said Jocelyn.

"Dada," said Gabriella.

"Dada," said Arthur.

"Dada," said Joseph.

"Dada," said Lynette.

A few seconds later Spencer was kneeling as he hugged Jocelyn and Gabriella before smiling up at Maeve who was pushing a triple stroller that contained Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette.

"Well this is a nice surprise," said Spencer.

Maeve held up a big paper bag.

"David invited us here for lunch," said Maeve just as Emily and Ashley walked over.

"Well this is a nice surprise," said Emily as she smiled at her two-year-old goddaughter.

Jocelyn ran over to her godmother who instantly scooped her up.

"Hi Auntie Emmy," said Jocelyn.

"How's my favorite goddaughter?" asked Emily.

"I eat unch wit daddy," said Jocelyn before looking over at Ashley and waved, "Hi, I Josie," said Jocelyn.

Spencer and Maeve smiled at each other while Ashley smiled at the two-year-old toddler.

"I'm Ashley and your daddy has told me about you, Jocelyn," said Ashley before looking over at Gabriella who was now on her father's hip, "You must be, Gabriella," said Ashley.

Gabriella waved at Ashley before burying her face into her daddy's neck.

"Gabriella is very shy," said Maeve apologetically before she shook hands with Ashley, "I'm Spencer's wife Dr. Maeve Donovan-Reid," said Maeve.

"Dr. Reid has told me a lot about you this past week," said Ashley before she smiled at Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette who were all staring at her with interest, "You three must be Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette," said Ashley as she pointed at each triplet.

"I see that my husband has made sure you knew which child is which," said Maeve.

Ashley nodded while Joseph looked at his mother.

"Mama?" asked Joseph.

Maeve looked at her youngest son who was a male version of her.

"Yes, Joey?" asked Maeve.

Joseph made the sign for food causing Maeve to look at her husband.

"We should probably head to the conference room so we can eat," said Maeve.

Spencer set Gabriella down so he could remove Lynette from her stroller.

"Daddy will carry you to where you can eat lunch, Nettie," said Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"Do you two need any help getting the kids and food upstairs?" asked Emily.

"Yes please and you two and David was the one to invite us here for lunch," said Maeve as she smiled at Rossi who was waiting on the catwalk before looking around, "Where's Derek and Penelope?" asked Maeve.

"Morgan is doing an assignment on his own right now and Garcia went out for lunch with her boyfriend," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer, Maeve, the Reid children, Emily, Ashley, and Rossi were in the conference room enjoying lunch while each adult had a Reid child sitting on their lap.

Xxxxxxxx 

After everyone was done eating, Maeve looked at her husband.

"Are you planning on stopping at the hospital and see if your mom's up to joining us for dinner?" asked Maeve.

"Only if she's having a good day, Maeve," said Spencer before seeing a confused look on Ashley's face, "Since your going to do your remedial training here, you should know that my mom is institutionalized for paranoid schizophrenia. Mom's illness didn't stop me from living my life and my mom's been doing much better since she became a grandmother," said Spencer.

Jocelyn turned her head and looked at her daddy.

"We see gandma D?" asked Jocelyn.

"Only at dinner time if she's having a good day, Josie Posie," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at the triplets and saw how tired they were before looking at her two oldest daughters who both looked tired.

"I believe that we spent plenty of time distracting daddy and his team from work and we have to get home for n-a-p-s," said Maeve.

Jocelyn crossed her arms and glared at her mother.

"No nap," said Jocelyn.

Spencer turned Jocelyn around on his lap.

"If you don't listen to your mother and take a nap, I won't be bringing grandma Diana home for dinner," said Spencer sternly.

Jocelyn sighed.

"Sowwy, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"Its OK, Jocelyn, but please say sorry to mommy and that you'll take a nap for her," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked at her mommy.

"Sowwy, mommy. I ake nap for you," said Jocelyn.

Spencer looked at Rossi, Emily, and Ashley.

"I'm going to go help Maeve load up the kids before I come back up here," said Spencer.

"Go ahead and we'll clean up from lunch," said Rossi as he looked at the empty food containers and baby food jars.

A few minutes later Spencer was entering the elevators with Maeve and his children.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer was sitting at his desk reading "The Washington Chronicle" that he brought in when Rossi joined him.

"With Aaron getting remarried to Haley over the weekend and now he, Haley, and Jack are in Hawaii its way too quiet on the second level of the bullpen," said Rossi before gesturing to Spencer's newspaper, "So mind if I hang out here and share your newspaper with you?" asked Rossi.

"Go ahead," said Spencer as he passed Rossi the parts he already read, "Here you go," said Spencer.

"Thank you," said Rossi.

A few minutes later Spencer and Rossi were watching Ashley give Emily some coffee.

"I, uh, noticed you all drink double shots," said Ashley.

"Oh, thanks. You do, too?" asked Emily.

"This is the first. I wanted to thank you for having my back," said Ashley.

Emily nodded.

"I hope you have mine," said Emily.

Rossi looked at the article that Spencer was currently reading.

"Front page news, eh?" asked Rossi.

"Morgan must not think he did it," said Spencer.

"Or believes he won't do it again," said Rossi just as Chief Strauss approached them.

"Is Agent Morgan in?" asked Chief Strauss.

Rossi looked up at Chief Strauss.

"What do you need, Erin?" asked Rossi.

"Metro P. D. sent this an hour ago," said Chief Strauss as Morgan joined them.

Morgan looked at Chief Strauss.

"And they want us to take a look?" asked Morgan.

Chief Strauss looked at Morgan.

"No, they want you to take a look," said Chief Strauss as she passed Morgan her phone.

Morgan zoomed in on the picture.

"Who's this?" asked Morgan.

"The man Don Sanderson just murdered," said Chief Strauss as she watched Spencer, Emily, Ashley, Morgan, and Rossi exchange glances.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer got out of the front passenger seat of the SUV that he was riding with Emily and Ashley before they started heading towards the crime scene.

"Why didn't Sanderson just run?" asked Spencer.

"Maybe he wanted to go back to prison," said Ashley.

"There are plenty of ways to violate your parole other than homicide," said Emily.

Ashley watched Morgan for a few seconds before looking at Spencer and Emily.

"Is Morgan OK?" asked Ashley.

"He just vouched for a man that turned around and killed someone," said Spencer before they headed into the house.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was going through the house as he talked to Garcia on the phone.

"So the gun wasn't loaded, but he broke in, took it, and waited for Wittman to get home? Why?" asked Spencer.

"I don't know, love, but I do know that your victim legally purchased that .38 in '94, licensed to him. Other than that, no weapons, wives, or children. The guy was pretty much a loner," said Garcia.

"So there's gotta be some sort of connection," said Spencer.

"There isn't any yet. I'm sorry," said Spencer.

"All right. Thank you, Garcia," said Spencer.

"Yeah, hey, how is my boy?" asked Garcia.

Spencer thought about Morgan's behavior.

"Uh, fine," lied Spencer.

"Really?" asked Garcia.

"No," said Spencer truthfully.

"Oh," said Garcia.

A few seconds later Spencer hung up and made his way towards Emily and Ashley.

"The bullets were in the other room, but the gun is right here," said Spencer.

"Maybe killing him was an accident?" asked Ashley.

Emily looked at Tom Wittman's body.

"Does any of this strike you as hard to believe?" asked Emily.

Ashley looked at her training agent.

"Neighbors confirmed hearing sounds of a confrontation," said Ashley.

"Yeah, but Sanderson was out of prison for what, Reid?" asked Emily as she looked at Spencer.

"At the time of the murder, 51 hours," answered Spencer.

"He's free for two days and changes? What's the big hurry to find this guy?" asked Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at the conference room table with Ashley and Garcia when Rossi entered the room causing Emily who was looking at one of the boards to look at Rossi.

"How is he?" asked Emily.

"Clearing his head," said Rossi.

"Strauss is waiting for you guys to come back," said Garcia.

"Great. That's all he needs," said Rossi sarcastically.

"We still don't know how Tom Wittman is connected to Don Sanderson," said Emily.

"All we know about him is everything Morgan went over, what he was accused of," said Spencer.

"And that he killed Tom Whitman this morning," said Ashley.

"The guy's not talking," said Rossi.

"He doesn't trust anybody," said Emily.

"If he doesn't tell us who Tom Wittman is, how are we going to help Derek?" asked Garcia.

Rossi nodded towards the evidence boards.

"The answer's in there somewhere. We just have to find it," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Morgan entered the conference room and looked at his teammates.

"All right, March 10, 1985, 2:23 AM. Don Sanderson was asleep on his couch because of an argument he had with his wife. He woke up to her screams," said Morgan.

Emily looked at the report in front of her.

"He ran to the bedroom to find one man stabbing her, another man struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious," said Emily.

"His wounds were superficial in comparison, so it was easy for the prosecution to claim that Sanderson's wounds were self-inflicted," said Spencer.

"And he had just finished his second year of residency at Georgetown, indicating he had the skills to do it to himself. And his fingerprints were all over the weapon," said Garcia.

"So, Sanderson comes to, his wife and daughter are dead," said Rossi.

Spencer thought about the report he read.

"Almost dead. He called for help," said Spencer.

"Sounds familiar," said Ashley.

"He said that two men killed his wife, but when officers arrived, he changed his story. He added a woman," said Morgan.

"Let me guess. They never found her," said Garcia.

"No one ever looked," said Emily.

"So we have three people who commit a brutal double homicide, then never act on it again? I don't know, it seems unlikely," said Spencer.

"But nothing like that ever happened after Sanderson went to prison," said Ashley just as Morgan's phone chimed.

"The question is, how does Tom Wittman play into this? He was a teenager at the time," said Emily.

Morgan saw the look that Rossi was giving him.

"Strauss," said Morgan before looking at his teammates, "I want everything from Tom Wittman's apartment," said Morgan.

"It's on its way," said Ashley as Morgan left the room.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"Do you think Wittman was there that night?" asked Spencer.

"That depends," said Rossi.

"On what?" asked Ashley.

"If you believe Sanderson's story," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Ashley carried a box into the conference room and looked at Spencer, Emily, and Rossi.

"This is the rest of Tom Wittman's house," said Ashley as she set down the box.

Garcia came into the room with her laptop.

"Hey, guys. Derek said that the Sandersons got into an argument on the night of the murders. So, I went ahead and did a background check," said Garcia as she sat down, "There is no history of abuse, domestic calls, therapy. From the outside in they were like the perfect family," said Garcia.

Ashley thought about her own childhood.

"Nobody's perfect," said Ashley.

"Yeah, but married right out of college, medical school, two kids, house on a hill, dog. Pretty damn close. Yeah?" asked Garcia.

"OK, so one night they argue. He takes the couch, leaving the wife and kids upstairs vulnerable," said Emily.

"He claims the offenders broke in through the basement. There were security bars on the window, but they were old and broken," said Ashley.

"That was such an obscure fact, though. It was deemed only someone with an intimate knowledge of the house would suggest that as an entry point," said Spencer.

"Yeah, but that means that three people walked past Sanderson while he was sleeping on the couch. Why didn't he wake up?" asked Emily.

"And why would they walk right past him without subduing him?" asked Rossi.

Garcia looked at a picture of a dead little girl as she kept on thinking about Spencer's three daughters.

"It looks like their goal was upstairs. She had a stuffed animal. Who does that to a five-year-old?" asked Garcia sadly.

Spencer kept on thinking about Jocelyn, Gabriella, and Lynette.

"You know, the child was an afterthought. The overkill was on Mrs. Sanderson," said Spencer.

"That's an understatement," said Ashley.

"He was sending a message," said Emily.

"Like what?" asked Ashley.

"He's in control. He has all the power. And he hates her," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was pouring himself a cup of coffee when Ashley looked at him.

"It sounds like we need to profile a dormant killer," said Ashley as she leaned against the counter.

"A very lucky one. He was essentially given a gift... A patsy in the form of Don Sanderson, and he'll do anything to protect that story," said Spencer.

Ashley nodded.

"When someone has a secret this big, everything becomes a lie," said Ashley.

"He'll most likely be pathological," said Spencer as he took a sip of his coffee

"So, we're looking for a liar in D.C. I thought we were trying to narrow this down," said Ashley.

Spencer nodded.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on the edge of a table in the bullpen as he looked at Emily, Ashley, and Rossi.

"What we just watched was…," said Spencer.

"Debilitating. Frenzied," said Emily.

"And documented, but not for a trophy. It seems to be from Wittman's point of view. I mean, she's obviously an accessory. Why not just destroy the evidence?" asked Spencer.

"Because she got something out of it. Her place was way more than she could afford. She never got married. And she had a son who went to private school," said Emily.

"Do you think it's his kid?" asked Rossi.

"That would explain the bond and why he didn't get rid of her before today," said Emily.

Ashley looked at Emily.

"You said her place was nice. If he's covering his tracks, he's paying her in cash. Who can afford to do that?" asked Ashley.

A few minutes later everyone was in the conference room telling Garcia what they needed her to do before Garcia looked at them.

"You want me to find rich and powerful men in D.C.? Explain to me how to narrow down this list," said Garcia.

"Start with me who grew up in the district, came from nothing," said Emily.

"His ambition will define him," said Spencer.

"Whoever did this enjoys taking power away. He's been way too smart to keep on killing. So what would satisfy a guy like this?" asked Morgan.

"Well, he's manipulative but trustworthy. Two other people witnessed that murder and they never turned on him," said Emily.

"Guys, so we have to think of this city as the unsub's comfort zone. He didn't leave for a reason," said Morgan.

"A target-rich environment," said Rossi.

"The damage he's done and continues to do is right here in D.C.," said Spencer.

"Politics?" asked Rossi.

"I think it's more intimate than that. He needs victims who suffer directly from what he's doing," said Morgan.

Garcia started to type.

"OK, I'll cross the politicians off my list," said Garcia

"Look into asset-based lenders, uh, big money-making ventures where people would be left in his wake," said Emily.

"Corporate takeovers," said Rossi.

"Businessman as a psychopath?" asked Ashley.

"They have the same characteristics. They just use their skills differently," said Emily.

"They both have narcissistic traits, such as a grandiose sense of self-importance, deceptiveness, lack of remorse," said Spencer.

"Hard-core businessmen, 36 and counting," said Garcia.

Morgan sighed.

"That's way too many," said Morgan.

"We can each take six and look for connections," said Emily.

Morgan quickly thought of something.

"No, no. Wait a minute. If we had this case 25 years ago, what would we have seen? How would we fight the physical evidence?" asked Morgan.

"We'd look at what the unsub did the moment he arrived at the house," said Ashley.

"They broke into the basement," said Morgan.

"Through a window with rusted-out bars," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Garcia.

"Garcia, who lived at the house before the Sandersons?" asked Morgan.

Garcia started to type.

"Property records... Well, it hasn't exchanged too many hands. The Barretts, the Kramers, the Stanworths," said Garcia.

"Any of those names on your list of businessmen?" asked Morgan.

Garcia did some typing.

"Uh, no. Let me look at that longer list. Hold, please," said Garcia before she found something, "Hey, the family of James Stanworth. They lost the house in '82 and then they moved to the outskirts," said Garcia.

Emily thought of the tape.

"He sounded jealous on the tape. That makes sense," said Emily.

"He knew the Sandersons and he would obviously know that house. There was nothing random about that attack," said Morgan.

"A native Washingtonian, married with three kids," said Garcia.

"Everything to lose," said Rossi.

Garcia instantly noticed something shocking.

"Oh," said Garcia.

Morgan noticed the shocked look on Garcia's face.

"What?" asked Morgan.

"He's running for Congress. Check out his campaign slogan," said Garcia.

Emily read the slogan.

"Let's do this." He said that on the tape," said Emily causing everyone to exchange glances about politics now being involved.

"This won't be easy," said Rossi before he stood up and left the room with Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Morgan and Rossi got back from talking with Strauss, Spencer, Ashley, Emily, and Garcia listened to Morgan and Rossi talk about their meeting with Strauss before Garcia looked at Morgan and Rossi.

"So there's nothing we can do? This guy's gonna get away with it?" asked Garcia.

"No. No, not a chance in hell. Yeah. Garcia, find me James Stanworth right now," said Morgan.

"Yeah," said Garcia as she started to type.

Morgan looked at his teammates.

"Another hour passes, he's that much closer to hiding his true self," said Morgan.

"Mary Rutka's his third victim. He's now officially a serial killer," said Spencer.

Ashley looked at Morgan.

"What do you want to do?" asked Ashley.

"I want to expose this son of a bitch. If he did kill Mary Rutka, he's gonna have cuts on him somewhere. We match that DNA, we got him," said Morgan.

Garcia who found something looked at her teammates.

"Guys, he's having a fund-raiser at his house in McLean," said Garcia.

"When?" asked Morgan.

"It started an hour ago," said Garcia.

Morgan looked at Rossi before looking at Garcia.

"Text me the address," said Morgan.

"Yep," said Garcia.

Emily looked at Morgan.

"What if we're wrong?" asked Emily.

Everyone stayed silent before Morgan left the room and Rossi looked at Emily.

"Prentiss," said Rossi.

Emily quickly got up and followed Rossi out of the room.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer entered the master bedroom to find Maeve sitting up in bed reading.

"Case is finished and Chief Strauss decided to give us the rest of the week off, so I'm all yours until after New Years," grinned Spencer as he started to undress.

Maeve got out of bed.

"On that note," said Maeve as she walked to the bedroom door and locked the door before pulling her husband into a heated kiss.


	79. Christmas and Ringing in 2011

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I'm including another event that Spencer had to deal with in season 11 in this chapter to make this story even more alternative universe, but what's talked about in this chapter will be a factor for Spencer's future in the FBI after Supply & Demand.
> 
> I promise that the next chapter will be longer, but I hope that everyone enjoys the fluff and humor I included in this chapter before I start having to write about the drama that happened in season 6.

After Spencer and Joe worked together on getting all of the Christmas presents underneath the Reid and Donovan family's Christmas tree, Spencer headed up to his and Maeve's bedroom to find Maeve standing in their bedroom wearing Santa themed lingerie.

"With you being such a good boy this year, I thought that you can have one of your presents early," said Maeve as she locked their bedroom door before she led her husband to their bed and straddled them.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer woke up to a two-year-old girl on top of him causing him to reach over for his glasses and slipped them on and looked at his two-year-old daughter who was a female version of him despite her curly brown hair being shoulder length while his own hair was short before glancing at Maeve who was still sleeping.

"What's with the wake-up call, Jocelyn?" asked Spencer softly.

"Hi, daddy. Merry Chistmas, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"Merry Christmas, Jocelyn," said Spencer before looking at the clock, "Why are you awake at 6 AM?" asked Spencer softly.

"Santa came," said Jocelyn.

Spencer grinned as he thought about getting to enjoy Christmas more with the kids because of Jocelyn turning two a couple of months ago.

"Do you think I should wake up mommy and beg her to allow us to open presents before breakfast?" asked Spencer softly.

Jocelyn nodded before looking at her daddy.

"Kiss mommy," whispered Jocelyn.

Spencer smirked.

"Why don't you go to your room and play while I wake up mommy," whispered Spencer.

"OK, daddy," whispered Jocelyn as she got out of her mommy's and daddy's bed and left the room.

A few seconds later Spencer was locking his lips with Maeve's and 30 seconds later he broke out of the kiss just as Maeve woke up.

"Why did you stop? I was having the best dream ever," said Maeve as she pulled her husband into another kiss.

10 seconds later Jocelyn entered their bedroom.

"Mommy up now?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer and Maeve broke out of their kiss causing Maeve to smile at her oldest daughter.

"Were you the one to wake up daddy?" asked Maeve.

Jocelyn grinned as she nodded.

"Yes," said Jocelyn just as Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette all started babbling through one of the baby monitors before Gabriella spoke through the other baby monitor.

"Dada? Mama?" asked Gabriella.

Spencer and Maeve shook their heads as they both got out of bed and slipped on their robes and slippers.

"We might as well go wake up Stephanie and get started with our day," said Maeve just as she smelled cinnamon rolls, hash browns, and eggs, "Knowing my mom, she's already awake and starting breakfast," said Maeve.

Jocelyn pouted as she left her parents' bedroom with her mommy and daddy.

"Pesants?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer lifted up Jocelyn and settled her onto his shoulders.

"Grandma Mary is going to insist that we eat breakfast before we tackle all the presents underneath the tree," said Spencer as he knocked on Stephanie's bedroom door, "Its time to wake up because all the kids are awake, Stephanie," said Spencer just as the bedroom door opened revealing Stephanie who was wearing a robe over her pajamas.

"I smelled breakfast and heard Jocelyn running through the hallway," said Stephanie just as Joe came up the stairs to help them with the kids.

Xxxxxxxx 

A couple of hours later Spencer entered the sanitarium his mother was living in when Nurse Clarice and Diana who were both already wearing their winter jackets approached them.

"Merry Christmas, mom," said Spencer as he pulled his mother into a hug.

"Merry Christmas, Spencer," said Diana hugged her son back.

Nurse Clarice who was carrying a bag of gifts that Diana had for her family looked at Spencer.

"Dr. Reynolds needs to speak to you before we head over to your house for Christmas Day dinner. He's currently in his office," said Nurse Clarice quietly.

"OK," said Spencer as he headed towards Dr. Charles Reynolds's office and knocked on the closed door.

"Come in," said Dr. Reynolds.

A few seconds later Spencer was sitting across from his mother's new doctor.

"Is everything OK with my mom?" asked Spencer.

"I believe so because your mother's health has definitely improved since she transferred out here to be closer to you and her grandchildren, but I thought that I should let you know that there have been times that your mother's been getting more aggressive and I'm planning on changing her medication tomorrow," said Dr. Reynolds.

Spencer sighed as he ran a hand through his short hair.

"I've noticed my mom not remembering me for a couple of seconds. She's been forgetting that I'm married. She's also been forgetting the names of her grandchildren during visits or our phone calls," said Spencer before he thought of a possible illness, "When it comes to my mom just turning 62-years-old, could it be possible that my mom is starting to show signs of Dementia?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Reynolds nodded.

"I've been thinking about Dementia too and its a good thing that I'm also specialized in Alzheimer's and Dementia because this clinic specializes in schizophrenia, Dementia, and Alzheimer's patients," said Dr. Reynolds.

"Do you think my mom made the right choice on transferring all the way from Las Vegas to Alexandria so she can be closer to my kids and me?" asked Spencer.

Dr. Reynolds nodded.

"I believe your mother made the right choice because she's getting older and you work a job that requires you to be on call 24/7 and travel all over the country," said Dr. Reynolds before becoming serious, "Before I start testing your mother for Dementia, let's just see how she'll react to the new medication regime she'll be starting tomorrow for the next couple of months to help her schizophrenia before we even think of testing her for Dementia," said Dr. Reynolds.

Spencer nodded.

"I trust your decision, doctor," said Spencer.

Dr. Reynolds smiled a bit.

"Knowing your mother, she's wondering why I'm keeping you so long because she's so excited about getting to spend Christmas Day afternoon with you, Maeve, and the kids," said Dr. Reynolds.

Xxxxxxxx 

Jocelyn grinned as her daddy came into the house with her grandma Diana.

"Hi gandma D," said Jocelyn as she ran over to her grandma and hugged her legs.

"Merry Christmas, Jocelyn," said Diana.

"Merry Chistmas, gandma," said Jocelyn before seeing the bag of presents, "For me?" asked Jocelyn.

Diana nodded as she thought about the credit card her son paid for her to use when she goes on outings to bookstores, craft stores, and stores to buy new clothes.

"Some of them are for you, but there are also presents for your parents, siblings, your aunt, grandma Mary, and Grandpa Joe," said Diana.

"I open pesants now?" asked Jocelyn just as Maeve and Stephanie came downstairs with Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette.

"Nana D," grinned Gabriella as she quickly made her way down the stairs and ran to her paternal grandma.

"Nana," said Arthur.

"Nana," said Joseph.

"Nana," said Lynette.

Diana looked at her oldest daughter.

"Before everyone gets to open their gifts from me, I want to have a moment with your siblings," said Diana.

"OK," sighed Jocelyn.

Five minutes later Spencer and Maeve were helping their three youngest children open up their gifts from their paternal grandma while Jocelyn, Gabriella, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary opened up their own gifts.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were all in their bedrooms for their afternoon naps, Spencer ended up finding his mother reading in his home library.

"How are you doing?" asked Spencer as he sat down next to his mother on his old leather couch.

"Fine and I loved seeing my grandchildren's reactions to their presents from me," said Diana before looking at her son, "I'm sorry that I was rarely able to celebrate Christmas with you as a child," said Diana.

Spencer softly smiled.

"Its OK, mom," said Spencer before smiling as he thought about the past four Christmases he spent with Maeve, "When this comes to this Christmas being my third Christmas as a father, I'm glad that every Christmas I celebrate with Maeve and the kids keeps on getting better and better," said Spencer.

Diana smiled a bit as she hugged her son just as they heard laughter and music playing downstairs.

"I wonder if Stephanie's trying out her new Just Dance 2 Nintendo Wii game that Maeve and I got her for Christmas?" asked Spencer.

"She most likely is," said Diana before laughing a bit, "You know about the Nintendo Wii in the day room at the hospital?" asked Diana.

Spencer nodded.

"I recently tried Just Dance 2 with a few of my friends and nurses in the hospital and I had a great time," said Diana.

Spencer's eyes went wide as he tried to picture his mom dancing along with the Just Dance games with other patients and nurses.

"Really?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded.

"I'm going to go ask Stephanie if she's willing to dance to a song with me," smiled Diana.

Spencer chuckled.

"Now I have to watch because I can't imagine you dancing along with the Just Dance games," said Spencer.

"Come on, Spencer," said Diana.

A few minutes later Spencer was smiling and laughing as he used his video camera to film his smiling and laughing mother and sister danced to the song "Viva Las Vegas". When the song was over, Maeve smirked at her husband.

"Since you have yet to try out this game, we need to do a song together," said Maeve.

"Really," squeaked Spencer.

Diana looked at her son.

"Since you enjoyed watching me do something you never expected me to do, now I get a turn watching you dance to a song from Just Dance 2"," said Diana.

Spencer shook his head.

"Fine," said Spencer.

Maeve smirked at her husband.

"I'll pick the song," said Maeve as she used one of the Wii remotes to pick the song "Barbie Girl", "When it comes to playing with Barbie dolls when I was a kid, we have to do this song, Spencer," said Maeve.

Stephanie giggled as she thought about "Barbie Girl" being one of the songs that always played during the school dances she attended with her friends and eventually Jeremy.

"Now that's a song I have to watch big brother dance to," said Stephanie.

Spencer shook his head as he gave into his wife's request.

"I'll do Barbie and you'll do Ken," said Maeve as she made sure that the right avatars were set up for her and Spencer's Wii remotes.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were standing in front of their TV each with a Wii remote in their hand as they started to follow along with the dance moves to "Barbie Girl" while Spencer made sure to be careful and not re-injure his bad knee as he realized that he was actually enjoying himself.

When the song was over, Maeve looked at her husband.

"I can't believe that you ended up getting five stars," said Maeve.

"Dancing is basically physics and math and having an eidetic memory helps," said Spencer.

Mary looked at her daughter and son-in-law.

"Maybe you two should take dance classes together because Joe and I did that during our date nights," said Mary.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"What do you think about taking dance lessons together?" asked Maeve before thinking of her husband's bad knee, "We'll make sure to find a class that won't be too hard on your bad knee," said Maeve.

"I already know how to waltz and so some basic ballroom dancing because mom convinced me to dance with her during her good days," said Spencer before thinking about the record player he had and looked at his mom, "May I please have this dance, mom?" asked Spencer as he bowed down to his mom.

"Certainly, Spencer," said Diana as she allowed her son to help her up.

A few minutes later Spencer and his mother were dancing around the living room to the song "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King.

Xxxxxxxx 

Six days later Spencer, Maeve, Joe, and Mary were counting down from 60 as they watched the ball drop on TV and as soon as the year 2011 began, Spencer and Joe both kissed their wives while Stephanie was over at Holly's for a slumber party with Holly, Erica, and Ramona.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know that the Just Dance 2 scene might be a bit out of character for Spencer and his mother, but he has a teenager living under his roof and my mom who use to work in assisted living group homes told me that a Nintendo Wii are a hit in assisted living homes. Would you believe it that I was laughing as I wrote the scene about Spencer, Maeve, his mother, and Stephanie dancing along with the Just Dance Wii games because dancing along with those video games is something that Spencer might never do?
> 
> Before I started going to Zumba, I use to do the Just Dance video games after I ended up playing those video games during an evening that I participated in helping out with a girls group through The Human Services Department during my senior year in high school with other classmates I was in National Honor Society with.


	80. Corazon Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other than having to write Corazon in two parts, this chapter starts on January 16th of 2011, so Stephanie just turned 16, Gabriella turns 18-months-old and Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette turns eight-months-old in this chapter.

Spencer softly groaned as he felt pain building between his eyes as he felt his vision started to blur. Maeve looked at him as she thought about Spencer starting to have migraines at the beginning of the new year causing Stephanie's sweet 16 slumber party to happen in her parents soundproofed room in the basement so Spencer didn't have to deal with four teenage girls taking over the living room.

"Are you having another migraine, Spencer?" asked Maeve softly.

"Yes," croaked Spencer as he rubbed his eyes.

"Since the kids are currently napping, let's go upstairs and get you to bed," said Maeve softly.

A few minutes later a pajama-clad Spencer was laying in bed while Maeve pulled the room darkening curtains that he could pull when he catches up on sleep during the day before turning on the fan they used over the summer so they didn't always have to rely on their air conditioner.

"Spencer?" asked Maeve softly.

"Yeah?" croaked Spencer.

"Other than getting you a cool washcloth to put over your eyes, do you think that your willing to take one of the sleeping pills that you were prescribed while you were recovering from getting shot in the knee?" asked Maeve softly.

Spencer blearily looked at his wife while realizing that she would most likely be giving him a pleading look.

"Would you be upset if I only accept half a pill?" asked Spencer.

"A half a pill is fine because sleep is the best medicine for you right now," said Maeve as she walked into the master bathroom to get half a sleeping pill, a cup of water, and wet a washcloth.

Less than a minute later Spencer was swallowing half a sleeping pill and laying his head on the pillow before he closed his eyes as Maeve placed a wet washcloth over his eyes before she sat on the bed and started to massage his temples before he fell asleep.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day, Maeve picked up her phone and called Hotch who answered on the second ring.

"Hello, Maeve," said Hotch.

"I'm hoping that I'm not overstepping boundaries, but I'm calling Spencer in sick," said Maeve.

Hotch thought about Spencer confining in him about the headaches he started having at the beginning of the new year.

"Another migraine?" asked Hotch.

"Since yesterday. I already scheduled an MRI for him tomorrow morning at 7:30 and he won't be arriving at work until 10 AM if he's up to going to work tomorrow," said Maeve.

"Thank you for letting me know and I'll make sure that you and Reid aren't badgered by phone calls from the team," said Hotch before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning, Jocelyn looked up from her plate of pancakes and looked at her daddy who was wearing his sunglasses in the house causing the two-year-old girl to remember her mommy, grandparents, and aunt explaining to her that her daddy hasn't been feeling well lately and that she needs to be quiet.

"Owie in your head?" asked Jocelyn.

"Yes," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked at daddy.

"I kiss head to feel etter," said Jocelyn.

Spencer smiled a bit as he got up and walked over to his two-year-old daughter who was sitting in her booster seat and smiled at the sloppy kiss that his oldest daughter gave him.

"Thank you, Josie Posie," said Spencer softly as he grabbed a wipe to wipe the maple syrup off his forehead.

"Feel etter?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer nodded.

"Daddy's feeling a bit better, so thank you," said Spencer.

Stephanie looked at her brother.

"Since I earned my driver's license yesterday, can I please drive your Volvo to school?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer shook his head despite the pain he was feeling as he thought about waking up to Stephanie's squeal of excitement after Maeve brought his sister home from her driving test.

"Do you promise to follow the law and not drive any of your friends around until its been six months since you earned your license?" asked Spencer.

"Yes," said Stephanie.

Maeve looked at the clock before looking at her husband.

"We need to get going because your suppose to be at the hospital for 7 AM," said Maeve before looking at her five children who were either sitting in their high chairs or booster seats, "You guys be good for grandma and grandpa while I'm at the doctor's office with daddy and I'll see you guys after I drop daddy off at work," said Maeve.

Jocelyn looked at her daddy.

"Pwease feel etter, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"I hope so, Josie Posie," said Spencer before looking at his sister, "Please have a good day at school," said Spencer.

"I will and I hope that you feel better too," said Stephanie.

A few minutes later Maeve was driving her husband and herself to the hospital so Spencer could have his MRI.

Xxxxxxxx 

Maeve looked at her agitated husband who was sporting his sunglasses indoors while rubbing his stomach and tapping his left heel on the floor.

"You're going to be OK, Spencer," said Maeve softly as she started to rub her husband's back and neck.

Spencer looked at his wife.

"Even though I have no problems staring down the worst in humanity and survive, I'm scared," whispered Spencer.

Maeve sighed as she thought about how her husband was still scared of the possibility of inheriting schizophrenia even though most males get diagnosed with schizophrenia between the ages 18 and 25 while he's been 29 for a couple of months and still has a small chance of inheriting schizophrenia because of his mom and his past Dilaudid addiction.

"I understand that your afraid about turning out like your mom, but please remember that I'll stay by your side and never leave you," said Maeve softly as she kissed her husband's forehead, "I still believe that your not showing signs of schizophrenia because migraines your having can be caused by stress," whispered Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

After sitting for another 15 minutes in silence and Maeve continuing to massage her husband's upper back and neck, a middle-aged nurse came over to them and looked at the young married couple.

"We're almost ready for you, Dr. Reid," said Nurse Brenda.

Maeve looked at Nurse Brenda.

"I hope you're referring to my husband because I'm also a doctor like my husband," said Maeve causing her husband to chuckle before wincing at the sound of his own chuckle.

Nurse Brenda looked at Spencer.

"Just a few questions," said Nurse Brenda as the young man in front of her removed his sunglasses and passed them to his wife, "Are you having one of your headaches right now?" asked Nurse Brenda.

Spencer squinted as he felt Maeve squeeze his hand.

"Yeah, I am," said Spencer softly.

"How long have you had it?" asked Nurse Brenda.

Maeve looked at Nurse Brenda.

"Spencer's been having this migraine since Saturday," said Maeve softly.

Nurse Brenda noticed Spencer squinting.

"And the lights hurt your eyes," said Nurse Brenda.

Spencer nodded.

"Any hallucinations?" asked Nurse Brenda.

"No," said Spencer.

After answering questions Nurse Brenda's questions, Nurse Brenda looked at Maeve.

"I'm afraid that you can't be there with your husband while he has his MRI, Mrs. Reid," said Nurse Brenda.

Spencer looked at Maeve as he pulled his two phones out of his pockets.

"Can you please keep an eye on my phones and answer it if it's work?" asked Spencer softly.

"I can," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer was in a room taking off his wedding band and watch before he undressed himself down to his boxers and slipped on a hospital gown.

Xxxxxxxx 

Maeve was doing some research on supplements that her husband could take on her iPad when her husband's work phone vibrated causing her to quickly answer her husband's phone without checking the caller ID.

"This is Dr. Spencer Reid's wife, Dr. Maeve Reid. My husband is currently indisposed right now, but I'll be glad to relay a message to him as soon as he's available," answered Maeve.

"Reid is still having an MRI?" asked Hotch.

Maeve smiled at the concern lacing through her husband's unit chief's voice as she thought about how she convinced Spencer about letting Hotch know that he's been dealing with intense migraines since the start of the new year.

"Yes, but it should be over soon," said Maeve.

"When he gets out, will you let him know that there's a case and that he should get to Quantico ASAP?" asked Hotch.

"I will let him know, but I should warn you that he currently is dealing with a migraine right now and I will have Spencer take something when we leave the hospital because he wasn't allowed to take anything over the past two days prior to his MRI," said Maeve.

"Good to know and I doubt that he would have opened up to me about his headaches if you weren't in his life," said Hotch.

"I agree, and I'm already doing research about migraines because I believe that they're stress related but Spencer insisted on getting checked out for schizophrenia first," said Maeve.

"I agree that he isn't showing signs of schizophrenia," said Hotch.

Maeve heard the familiar sounds of her husband's converse sneakers causing her to speak up.

"Here comes Spencer now and I'll drop him off at Quantico," said Maeve.

"After the case, I'll be glad to give Reid a ride home," said Hotch.

"Thank you and I'll let Spencer know that he has a case," said Maeve before hanging up just as Spencer approached her.

"A case?" asked Spencer softly.

Maeve nodded.

"I'll drop you off at Quantico and Aaron said that he'll give you a ride home after the case," said Maeve softly as she reached into her husband's messenger bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a bottle of ibuprofen, "You should take some ibuprofen so it can start kicking in during our hour-long drive to Quantico," said Maeve softly.

Spencer nodded as he accepted two ibuprofen and a bottle of water and quickly took the pain medication before he and Maeve left the hospital.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer hurried into the conference room where Hotch, Emily, Ashley, Garcia, Morgan, and Rossi were already gathered causing Emily to look at him with a concerned look on her face.

"Hey, you OK?" asked Emily.

Spencer removed his messenger bag from around his shoulder while being grateful that the ibuprofen he took and the nap Maeve insisted he take during the drive is helping.

"Yeah. Why?" asked Spencer as he sat down between Ashley and Morgan.

"Even though you did have to come in late or leave early while you were recovering from getting shot in the knee, you're never late," said Morgan.

Hotch quickly decided to defend Spencer as he looked at Emily and Morgan.

"Reid had a mandatory physical to go to, so I knew that he would be getting here at the last minute for briefing," said Hotch before nodding at Garcia.

Garcia quickly sat down.

"Attention, intrepid BAU adventurers. The land of Bermuda shorts, white leisure suits, and sansabelt slacks requests your presence," said Garcia.

Rossi looked at Garcia as he thought about Spencer's hometown.

"Vegas?" asked Rossi.

"Arizona," said Morgan.

"Palm Springs," said Emily.

Hotch shook his head as he looked at his teammates.

"Please," said Hotch.

"I was going to say Miami, but point well made about the dizzying number of locales with unfortunate fashion tendencies. Here we go," said Garcia as she pulled up a crime scene photo on the monitor.

Emily looked at the crime scene photo.

"Shells in the eyes and mouth. You don't see that every day," deadpanned Emily.

"Not even in Miami," said Rossi.

"Three victims, the last one found with a…," said Garcia sadly.

Morgan decided to speak up before Garcia got upset.

"A decapitated cat?" asked Morgan.

Garcia grimly nodded.

"All were found within a mile of each other in a mostly Latino neighborhood in Miami called Allapattah," said Hotch.

Garcia pulled up a picture of a mugshot of a homeless man.

"Eduardo Guzman, homeless. He was shot to death seven days ago," said Garcia as she pulled up another picture, "Yanira Espinal, prostitute, bludgeoned to death three days ago. And then Victor Cabrera, he was an unemployed janitor. He was slashed with a machete yesterday, as was his cat," said Garcia grimly.

Spencer rocked in his chair while Rossi looked at everyone.

"You know, considering the homeless man lived in that alley, all of the victims essentially were killed in their homes," said Rossi.

Morgan zoomed in the photo he was looking at and showed it to Hotch.

"This took some time," said Morgan.

"In the open," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the cowrie shells that were in the crime scene photos.

"You know, cowrie shells and ritual offerings are common to a number of Afro-Caribbean religions," said Spencer.

"But the upside-down cross looks like satanism," said Emily.

"The first two victims had fingers missing, but on this one, he took both hands," said Morgan.

Ashley looked at everyone.

"All of this could have been religious?" asked Ashley.

"This could have specific religious meaning or it could just be part of the unsub's signature," said Spencer.

"Either way, his timetable's accelerating. We have a day, maybe two, before the Miami P.D. has another body on its hands," said Hotch as he gave a departure time and looked at Spencer, "A word please," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer and Hotch were in Hotch's office with the blinds closed when Hotch looked at Spencer.

"How are you feeling?" asked Hotch.

Spencer sighed.

"I still have a migraine and Maeve forced me to take Ibuprofen and take a nap during the drive here and thankfully the ibuprofen and nap I took ended up helping me a bit," said Spencer softly.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Are you sure that you don't want to take more sick time?" asked Hotch.

Spencer shook his head.

"I don't want to take any more sick time because I really took a lot of time off when it came to my kids being born, helping my sister grieve, and recover from getting shot above the left knee over the past couple of years and I don't want to leave you guys shorthanded," said Spencer softly as he rubbed his eyes.

"Are you wearing your contact lenses?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"They're bothering my eyes," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about Spencer's glasses.

"How about you switch to your glasses before you let Maeve know that your heading to Miami," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded while being grateful that he also has a pair of prescription ray bans that Maeve convinced him to get for when he's wearing his glasses instead of his contacts.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting away from the teammates in a darkened area on the jet reading one of the books he grabbed as he listened to his teammates talk about the case.

"The first victim was frail and an easy target, and yet the unsub shot him from behind and at a distance," said Hotch.

"By the second victim, the unsub chose not to use a gun anymore," said Morgan.

"He got up close and personal. Four days is a rapid increase in confidence," said Morgan.

"By the third victim, he was comfortable enough to use a machete," said Emily.

"But still from behind," said Hotch.

"So he's not invested in watch his victims suffer," said Ashley.

"Which fits what the M.E. said about the mutilations being postmortem," said Rossi.

"So we're back around a religious ritual," said Emily.

Hotch looked over where Spencer was sitting in a darkened corner with his glasses perched on his nose.

"Reid?" asked Hotch softly.

Spencer looked up from the book that he was reading and looked at Hotch as his vision became blurry through his glasses causing him to make a mental note and ask Maeve to schedule an eye exam to see if he was in need of a stronger prescription.

"Hmm?" asked Spencer.

"Anything helpful?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah. Yeah. Um…," said Spencer as he turned the page in his book and cleared his throat as he got up took the spot on the couch by Hotch, "The Afro-Caribbean syncretic religions began with slaves, who mixed their traditional religions with Catholicism in order to camouflage them. The elements in this altar…," said Spencer as he handed a picture to Morgan, "Look to me like Santeria. It's a Yoruban-based religion developed in Cuba. Practitioners worship orishas, deities that roughly correspond with Catholic saints," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"And what about the shells?" asked Morgan.

Spencer opened up one of his books.

"Let's see," said Spencer as he found the page and passed the book to Emily and Morgan, "This is Ellegua, the deity of the crossroads, a trickster and the impartial enforcer of justice," said Spencer.

"So, is the unsub sacrificing the victims to him?" asked Ashley.

"None of these religions openly call for human sacrifice, only animals," said Spencer.

"We need to determine whether these killings are part of an existing ritual," said Rossi.

Spencer got up and started to make his way to the kitchenette.

"Or whether he's using religion to cover his own psychopathology," said Hotch.

"The last victim used to frequent a local community center. It might be a good way to get some background," said Morgan.

"Good. Take Reid with you. Prentiss and I will go to the last crime scene. Dave and Seaver, get set up with the P.D.," said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer had his glasses off and was rubbing his eyes when Ashley joined him.

"This the line?" asked Ashley.

"Hmm?" asked Spencer as he slipped his glasses back on.

"Uh, for coffee," said Ashley.

"Sorry. Oh, no. No, I'm just thinking," said Spencer.

Ashley thought about Spencer's intelligence.

"Aren't you always?" asked Ashley.

"Yeah," said Spencer before walking away so Ashley could fix herself a cup of coffee as he thought about not having time to check the weather on Miami before leaving, "Hey, what's the weather like in Miami right now?" asked Spencer.

"I don't know exactly, but my guess-75 and sunny," said Ashley.

Spencer nodded before he headed back to his darkened corner.

Xxxxxxxx 

As they were walking to the community center, Morgan looked at Spencer who was wearing his prescription sunglasses while thinking about how Spencer ended up taking a sick day.

"Hey, what's the matter with you? You're not gonna give me a bunch of facts about the area and the demographics?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked at Morgan through his sunglasses.

"The Allapattah neighborhood is named after the Native American word for alligator," said Spencer.

"There you go. There's the kid I know," said Morgan before looking around the area, "All right, 5372 Seminole Street. This can't be it," said Morgan.

Spencer instantly noticed a local that would most likely be able to help him causing him to head over to the man who was chopping up a dead goat.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you know where the community center is?" asked Spencer.

"It's down there. This is Seminole Alley," said the man before he talked in Spanish.

Spencer looked down at the head of the dead goat before the man started cleaning up the metal try causing the sunlight that was hitting the tray to shine through his sunglasses and make him wince in pain.

"Ahhh," groaned Spencer.

Morgan looked at Spencer with a concerned look on his face while thinking about Hotch warning him that Spencer wasn't currently feeling well and still insisted on joining them on the case.

"Reid, you all right?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah. I'm fine. A lot better than that goat," said Spencer as he stopped rubbing his eyes and walked away.

Morgan looked down at the goat.

"Yeah, you got that right," said Morgan before he quickly joined Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer and Morgan were sitting across from Jimmy Mercado who was telling them about Victor while Spencer was grateful that the chihuahua in Mr. Mercado's arms wasn't even barking or growling at him.

"Victor was my best friend. We were like brothers," said Mr. Mercado.

"We're sorry for your loss, Mr. Mercado," said Morgan.

"He was sick for a long time, but he was finally feeling better," said Mr. Mercado.

"He was sick?" asked Morgan.

Mr. Mercado pointed to a certain area on his body.

"His men's part, down there. The cancer," said Mr. Mercado as he kissed the necklace around his neck.

"Where was he being treated?" asked Spencer.

"No, no, no. No doctors. They don't do nothing but make you worse. Throw radiation on you, poison you. He did his cleaning every day. That's why he was feeling better," said Mr. Mercado.

Spencer looked at Mr. Mercado.

"What do you mean by cleaning?" asked Spencer.

"He clean his head, his body. But he got one of the saints mad. Maybe he forgot to feed Ellegua," said Mr. Mercado just as a young man joined them and looked at Mr. Mercado.

"¿Terminaste?" asked Elian.

"Si," said Mr. Mercado as Elian took the tray while Mr. Mercado kissed his chihuahua, "Tuti. I must go," said Mr. Mercado before walking away with his cart.

A few seconds later Morgan got up and walked to the man who was staring at them while Spencer started to look at the crime scene photos in front of him while noticing the strange looks that locals were giving him.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening, an already showered and pajama-clad Spencer stopped reading the books he was reading for research and rubbed his eyes when Hotch who decided to share a hotel room with him looked at him.

"I know that Maeve packed some sleeping pills for you, so can you please take a pill so you can get a couple of hours of sleep?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch as he thought about how Hotch convinced him to accept a sleeping pill during the 10 days they shared a hospital room after his shooting and Hotch's stabbing so he could get some sleep.

"If I don't follow your suggestion, will you be calling Maeve and have her order me to take a sleeping pill like you threatened to do during the 10 days we shared a hospital room after we both got injured on the same day?" asked Spencer.

Hotch shook his head as he thought about how well Spencer knows him.

"Yes," said Hotch before looking at the young man who became a second son to him, "I know that you are scared about the possibility of inheriting schizophrenia like your mother, but I don't believe that you're turning out to be like your mother. You're most likely dealing with migraines because of all the stress you're dealing with when it comes to our job requiring us to be on-call 24/7 and work long hours and your home life because having kids means that you don't get a lot of sleep at night," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are all sprouting new teeth so they're pretty cranky at night," said Spencer before deciding to tell Hotch about his mother's health, "Plus it doesn't help that my mom's been having more bad days than good days," said Spencer.

"Is she OK?" asked Hotch.

"Her medication had to be changed the day after Christmas because she's been forgetting Maeve, the kids, and me while she's getting more confused and aggressive causing Dr. Reynolds who specializes in schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, and dementia to agree with me about the possibility of my mom showing signs of Dementia and most likely Alzheimer's," said Spencer softly.

Hotch sighed as he thought about everything that Spencer had to deal with over the past 29 years while being grateful that Spencer met Maeve and started a family with her to bring something good to his life.

"I'm sorry to hear about that," said Hotch before becoming serious, "Your mother's declining health is a good reason why your possibility dealing with stress-related migraines because your worrying about your mother's health, balancing this job, your consult work, your marriage, and being a father and big brother all at once," said Hotch.

"Maeve said the same thing too," said Spencer.

Hotch smiled as he thought about the young woman who has made Spencer very happy over the past three years.

"Listen to your wife, but can you please take a sleeping pill for me so I can make sure that you get some sleep for tomorrow?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded as he reluctantly reached into his messenger bag and took a sleeping pill with some water.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer and Morgan followed Professor Walker's assistant into an office when the assistant looked at the two agents.

"The Professor has a morning class, but he'll be with you shortly," said the assistant.

"Thank you," said Morgan as he watched Spencer start looking at the books on the bookshelf.

Spencer instantly saw a first edition book he never saw.

"I've never seen a first edition "Tractatus" before," said Spencer to himself while Morgan's phone rang.

Spencer to listen to Morgan's side of the conversation before Morgan looked at him.

"Reid, isn't Jimmy Mercado the ice shaved man?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah," said Spencer.

"Hotch, we just interviewed this guy yesterday," said Morgan as he listened to Hotch before hanging up.

After Morgan hung up, Spencer looked at Morgan.

"Mercado was killed?" asked Spencer.

Morgan shook his head.

"Psychopathic hubris. This unsub's success is making him feel invincible," said Morgan just as the professor entered the office.

"Hi. Sorry, I'm late. The lady that called said you're investigating these murders we've been seeing on TV. Awful. Just awful. So, how can I be of assistance?" asked Professor Walker as Spencer and Morgan took seats in front of his desk.

"We were hoping you could help us analyze these," said Morgan as he placed a crime scene photo in front of Professor Walker.

Professor Walker blinked at the photo before Spencer thought about how his eidetic memory causes him to have crime scene photos and crime scenes etched in his mind forever even though it took him a couple of cases to get used to looking at crime scenes and crime scene photos without getting sick.

"They're difficult to look at even when you're used to them," said Spencer.

Professor Walker sighed as he started to look through the photos.

"Well... You have several different religions manifesting here. Most of the elements are from Santeria healing rituals, but the upside-down crucifix and the chalk drawings- they're from a much darker religion. Unbaptized Palo Mayombe," said Professor Walker.

A minute later Morgan was showing a picture of the latest crime scene on his tablet to Professor Walker who instantly noticed a decapitated dog.

"Is that a dog?" asked Professor Walker.

Spencer thought of the chihuahua that didn't growl or bark at him.

"He had a chihuahua," said Spencer.

"Does that mean anything to you, Professor?" asked Morgan.

"Santeros don't sacrifice house pets, but there are Palo Mayombe rituals that use dogs," said Professor Walker as he turned around and grabbed some pictures, "Palo is a secretive religion. Very hard to research. Mine will be the first academic work on the subject," said Professor Walker.

Spencer thought about what Professor Walker said.

"Earlier you called it dark, but aren't all the African-based syncretic religions amoral? I mean, it can be used for good or evil depending on the practitioner, right?" asked Spencer.

"They're nature religions. Nature knows no right or wrong, only balance or imbalance," said Professor Walker.

"So what makes Palo darker than other religions?" asked Morgan.

"All the others achieve their goals by pleasing the orishas. Palo is the only one that harnesses the spirits of the dead to accomplish its ends," said Professor Walker as he showed Spencer and Morgan some pictures, "This is a Nganga, the primary tool of a Palero, a Palo priest. Now, at its core is the Nkisi, the spirit of the deceased who inhabits it. Many Paleros believe that the fresher the brain in the skull, the more powerful the Nganga is," said Professor Walker.

"So what are you saying, this actually calls for a human sacrifice?" asked Morgan.

Professor Walker shook his head.

"No, no, no, not at all. Usually, a fresh brain means digging up a recent grave or getting one through donation. I've never heard of a Palero killing to obtain one," said Professor Walker.

Morgan shook the picture in his hand.

"Well, this may be a first," said Morgan before he showed another crime scene photo to Professor Walker on his tablet,

"Does anything look out of place to you?" asked Morgan.

"Outside of the human head, it all seems fairly traditional," said Professor Walker.

Morgan tapped the screen and pulled up another picture.

"Well, he cut off the victim's tongue and put it in a dish. Does that have some kind of ritual meaning?" asked Morgan.

Professor Walker looked at the picture.

"It may be a sacrifice to Ellegua to silence informants, people who talk to outsiders, but usually you use a cow tongue," said Professor Walker.

"Let me ask you this. All of the victims either had hands or fingers removed," stated Spencer.

"That's not good. He may be building a Nganga to Kadiembempe, the deity that some call the devil. It requires finger bones from seven different corpses," said Professor Walker.

Spencer thought about the four victims.

"So far, he only has four," said Spencer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you guys realize that I'm itching towards Spencer's migraines being stressed related in this universe.


	81. Corazon Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Part two of Corazon and I made some changes that I hope that everyone approves.

Over an hour later Spencer was with his teammates as they gathered to give the profile to the Miami police department.

"We believe that our unsub is a lone male. There is no evidence to suggest more than one individual at any of the crime scenes," started Hotch.

"He is behaviorally young, probably between 17 and 22," said Emily.

"Behaviorally?" asked Manny.

"If he spent time in jail or been institutionalized, he could be chronologically older," said Morgan.

"Those lost years retard behavioral age," said Spencer.

"He's part of the community, most likely Hispanic or black," said Rossi.

"We believe that he uses some sort of religious connection to get close to his victims. Either Santeria or Palo Mayombe," said Spencer.

"Obviously this is a very sensitive issue within the community. He may be a practitioner whom people trust and rely on for healing," said Emily.

"Instead, he uses their vulnerability to prey on them," said Ashley.

"He's highly organized in his planning, but then impulsive in his execution," said Rossi.

"Indicating that his emotions take over once he gets started," said Emily.

"This tells us that while he may think that he has an objective reason for the killings, he actually has a compulsion which is the real reason behind them," said Morgan.

"And this has resulted in a rapid escalation of his M.O. and his timeframe. He's become more efficient and more violent," said Hotch.

"This makes him unpredictable and even more dangerous," said Ashley.

"He focuses on victims who are fragile and vulnerable and then creates relationships with them," said Rossi.

"You need to look for someone who has close access to people in need," said Hotch as Morgan walked away to answer his phone, "He may work in a government aid office or a community center," said Hotch.

"His coworkers will describe him…," said Emily as she continued to talk, "He will have become moody and preoccupied, maybe even exhibited flashes of temper," said Emily while Spencer noticed Morgan gesturing him to come with him.

"Because of the age of his victims, we believe he may have been abused as a child and is taking revenge on parental figures. Look for someone who's been in the juvenile system or in foster care. Thank you," finished Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer was heading towards the soup kitchen with Morgan when his personal phone vibrated causing him to see a text message from Maeve.

HOW ARE YOU FEELING? ~ MR

Spencer quickly typed a reply.

A BIT BETTER THAN YESTERDAY BECAUSE I GOT AROUND SEVEN HOURS OF SLEEP AND I AM TAKING THE IBUPROFEN YOU PACKED FOR ME REGULARLY. ~ SR

A few seconds later Maeve replied.

GOOD AND I GOT THE CALL ABOUT YOUR MRI SCAN RESULTS BEING READY SO WE'LL SEE DR. BARNES AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME. DON'T OVERWORK YOURSELF AND PLEASE TRY TO GET SOME REST WHEN YOU CAN. ~ MR

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer followed Morgan up the stairs into the soup kitchen as he noticed a young mother carrying a baby boy leave the house causing him to slightly smile as he thought about Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette while Morgan checked out the young woman. A few seconds later Spencer was inside the soup kitchen trading his sunglasses for his prescription glasses before he and Morgan entered a room where they watched the same man they saw a day ago perform a ritual with a bunch of chanting men and women. After Morgan had enough of watching the man get blood from a dove all over a woman, he pulled out his gun causing everyone to stop chanting and look at him and Spencer.

"We're with the FBI. We're not here to cause any trouble. But, sir, please put that knife down," said Morgan.

Julio dropped the knife walked over to Morgan.

"This is a House of God. You have no right to be here," said Julio firmly.

"We just would like to ask you some questions," said Morgan as Julio glanced at Spencer, "We'd appreciate it if you came with us voluntarily. We're not here to create a spectacle.

Julio studied Spencer for a moment.

"I will go with you," said Julio as he had his assistant continue the service.

Less than a minute later Spencer had his sunglasses back on and as he, Morgan, and Julio headed towards the SUV, Spencer heard the lock of the fence banging against the metal causing him to lift down his sunglasses a bit and squint at a run-down house that looked like it should be condemned before hurrying towards Morgan and Julio.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer listened to Garcia talk on the phone as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes while hoping that the dose of ibuprofen he took earlier would kick in soon.

"OK, your bad boy grew up in foster care. He did 15 years in Apalachee Correctional for attempting to murder a police officer. He was also a member of a violent street gang known as Los Machetes," said Garcia.

"Subtle," said Hotch.

"Damn," said Manny as he got everyone's attention, "They like to cut off the hands and sometimes the heads of their victims," said Manny.

"Can you get us some crime scene photos to look at?" asked Hotch.

"I'll get someone on it," said Manny as he walked away.

"Anything else, Garcia?" asked Hotch.

"I can tell you that Julio did his time without incident. He was released in 2003. He regularly visited his parole officer. There are no waves in these crime waters since he got out," said Garcia.

"All right, thanks, baby girl," said Morgan.

"I shall await further instruction," said Garcia.

Morgan hung up and looked at the mirror and noticed that Julio was still looking at the mirror.

"This guy's been eyeballing the mirror since he got here. Let's see what he has to say," said Morgan.

Spencer held up a hand as he thought about Julio constantly watching him on their way to the station.

"Wait, Morgan. I think maybe I should go in first," said Spencer.

Morgan turned around and looked at Spencer.

"What?" asked Morgan.

"Do you remember at the community center, he said he would come with me?" asked Spencer.

"If they already have a rapport…," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"You want Morgan to come with you?" asked Hotch.

"No, I'm all right," said Spencer as he accepted the file from Morgan, "Thanks," said Spencer before walking away.

15 seconds later Spencer entered the interrogation room while being grateful for the dimmed lighting in the room.

"My name is Dr. Spencer Reid," said Spencer as he approached the table that Julio was sitting at and started to lay out crime scene photos of the victims before sitting down across from Julio, "Did you know these people?" asked Spencer.

"They are my godchildren. They all came to me to be healed," said Julio.

"And you healed them," said Spencer.

Julio studied Spencer for a second.

"You think I killed them. The saints don't need a human sacrifice. That is a man's sickness," said Julio.

"Maybe it's not about sacrifice. Maybe someone needs body parts to build a Nganga," said Spencer.

"What do you know about Palo?" asked Julio.

Spencer blinked a few times causing Julio to lean forward a bit and looked at Spencer and noticed the pain in Spencer's eyes.

"This light... Is no good. It gives you a headache," said Julio.

Spencer blinked and stared at Julio for a couple of seconds before blinking rapidly again.

Xxxxxxxx 

After having a staring contest with Julio for a few minutes causing Spencer to think about the staring contests he had with Jocelyn during her terrible two's moments, an angry Morgan came into the room and showed a picture at Julio despite Julio still deciding to stare at Spencer.

"That remind you of your youth? It's some pretty ugly things to be involved in," said Morgan angrily as Julio started to repeatably tap on the table, "Did you help, or did you just watch?" asked Morgan.

After a minute of tapping, Morgan looked at Julio who was still staring at Spencer.

"Is that what you call religion? What kind of man does that to another man? Not a man of faith," snapped Morgan as Julio continued to tap and look at Spencer who didn't stop staring at him.

A few seconds later Julio started to chant at Spencer as he continued to tap on the table.

"Eggun buruku ni ki ori baje ni iche paraldo tete tete!" chanted Julio as he continued to repeat what he said faster and louder.

A minute later Spencer and Morgan exited the interrogation room and approached Hotch and Manny when Manny looked at Spencer.

"What the hell was that?" asked Manny.

"I think I just witnessed a classic case of transpossession. It's a form of religious hysteria. He wholeheartedly believes he was being occupied by some form of deity," said Spencer.

Manny gestured to the interrogation room.

"He wasn't faking it?" asked Manny.

"Up close you can see physiological signs. His body actually changed in response to the belief," said Morgan.

"There have been a lot of studies of this phenomenon. There was one case where an 80-year-old woman was able to lift a grown man above her head when she believed she was occupied by her Saint," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Manny.

"Detective, did you understand what he was saying at the end?" asked Hotch.

"Brother, look, I'm a Puerto Rican Catholic that grew up in Orlando. That wasn't any language I ever heard," said Manny.

"When it comes to having an eidetic memory, I remember the words. I'm sure he'll be able to translate them," said Spencer before he quickly walked away before Hotch could speak up again.

Hotch shook his head as he thought about how stubborn Spencer could be when Manny looked at him.

"Dr. Reid really has an eidetic memory?" asked Manny.

Hotch nodded.

"He does," said Hotch before thinking about how Spencer's migraines could be caused by stress, "but sometimes I wonder if working a job that can cause him to never forget the horrors he sees does him more harm than good," said Hotch to himself.

Spencer entered the interrogation room and Julio looked at him.

"What happened?" asked Julio.

Spencer grabbed a bottle of water and walked towards the table.

"You have no recollection?" asked Spencer.

"I remember talking about the lights," said Julio.

Spencer placed the bottle of water by Julio before he started to sit down.

"You were talking about lights, and then you were talking about headaches," said Spencer as he clasped his hands together.

"That was my Saint. You're lucky Ellegua spoke to you. What did he say?" asked Julio.

"Eggun buruku ni ki ori baje ni," recited Spencer.

Julio leaned forward and looked at Spencer.

"You have bad eggun on top of you that's spoiling your head," said Julio.

"Iche peraldo tete tete," recited Spencer.

"Do a cleansing quickly," said Julio.

"What are eggun?" asked Spencer.

"Spirits of the dead," said Julio.

"Why would you say that I," said Spencer before Julio interrupted him.

"I didn't," said Julio.

"Well, why would your Saint say that they're spoiling my head?" asked Spencer.

"Now, that's a question only you can answer," said Julio.

After a few seconds of silence, Julio looked at Spencer.

"Something's wrong. Can you feel it?" asked Julio.

"Yeah. Four people are dead. I think maybe the fifth one is safe with you in here," said Spencer.

"No, he's not. Someone's about to get hurt. Listen with your heart, not your head," said Julio.

Spencer swallowed just as Morgan came into the interrogation room.

"Your helper, the kid that took over your ritual when we brought you in here?" asked Morgan.

Julio sat up straighter.

"Elian," said Julio.

"My associates just found sale-weight heroin in his room. And a Nganga," said Morgan.

A shocked Julio looked at Morgan.

"Where is he?" asked Julio.

"He's running," said Morgan grimly.

Julio stood up and angrily slammed his hands onto the table causing Morgan to look at Julio.

"Hey. Calm down," ordered Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Julio calmed down, he looked at Spencer and Morgan.

"Please, I gotta find him. He's got nobody but me," pleaded Julio.

"Do you think it's possible that Elian is our Palero?" asked Spencer.

"No. No, he's a good kid," said Julio.

"Then why did he run?" asked Morgan.

"He must be using again. His mama and papa were junkies. I took him in, got him clean, taught him right from wrong. Please. I gotta find him before he gets hurt," pleaded Julio.

"The entire police force is out looking for him," said Morgan.

"He's off the streets," said Julio as he looked at Spencer, "He's gonna go so far under, he'll be gone for good. I'm your best chance to find him," pleaded Julio.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting pretzel legged onto of the interrogation room table while a pacing Morgan looked at Julio.

"You know, you can't protect him if he did this," said Morgan.

"I'm not protecting him," said Julio.

Spencer looked up at Julio.

"Then what are you not telling us?" asked Spencer softly.

Morgan took a step closer to Julio.

"If you want to help Elian, you're gonna have to give us something that we don't know," said Morgan.

"I'll ask the orishas to help find this killer," said Julio as he grabbed the bottle of water that Spencer gave him earlier and uncapped it before pouring a small amount in his hand and poured it over himself as he started to chant.

Spencer got off the table and watched Julio continue sprinkling water onto the floor as he chanted and less than a minute later Julio looked at Spencer and Morgan.

"The orishas are with us now," said Julio.

Spencer rested his right knee on the chair and leaned over the table and pointed at the crime scene photos.

"OK, we have four victims, all with cowrie shells in their mouths and eyes," said Spencer.

"Eleggua is called to find justice," said Julio.

"Two of the victims had fingers cut off. One had both hands removed. And one had its head left on the scene, but the brain was missing," said Morgan.

A confused Julio looked between Spencer and Morgan.

"They took the brain and left the head?" asked Julio.

"The head was left at the crime scene," said Morgan.

Julio shook his head.

"No, that is not Palo. A Palero would not leave the head," said Julio.

Spencer quickly grabbed another crime scene photo.

"He also left the tongue," said Spencer.

"There is no use in the religion for a tongue that is not pierced with needles. It means nothing just to put a tongue in a dish," said Julio.

Spencer looked towards the mirror where he knew that Hotch, Rossi, Ashley, Emily, and Manny were watching from and nodded at them.

30 seconds later Julio looked at Spencer and Morgan.

"Elian is an angry child, but he would not do this. Please, let me find him before it gets worse," pleaded Julio.

A few seconds later Morgan nodded and started to walk away while Spencer looked at Julio.

"Thank you for your help," said Spencer before he started to clean up the crime scene photos.

Julio walked closer to Spencer and made eye contact with him.

"Your head is spinning because it's full of ghosts. You think you can do this work day in, day out and you don't carry it with you? It's eating your soul," said Julio before leaving the interrogation room.

"Ghosts?" asked Morgan.

Spencer ignored Morgan and exited the interrogation room.

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"All right, so what have we got?" asked Hotch.

"A lot of evidence pointing to Elian Morales," said Emily

"Too much," said Morgan.

"He fits the profile perfectly," said Ashley.

"Too perfectly. Like every step was planned," said Rossi.

"There are no fingerprints, but a single sneaker print," said Emily.

"And that sneaker turns up in the kid's room," said Rossi.

"Maybe somebody's framing Elian, but who?" asked Hotch.

"Someone with enough intelligence and control to set up a very convincing trail," said Morgan.

"Somebody we've met. He's probably been watching us all along," said Hotch.

"He began his killing for gain of some sort. But his enjoyment of killing is beginning to disrupt his organization," said Rossi.

"He's demanding attention. Maybe that's his game," said Ashley.

Emily scoffed.

"Well, he got it. From the media, from the public, us," said Emily.

Spencer quickly realized something.

"That's it media attention. But not for the killings, for the religion," said Spencer as he thought about a possible unsub, "Morgan, Professor Walker is about to public a book on Palo Mayombe. We showed him the photo of the fourth victim's tongue in a dish and he didn't say it wasn't right. I mean, he of all people should have known it didn't fit any ritual," said Spencer.

Morgan nodded in agreement.

"And that a Palero would have taken the head," said Morgan.

"But he wants us to believe that Elian's a Palero and that these are religious killings," said Spencer.

"And he did his research in the community. He'd be known and accepted," said Hotch.

"He knows the rituals inside out," said Ashley.

"Maybe he gave the idol to the kid, pretending to train him as a witch doctor," said Rossi

"If Elian was angry with Julio, he may have been looking for another father figure," said Emily.

"Elian was easy prey," said Ashley.

"What better way to get publicity than a series of murders?" asked Emily.

Morgan spoke to Garcia on the phone.

"Yeah, Garcia, get us everything you can on Professor Walker's background," said Morgan.

"And his address," said Hotch.

"Got that?" asked Morgan.

"Let's go. We'll take the house, Morgan and Reid, take the office," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was heading to the local college with Morgan as they listened to Garcia and their teammates on the phone.

"Walker's prep school did a psych eval when he was 12. He did not exactly fit in," said Garcia.

"No surprise there," said Rossi.

"And his mother committed suicide when he went away to boarding school, and to make things stranger and sadder after she died, he spent all of his vacations at school," said Garcia sadly.

"What kind of father doesn't bring his motherless kid home for the holidays?" asked Emily.

"A crappy one," said Ashley.

"His medical records list a bunch of childhood injuries, including two spiral fractures of the forearm and one broken collarbone," said Garcia grimly.

"Well, two spiral fractures are unlikely to be accidents," said Morgan.

"Put that together with the mother's suicide, I think we're looking at an abusive father," said Spencer.

"Garcia, what can you find out about the father?" asked Hotch.

"A lot," said Garcia.

"Like what?" asked Hotch.

"He wrote 10 books, all on African religions," said Garcia.

"The Professor's in competition with the father," said Hotch.

"Yeah, and here's the kicker. His son is mentioned in this article and that he's up for tenure in the same field," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer sat on Julio's bed rubbing his eyes as he dealt with one of the most intense migraines ever and as he was about to take off his Kevlar vest so he could breathe better he instantly thought about Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette causing him to keep his vest on.

A few minutes later Spencer heard the familiar tapping of a lock of the fence tapping on the lock causing him to get up and walk over to Julio's desk and pick up a photo where there was a newspaper article about a foster home before he looked out the window to see a run-down foster home as he remembered Rossi saying something about the victims being killed in their homes.

Less than two minutes later Spencer quietly entered the rundown house and was peering through some wooden slats that were once part of a wall causing him to see a zonked out Elian sitting in a chair while Julio was tied up and gagged on the floor before he heard the sound of a revolver being cocked causing Spencer to turn his head to see Professor Walker wearing gloves and pointing a revolver at him.

"You really shouldn't be here," said Professor Walker.

A few seconds later Spencer was being pushed into the room where Julio and Elian were in.

"Get inside," ordered Professor Walker.

"You're a Professor and you're very smart. You're a lot smarter than this," said Spencer.

Professor Walker stopped walking and looked at Spencer.

"Smarter," said Professor Walker.

Professor Walker got Spencer into a choke hold.

"Your gun, please. Toss it over there," said Professor Walker.

Spencer removed his revolver from its holster and tossed it a couple of feet away from him and Professor Walker as he started to think of what he could say until he could try to take Professor Walker down.

"People like you and I don't need guns," said Spencer.

Professor Walker who was pointing his gun at Spencer looked at the 29-year-old genius.

"Like you and I?" asked Professor Walker.

"Yeah. Men of intelligence," said Spencer.

"Oh, we're the same?" asked Professor Walker as Julio grunted through the tape that was over his mouth causing Professor Walker to glare at Julio, "Shut up," ordered Professor Walker before he turned his attention back to Spencer.

"I think that there are some similarities," said Spencer as he thought about all the books that he and Maeve own, "I mean, uh, we both love books," said Spencer.

"Books?" asked Professor Walker as Spencer's phone started to ring causing Spencer's migraine to get more intense.

"Ah," said Professor Walker as he reached into the pocket of Spencer's navy blue cardigan sweater and removed Spencer's work phone and tossed it aside while Julio continued to grunt making Professor Walker glare every more at Julio, "You shut up. Shut up," said Professor Walker.

"You know what? I don't-I don't believe that you killed all these people just to sell a book," said Spencer.

"Oh, really? Elian will die of an overdose after killing his Santero for his fingers. It will all make sense to the police," said Professor Walker.

"How are you going to explain me?" asked Spencer.

"Elian will have killed you, too. Have we not established how ill he is? He's been on a Palo rampage. Everyone will want to learn about the religion that drove the boy crazy," said Professor Walker as he glared at a grunting Julio, "WILL YOU SHUT UP!" yelled Professor Walker.

Spencer shook his head as he thought about the pain between his eyes were getting worse.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I don't believe that this is about a book. And I don't think that you do, either," said Spencer before he stopped himself as he thought about his own painful memories of dealing with his father abducting him.

"Excuse me?" asked Professor Walker.

"I-I think it's more about the abuse, the abandonment, and the lack of attention from your father because I understand having a father who abandoned me too," said Spencer.

"That's enough," ordered Professor Walker.

"You know what the ridiculous thing is, is that you," said Spencer as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes and slipped them back on before giving out a bitter laugh, "You set up a paradigm where you actually have to get caught. Think about it. If you get away with this, your father will never know that you did any of it," Spencer as he noticed a steel pipe laying on the ground near him causing him to rest his head in his hand to shield his eyes from the light of the lit candles.

Professor Walker thought about Spencer's behavior earlier in the day.

"What is wrong with you?" asked Professor Walker.

"I'm sorry, it's just very bright in here for me. Please turn the lights off," begged Spencer.

"Bright? The light-what are you- just," said Professor Walker as he turned his head and looked at Julio causing Spencer to quickly grab the pipe he saw while Professor Walker yelled at Julio, "SHUT UP! JUST SHUT-" screamed Professor Walker just as he felt a metal pipe hit him roughly on the head causing him to fall down to the ground.

Spencer quickly made his way to Julio and un-gagged him just as Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi stormed into the room.

"FBI! FBI!" shouted Hotch.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"We're going to need an ambulance. Elian's been overdosed with heroin," said Spencer.

"Get an ambulance," ordered Hotch.

Morgan who was hoisting up Professor Walker inwardly smirked at the bump that was already on Professor Walker's head when Professor Walker looked at him.

"Don't hurt me," pleaded Professor Walker.

"You have the right to remain silent. Use it," said Morgan.

"Do you think he'll come to see me in jail? Do you think he'll visit?" asked Professor Walker as he was being handcuffed.

"Who?" asked Manny.

"My father. He'll hear about this, right? I'll be pretty famous," said Professor Walker.

"Oh, he's gonna hear about it, all right," said Morgan.

"What?" asked Professor Walker as he was led away.

Spencer helped Julio stand up causing Julio to look at Spencer.

"You heard me calling. You heard me calling. That's why you came," said Julio.

"Julio, I found a photograph of you in front of this building. That's how I found you," said Spencer

"You don't really believe that, do you? That you just happened to see a photograph?" asked Julio as he removed his Orula's Ide from his own wrist, "This is Orula's Ide. It will protect you. I don't need it anymore, but... You do," said Julio as he placed the Orula's Ide in Spencer's hand before gesturing to Spencer's wedding band, "Listen to your wife's advice and you'll feel better soon," said Julio quietly before walking away.

Hotch approached his 29-year-old agent who still had his Kevlar vest on while being grateful to see no present injuries.

"What do you need protecting from?" asked Hotch.

"I have no idea," said Spencer as he removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you having a migraine right now?" asked Hotch quietly.

"Yes," said Spencer quietly.

"I'm going to let your reckless stunt of sneaking away to investigate this place slide because you wore your Kevlar vest and I know that you're not feeling well right now," said Hotch.

"Thank you," said Spencer softly.

Hotch looked at the nearby pipe and realized that Spencer used the pipe to subdue Walker.

"I'm glad that you put your training to use by grabbing the nearest object that's strong enough to knock someone down," said Hotch.

Spencer's lips turned upward a bit.

"Professor Walker did not see that coming because I told him that I didn't need a gun," said Spencer before pinching the bridge of his nose as he quickly went to grab his work phone and revolver and placed either object in his holster or in his pocket before looking at Hotch, "Can we please fly home tonight?" asked Spencer quietly.

"Follow up at the doctor's office?" asked Hotch quietly.

"Yes," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on the exam table holding Maeve's hand as he listened to the results about his MRI and the lab workup he had done before looking at Dr. Barnes.

"That doesn't make any sense," said Spencer.

"I'm not sure what you want me to say," said Dr. Barnes.

"So there's nothing wrong?" asked Spencer.

"Well, your scans are perfectly normal, and there doesn't seem to be any physical explanation for your headaches," said Dr. Barnes.

"Well, what do I do now?" asked Spencer.

"Well, have you considered…," said Dr. Barnes.

"Considered what?" asked Spencer.

"A psychosomatic cause," said Dr. Barnes.

"Psychosomatic?" asked Spencer.

"It just means a mental or emotional stress-," said Dr. Barnes as he noticed Maeve nodding yes at him.

Spencer glared at Dr. Barnes.

"I know what psychosomatic means, doctor, but it's not that," said Spencer.

"Well, I think it's something we should consider," said Dr. Barnes.

"It's not-," said Spencer as he thought about his mother's schizophrenia while hoping that he would still get the chance to help Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette grow up and become successful adults, "I'm not crazy," said Spencer.

"Crazy? Dr. Reid, I'm not saying-," said Dr. Barnes as he glanced at Maeve who was shaking her head.

"Listen. I have headaches. I have intense sensitivity to light because there's something wrong with me physically, not mentally. It's not that," said Spencer.

"That?" asked a confused Dr. Barnes.

"Listen, doctor, my mother's a paranoid schizophrenic who's been institutionalized, so I know very well what mental illness looks like, maybe even better than you, and it's not that. It's not," said Spencer as he let go of Maeve's hand and stood up.

Maeve who had enough of her husband's behavior stood up and glared at her husband.

"Spencer Reid, please sit back down," said Maeve firmly.

Spencer meekly sat back down while Maeve looked at Dr. Barnes.

"I agree that Spencer's migraines are from mental and emotional stress because he works a stressful job that requires him to be on call 24/7 while his eidetic memory gets scarred nearly every single day from all the crime scenes and crime scene photos he looks at. He's due for an eye exam, so I won't be surprised if he needs a stronger prescription. He doesn't get a lot of sleep when he's traveling for work because lives are at stake. He also consults for another unit in the FBI and another government agency a couple of times a month, so that means he's practically working himself to death when he's working. He drinks more sugar-laden coffee than the average person which means that he's loaded up on caffeine and sugar. We're parents to a two-year-old, an 18-month-old, and eight-month-old triplets so we have to wake up at night to make sure that there's no bed wetting, change diapers, occasional feedings, and deal with three teething babies," said Maeve before glaring again at her husband, "As a doctor I told you that these migraines are stress related and you are not showing symptoms of schizophrenia because a majority of the males who become schizophrenic are diagnosed between the ages of 18 and 25 and your currently 29-years-old meaning that your pretty much out of the window. So when we leave here, we're going to start reducing your stress levels by making changes to your lifestyle especially since I'm going to start making changes for my health too," said Maeve.

Spencer sighed.

"Yes ma'am," said Spencer.

An impressed Dr. Barnes looked at Maeve.

"What type of doctor are you?" asked Dr. Barnes.

"I'm a geneticist and I actually studied MRI scans as part of my job before I decided to take a year off and focus being a mother after the triplets were born," said Maeve.

Dr. Barnes nodded before looking at Spencer.

"How about you start making the changes your wife suggested and I'll see you for a follow up in a month," said Dr. Barnes before he left the room so someone could come in and schedule Spencer's next appointment.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening Spencer heard his little sister crying in her bedroom causing the 29-year-old genius to softly knock on his 16-year-old sister's bedroom door.

"Stephanie?" asked Spencer softly.

"Come in," said Stephanie.

Spencer entered his sister's bedroom and sat down on the foot end of her bed as he thought about the two things that could make his sister upset.

"Is today one of the days your missing your mom or did something happen between you and Jeremy?" asked Spencer softly.

"No, but when it comes to you having headaches like my mom did, were you diagnosed with the same brain tumor that killed my mom?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Nothing showed up on my MRI scans and I'm not becoming schizophrenic like my mom, but Maeve, Dr. Barnes, and I all believe that my migraines are stress related," said Spencer.

Stephanie sighed in relief as she hugged her brother and after she was done hugging her brother she looked into the same brown eyes that matched her own.

"What are you going to do to reduce your stress levels?" asked Stephanie.

"Reduce my caffeine intake so I can sleep better, I'm going back to therapy, workout more, and cut back on my consulting work," said Spencer.

"Good," said Stephanie.

"Are you going to be OK now?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie nodded.

"I will be because you're OK," said Stephanie before looking at the clock and saw that she had some time before she needed to get some sleep, "Can we please watch an episode of "Dr. Who" before I get some sleep for school tomorrow?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer grinned.

"Let's go," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer was sitting between Maeve and Stephanie on the couch as the three of them ate popcorn as they started to watch an episode of "Dr. Who" that they recorded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the changes I made to Corazon and my idea about Spencer's migraines.


	82. The 13th Step & Sense Memory

Spencer stood nervously in front of officers and government agents as he took a deep breath and spoke.

"For anyone who hasn't met me before, my name is Spencer," said Spencer.

"Hello Spencer," said officers and agents who never seen Spencer at a meeting before.

"This April will be four years since I quit Dilaudid, but this past month I started dealing with stress-related migraines because of having a stressful job that requires me to be on-call 24/7 and not be able to go home to my wife and kids every night. Since seeing a doctor last week, I started making changes like quitting coffee, exercising more, wearing my glasses instead of my contact lenses in the field, and quit consulting for other teams and agencies. My doctor told me that if the lifestyle changes I decided to make don't help, I'll have to reconsider my career choice and work a less stressful job, " said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was fixing himself a cup of tea when John approached him.

"When it comes to knowing about your reputation of having to drink sugar-laden coffee, I hope that it wasn't too hard to quit drinking coffee altogether," said John.

Spencer gave a bitter chuckle.

"Luckily it wasn't too hard to quit because Maeve refused to let me drink coffee in the evenings that I'm home because she wanted to make sure I sleep at night and Maeve decided to limit the amount of coffee I drank while recovering from getting shot above the left knee," said Spencer.

"Let's don our jackets and take a walk, Spencer," said John.

"OK," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and John were walking in a nearby park and John looked at the 29-year-old genius.

"If it comes to the point that you do have to leave the BAU for your own health, there are many units in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area that will be grateful to have you transfer to them because you are way too valuable for the FBI to lose to academia, think tanks, private sectors, or another government agency," said John.

Spencer nodded.

"I know because I would choose a unit that wouldn't require Maeve, my children, my sister, and me to relocate because I don't want to uproot my sister from her friends again because I already forced her to move from Maine to DC after her mother died," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was already looking at pictures of the victims when Emily and Garcia entered the conference room causing Rossi to look at Emily.

"Where's Seaver?" asked Rossi.

"She had to take a test at the Academy," said Emily.

"I know we've all seen the news," said Hotch as Garcia pulled up pictures of the victims on the monitor, "Mass murder in Miles City, Montana. Six people shot and killed at a gas station," said Hotch.

"Robbery?" asked Emily.

"No apparent motive," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Any security footage?" asked Spencer.

"No. No cameras, no witnesses, ballistics say we're looking at two shooters," said Hotch.

Morgan who was looking at the pictures of the victims looked at his teammates.

"Well, something at the station must have triggered them. It doesn't look like they had much of a plan," said Morgan.

"And it may happen again. Spree killers often repeat themselves," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer and Emily followed the M.E. tech to the morgue.

"I mean, I've seen dead bodies before, but this is insane. They're like Bonnie and Clyde. They smashed one guy's vertebrae so bad, it looked like a derailed train," said the M.E. tech.

"Extreme brutality to this degree is what's known as an obliteration attack. The unsub wants to completely erase these victims from existence," said Spencer.

A minute later the M.E. tech was uncovering one of the bodies and showed the gunshot wounds to Spencer and Emily.

"Both of the vics were shot at point-blank range," said the M.E. tech.

Spencer noticed bloody wounds that were done by some sort of weapon.

"What made those?" asked Spencer.

"That was a crowbar," said the M.E. tech.

A minute later the M.E. tech was pulling out another body while Spencer looked at Emily.

"The unsubs are becoming more and more confident, which means their weapons are becoming more and more personal. The excitement of the brutality allows them to overcome their human inhibitions," said Spencer before noticing that the body was covered up, "Why is this one covered?" asked Spencer.

"It's the store clerk. Guy got it pretty bad," said the M.E. tech.

Spencer looked at the state of the body before he covered it up as he thought about what his mother once told him.

"In medieval times, it would just be another Monday," said Spencer.

"He was sodomized with a tire iron," said the M.E. tech.

Spencer and Emily exchanged glances.

"That kind of overkill suggests he was the root of their aggression. Maybe they're zeroing in on what's really pissing them off," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

"So they steal the liquor from the gas station, they go on a binge, and then they come to a meeting?" asked Hotch.

"What if the unsubs met at a meeting? They hear each other's stories and develop a bond because of their similar backgrounds," said Rossi.

Spencer nodded as he thought back to his post Hankel behavior before he got sober.

"That makes sense. People typically drink to excess because they're unhappy with themselves or their past," said Spencer.

Rossi pointed at the chair that was in front of the room.

"From the looks of it, at least one of the unsubs shot from up front," said Rossi.

Spencer thought about the times that Beltway Cops meetings usually start at as he looked at his teammates.

"Well, if the meeting started at 8:00, and this happened at 8:45, they were probably in the sharing portion of the meeting," said Spencer.

"So maybe they didn't come in here to kill," said Morgan.

Spencer thought about how the case in Chula Vista and Jocelyn's upcoming birth was the reason why Spencer started attending meetings nearly three-years-ago.

"You know, what if they really are struggling with sobriety? If they're really working the program, they could be working on the hardest steps," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Which are?" asked Hotch.

Spencer took a deep breath as he thought about the one-year sobriety coin he kept in his pocket to remind him that he's getting close to four-years sober while being grateful that everyone he had to make amends with forgiven him.

"7, 8, and 9. Acknowledge your shortcomings, accept responsibility, and make amends. The trouble is, these unsubs already broke one of the most important steps," said Spencer.

"What's that?" asked Morgan.

"The thirteenth step," said Spencer as he thought about the reading he did prior to his first Beltway Cops meeting, "Members aren't supposed to enter relationships with each other while trying to get sober," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by the map that he taped to an SUV as he, Hotch, Rossi, Morgan, and Emily stood in front of officers and FBI agents who came to listen to their profile on the killer couple.

"We're looking for a young couple from North Dakota, late teens to mid-20s. We believe they may have recently been married. We're seeing that alcohol plays a significant role in these crimes. It's allowing them to kill freely and recklessly," started Hotch.

"Our unsubs are killing surrogates who represent those responsible for deep-seated wounds. Now, these two most likely met at alcohol support. And they get a sexual charge out of the kill," said Morgan.

"The change from gas station to alcohol support meetings suggests one of them might have a slight moral compass that led them to get help," said Emily.

"Ultimately, we believe one of the pair is a sociopath, while the other is a psychopath," said Rossi.

"What's really the difference?" asked Agent Bates.

Spencer looked at everyone.

"They're similar pathologies, but a sociopath is less likely to participate in criminal activity and can be lured by a dominant, while a psychopath is a consummate leader and likely to engage and destroy anyone in their way. The most recent attack was 12 hours ago, which means they're most likely heading west of Helena and towards Idaho. All surrounding areas should be on alert," finished Spencer before all the officers and FBI agents walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

As they were heading to Raymond Donovan's childhood home, Hotch looked at Spencer who was sitting in the backseat with Emily and Morgan.

"Do you know if Maeve or your father-in-law are related to Raymond and Paul Donovan?" asked Hotch.

Spencer shook his head.

"They're not because Joe never talked about having a cousin named Paul and Maeve never talked about having a cousin named Raymond," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer stood next to Hotch as they listened to Mrs. Donovan recount the events that led to her husband being murdered.

"Ray kept asking Paul to take the ninth step. "Take the ninth step."," said Mrs. Donovan as she started to cry.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"It sounds like they're making amends, but they're twisting it, trying to force people who have wronged them to make amends to them," said Spencer quietly.

Hotch looked at Mrs. Donovan.

"Mrs. Donovan, did you hear the name of the girl that Ray's with?" asked Hotch.

"He kept calling her Syd. Syd, I think," said Mrs. Donovan.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer exited the Donovan family home with his teammates as he listened to Garcia talk on the phone.

"OK, so, no Ray Donovan filed for a marriage certificate. However, I looked at that list again, and there's a Sydney Manning of Washington State who filed for a marriage certificate two days ago in Montana," said Garcia.

"Washington State? We profiled North Dakota," said Hotch.

"Yes, she's lived in North Dakota for the last four years, and it gets better, or worse, rather. It turns out that Sydney was sentenced to mandatory rehab after serving time for a hit and run during which she was under the influence of alcohol and heroin," said Garcia.

"Oh, so she didn't volunteer for alcohol support," said Emily.

"No, she was placed there as part of her parole," said Garcia.

"Alcohol and heroin. Isn't that the same combo that Ray's ex O.D. on?" asked Emily.

"Yes, it is, my friend," said Garcia.

"So both Syd and the ex have the same vice. Garcia, check to see if there's a juvie record of the ex we can access," said Morgan.

"Amy was pulled out of High School so she could go to rehab for alcohol dependency," said Garcia.

Morgan realized something.

"But no mention of the heroin?" asked Morgan.

Emily looked at Morgan.

"What are you thinking?" asked Emily.

"Psychopaths will destroy anything in their path. What if Amy was in Sydney's way?" asked Morgan.

"Garcia, where is Sydney Manning's biological family?" asked Hotch.

Garcia quickly did some typing.

"Spokane, Washington," said Garcia.

"And why was she pulled out of her home?" asked Hotch.

Garcia did some typing again.

"Her father was molesting her," said Garcia.

"So Ray and Syd did meet after sharing similar backgrounds in alcohol support," said Spencer.

"And if they're sticking to the pattern of making amends, Sydney's father's next on the list," said Emily just as Spencer's personal phone rang causing him to quickly see that it was Maeve calling him as he quickly answered only to hear Jocelyn screaming in the background.

"Is everything OK, Maeve? Why is Jocelyn screaming?" asked Spencer frantically.

"Dad and I are currently on the way to the emergency room with Jocelyn," cried Maeve.

Spencer paled.

"What happened?" asked Spencer.

"Josie was running around in the hallway upstairs while the baby gate wasn't up and she ended up falling down the stairs. Other than having a cut on her eyebrow, she might have a broken arm and a concussion because she hit her head and left arm pretty hard," cried Maeve.

"I want daddy home," cried Jocelyn in the background.

Spencer's heart dropped as he realized what Jocelyn said causing him to cover his phone as he looked at Hotch who had a concerned look on his face.

"Jocelyn is currently on the way to the hospital for a cut on her forehead, a possible broken arm, and concussion. Jocelyn crying for me to come home in the background," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about the two-year-old toddler who looks so much like her father.

"I was going to tell you to go back to the command center just in case Raymond and Sydney double back, but your priority is catching the next commercial flight back to D.C.," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch in shock.

"Are you sure?" asked Spencer.

"Finding out that Jocelyn got hurt will keep you from focusing on the case and this is a time you need to put your family first instead of his job," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly placed his phone back against his ear.

"Hotch gave me the OK to catch the next flight home, so I'll be home as soon as I can," said Spencer before hanging up.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Please stay calm because toddlers do get into accidents," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"Garcia and I will book a commercial flight for you," said Rossi.  
Spencer opened his mouth to protest before remembering that Rossi won't take no for an answer.

"Thank you," said Spencer before running towards the SUV that already had his packed go bag.

Xxxxxxxx 

Seven hours later Spencer exited Dulles International Airport to find his father-in-law leaning against his Volvo.

"How's Josie?" asked Spencer.

"Her arm left arm is broken, she ended up getting stitches on her eyebrow, and she does have a concussion. Jocelyn has to stay overnight because other than monitoring her concussion they're waiting for the swelling in her arm to go down before they put a cast on her arm," said Joe.

"I need to see Josie," said Spencer.

"I figured that so let's go so I can get back to helping Mary and Stephanie with Gabby and the triplets," said Joe.

A minute later Joe was heading to the nearest fast food restaurant where Spencer ordered himself dinner before his father-in-law drove him to the hospital that Maeve and Jocelyn were at.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer rushed into Jocelyn's hospital room in the pediatric ward at Georgetown University Hospital and his heart dropped at the sight of his hospital gown-clad two-year-old daughter laying in a hospital bed with a splint on her left arm and stitches on her left eyebrow while a sleeping Maeve slept in the recliner.

"Oh Josie Posie," said Spencer as he made his way to Jocelyn's hospital bed and ran a gentle hand through his daughter's curly shoulder-length brown hair.

Jocelyn opened her eyes and gave her daddy a small smile.

"You came home, daddy," said Jocelyn with pain laced through her voice.

"Uncle Aaron told me that you were more important than the case and that I should hurry home to you," said Spencer as he kissed his daughter's forehead before giving Jocelyn a stern look, "I hope you learned your lesson about running around the hallway upstairs when the baby gate isn't up," said Spencer sternly.

"No more run in the house," said Jocelyn.

Spencer nodded as he unbuttoned his navy blue pea coat and pulled out a stuffed horse.

"I got you this at the airport in Montana," said Spencer.

Jocelyn accepted the stuffed horse with her good hand and hugged it with her good arm.

"Tank you, daddy," said Jocelyn before working her brown eyes on her daddy, "Pwease do magic twick," said Jocelyn.

Spencer smiled as he grabbed a quarter out of his pocket and started doing sleight of hand tricks for Jocelyn causing Maeve to wake up at the sound of Jocelyn's giggles.

"Seems like someone's better because of daddy coming home," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled as he made his way over to Maeve and kissed her.

"I hope you weren't upset with me for abandoning my teammates to come home to you and Josie," said Spencer.

Maeve shook her head.

"Its OK and I hope that your teammates are doing OK without you," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled.

"When I got off the plane, I got a text from Hotch letting me know that both unsubs are dead and that they're currently flying home and told me that I'm on leave until Monday as long as I do my case report and e-mail it to him," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Dr. Woodson looked at Jocelyn as she held up different colors of fiberglass wrap and smiled at the two-year-old girl.

"Do you know what colors are here?" asked Dr. Woodson.

Jocelyn nodded as she pointed at the first one.

"Pink, purple, green, red, white, blue, and orange," said Jocelyn as she pointed at each color.

Dr. Woodson grinned at Jocelyn.

"You are very smart for a two-year-old," said Dr. Woodson.

"I a enius like mommy and daddy and I can read too," said Jocelyn as she picked up the book that her daddy was reading to her with her good arm and opened it up and started to read out loud.

When Jocelyn was finished reading a few pages of "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie", an impressed Dr. Woodson looked at Spencer and Maeve.

"You two have a really smart daughter," said Dr. Woodson.

"Jocelyn is definitely going to be a true genius like her daddy because she soaks up everything Spencer tells her," said Maeve.

Dr. Woodson gave Jocelyn a serious look.

"Because of you knowing your colors, do you know what color or two you want for the really cool cast I'm going to put on you so your arm stays safe while your bone heals on its own?" asked Dr. Woodson.

Jocelyn pointed at pink and purple.

"Pink and purple," said Jocelyn.

Spencer grinned.

"Good choices, Josie Posie," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked at her daddy.

"Pwease do magic twicks for me," said Jocelyn.

Spencer grinned as he pulled out a quarter.

"I was already planning on doing a magic show for you while Dr. Woodson puts a cast on your arm," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Dr. Woodson and a nurse were putting a pink and purple fiberglass cast on Jocelyn's arm while Jocelyn smiled and giggled as she watched her daddy do magic tricks for her.

Xxxxxxxx 

After Spencer signed Jocelyn's discharge papers, Dr. Woodson looked at Spencer.

"One of these days you might have to come back to the pediatric ward and put on a magic show for the children," said Dr. Woodson.

"I'll try to find some time to stop by and do a magic show, but I'm pretty much on-call 24/7 while I have to travel all over the country for work," said Spencer as he shook hands with Dr. Woodson, "Thank you for taking great care of Jocelyn," said Spencer.

"Your welcome and Jocelyn is free to go," said Dr. Woodson before looking at the two-year-old girl who was wearing overalls, a short sleeved purple t-shirt, and black converse sneakers as she reached into the pocket of her lab coat and handed Jocelyn a sticker and a lollipop, "Here's your reward for being such a great girl, Jocelyn," said Dr. Woodson.

Jocelyn's eyes went wide at the sight of a sucker and a sticker.

"Tank you," said Jocelyn.

"Your welcome," smiled Dr. Woodson.

A few minutes later Spencer was carrying Jocelyn out of Georgetown University Hospital while Maeve carried Jocelyn's belongings and her overnight bag.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Jocelyn was sitting on her daddy's lap in her daddy's recliner with her left arm under a pillow as she watched "Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs" with her mommy, daddy, and Gabriella while Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette all napped upstairs.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next Monday, Spencer sat down at the conference table causing Rossi to look at him.

"How's Jocelyn doing with her broken arm?" asked Rossi.

"She's still adjusting to her cast and she's happy that she's able to draw and color with her good arm," said Spencer just as Morgan came into the room with a cup of coffee.

"Where's Prentiss?" asked Morgan.

Spencer turned his head and looked at Morgan.

"I don't know. Her car wasn't here when I rode in this morning," said Spencer.

Garcia stood up.

"I'm gonna give her a call, get her E.T.A.," said Garcia as she walked to the door just as Emily walked into the room.

"Hey," said Emily.

Morgan noticed how tired Emily looked.

"Somebody have a long night?" asked a teasing Morgan.

Emily glared at Morgan.

"Somebody want to mind their own business?" asked Emily just as Hotch came into the room.

"Garcia," said Hotch.

Garcia looked at her teammates.

"Oh. Spin the wheel and it is sunny Los Angeles, people," said Garcia.

Morgan sighed as he thought about the Prince of Darkness case.

"Two time in one year, huh?" asked Morgan.

Rossi looked at his teammates.

"Remind me again why it's called the City of Angels," said Rossi sarcastically.

Spencer thought about the city he lived near while he went to Cal-tech as he thought of the possibility of calling Parker or a few of his former classmates and meet up with them for a meal.

"It was originally called the town of our lady the queen of the angels," said Spencer before noticing the looks on his teammates face, "That was a rhetorical question, wasn't it?" asked Spencer.

"This is a weird one," said Garcia.

"As opposed to?" asked Morgan.

"Ah, withhold your judgment, mon ami. OK, three women, all abducted from different parts of the city and murdered within the last couple of weeks," said Garcia as she pulled up pictures of the victims, "Shelly Onto, 23-year-old bank teller, 15 days ago. Vickie Hagerg, 39-year-old art teacher, six days ago. And Linda Dean, a 28-year-old hostess at a bar, two days ago. All from different parts of the city, all different socioeconomic statuses," said Garcia.

"All three were held approximately 24 hours before being dumped in a public space," said Hotch.

"He's not hiding what he's doing," said Rossi.

Garcia pulled up another picture.

"And here's one weird part," said Garcia.

Emily took in the sight of the pictures of the dead woman.

"They all look like floaters," said Emily.

Garcia nodded.

"Mm-hmm. All three women were drowned," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at Garcia.

"Their bodies weren't found anywhere near water?" asked Spencer.

Garcia shook her head.

"No, they weren't," said Garcia.

"They were drowned somewhere else and transported to the dump site," said Hotch.

Morgan who was looking at his tablet looked at Garcia.

"Garcia, you're right, this is weird," said Morgan.

"They weren't drowned in water," said Hotch.

"Oh, but there's more," said Garcia.

Spencer's eyes went wide when he saw what the three women were drowned in causing him to wonder if he'll be putting his Ph.D. in chemistry to use.

"Methanol?" asked Spencer.

"Each woman had it in her lungs and was alive before she went into it. No water, just methanol," said Hotch.

"Drowning's a tough way to kill someone," said Rossi.

"Slow. The unsub wants his victims to suffer, and he's got the space and privacy in which to do it," said Hotch.

A slightly green Garcia looked at her teammates.

"And if you have yet to hit your daily allotment of skeeve before breakfast," said Garcia as she pulled up another photo, "each woman had an identical removal of flesh taken from the bottom of her right foot," said Garcia grimly.

"Methanol and skin. What the hell's he doing with them?" asked Rossi.

A few minutes later Spencer was sending Maeve a text message.

I'M GOING TO LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. I PROMISE TO STAY SAFE AND I LOVE YOU AND THE KIDS. ~ SR

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was heating up water for a cup of tea as he looked at his teammates and explained to them about methanol.

"Methanol is compositionally speaking the simplest of the alcohols. It's actually ubiquitous in the environment. There are small traces of its vapor in the atmosphere, but atmospheric methanol is easily oxidized by sunlight," said Spencer as he opened up the container that contained packets of tea.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"Is it toxic?" asked Emily.

"Ingesting 10 milliliters of it will cause permanent blindness, and as little as 30 is potentially fatal," said Spencer as he ripped open the packet of tea and pulled out the tea bag and placed it into his mug.

Morgan looked at the report in his hand.

"These victims had between five and six ounces in their lungs," said Morgan.

"You know, if they were immersed in it, they would have died even without ingesting or inhaling it," said Spencer as he started to pour hot water into his mug, "When absorbed through the skin, it depresses the central nervous system to an unsustainable degree," said Spencer as he finished pouring water into his mug.

"Well, what's it used for?" asked Morgan.

Spencer made his way towards the single seat and set his mug of tea onto the small table.

"What isn't it used for? A solvent, an antifreeze. In World War II the Germans used it for rocket fuel. It's used in wine-making. Its most commonplace use, however, is in the creation of other chemicals. Methanol can become plastic, plywood, paint, explosives, permanent-press textiles. It's essentially the chemical used to separate other chemicals from each other," said Spencer.

"Can it be bought? Is it tracked?" asked Emily.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"California's got some of the strictest environmental laws in the country. I'm sure it's regulated," said Hotch.

"Yeah, but methanol is also used in making biofuels, which quite a few people have been doing at home. I'd imagine the sale of it is fairly commonplace," said Rossi.

"But he needs enough in which to immerse a body," said Hotch.

"All the victims were nude, but there's no evidence of sexual assault on any of them," said Morgan.

"And the skin was removed from the bottom of the foot. Unless we're talking about a foot fetishist, you actually can't get further away from sexual areas," said Emily.

Spencer fiddled with the string on his tea bag.

"Yeah. Impotent sadists like Robert Napper typically take their frustration out on their victims. You'd think there'd be a lot more overkill," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at a picture of a victim's foot.

"And what he's doing is very specific, very focused," said Hotch.

Spencer took a sip of his tea.

"What about the skin patches? Is this a trophy of some sort?" asked Rossi.

"I have no idea. Skin, independent of any other substance, would wither and die rather quickly," said Spencer.

"Well, that might be the thing that's forcing our unsub back out on the hunt," said Emily.

"Considering the wide divergence of abduction and dumpsites, this guy could be anywhere L.A. is over 500 square miles," said Morgan. 

"Uh, 498.3," said Spencer.

Morgan smiled and shook his head.

"And the fact that no one has seen him either abduct or dispose says he knows the city and its patterns well," said Rossi just as Spencer's personal phone vibrated causing Spencer to quickly pull it out and noticed a picture of a grinning Jocelyn covered in marker with a text message causing him to bark out laughter.

JOCELYN DECIDED TO DRAW ON HERSELF AND HER CAST BECAUSE OF ALL OF US SIGNING HER CAST. ~ MR

"What's so funny?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"Jocelyn decided to color all over herself with her markers because of me drawing a few pictures on her cast," said Spencer as he got up and passed his phone to Morgan.

"Terrible two's moment?" asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded.

"At least she isn't using the wall as a canvas this time," said Spencer.

Emily look at the photo of her goddaughter as she thought of Ian Doyle possibly finding out about her goddaughter.

"I can't believe how much Jocelyn looks like you," said Emily.

Spencer smiled.

"Even though I'm grateful that Jocelyn and Arthur are clones of me, I just hope that Jocelyn doesn't end up as tall as me," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer saw Hotch and Rossi step into the L.A Police Department's bullpen causing him to head towards Hotch and Rossi.

"Guys, as I feared, methanol can be easily purchased from any chemical supply house in Southern California. It's not controlled. You can buy it in large quantities or small quantities," said Spencer as he led Hotch, Rossi, and Detective Bailey to the room where he was doing his geographical profile, "Now, I've charted the abduction and disposal sites. Linda Dean was taken from Hollywood. Her body was dumped in Echo Park. Shelly onto was last seen in the garment district. Her body was dumped in Sherman Oaks. And finally, Vickie Hagerg was taken in Torrance south of the city. Her body was left in Westlake," said Spencer as he pointed at the plots he made.

Hotch took in the sight of Spencer's geographical profile.

"It's a huge geographical area," said Hotch.

"The only area the unsub hasn't hit yet is east of downtown, which means we can either eliminate it or it's the one place left," said Spencer.

"So we're back to nothing," said Rossi.

Spencer shook his head.

"No, not necessarily. I looked at the crime scene photos. These sites are true dumpsites. I mean, there's no concealment, no staging. He literally just dumps the bodies there like garbage once he's done with them," said Spencer.

"The randomness could be orchestrated or it could be a simple opportunity. Either way, he's very mobile," said Hotch.

"All of the dumpsites, including the most recent one, are between the 110 and 405 Freeway and the 5 and 10 North and South," said Spencer as he pointed at his geographical profile just as Emily entered the room.

"Linda Dean's family said she always took the Red Line home from work at night, but the subway in L. A. Stops running at 1 A.M. She clocked out of work at 5 past 1:00," said Emily.

"L. A. at 1 A.M.? She probably didn't walk home," said Rossi.

Emily shook her head.

"No. And Kingsley's a mile away," said Emily.

Spencer's mind started to race.

"All the victims had breathed an aerosolized chloroform, and to do that he needs an enclosed space," said Hotch.

"You know, chloroform's a lot more controlled than methanol. I'll have Garcia track any large quantity purchases or thefts from chemical supply houses," said Spencer.

"So we're looking for a vehicle, one that could be in any area of Los Angeles at 1:00 in the morning and not attract attention," said Emily.

"I hate to say it, but that could be a police car," said Detective Bailey.

"Or a taxi," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by his teammates as Morgan answered a call on the land-line.

"What do you got?" asked Morgan.

"OK, I checked all seven cab companies that service the Hollywood and Vermont area, and none of the drivers reported picking anyone up between 11:00 and 2:00 the night Linda went missing," said Garcia.

"And they know that for sure?" asked Emily.

"Yeah. They seemed really certain," said Garcia.

"Well, one of the drivers may have picked someone up off the meter," said Morgan.

"The cabs have GPS?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah. Taxis are tracked more than Gaga's Twitter," said Garcia.

"Stephanie loves playing Lady Gaga songs when she's helping Maeve and me cook dinner while she prefers going on Twitter than Facebook," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"Your 16-year-old half-sister has really been a good influence on you since you and Maeve took her in because Stephanie's doing a good job preparing you for when you have five more teenagers living under your roof in over 10 years," said Rossi.

"I second that, but teach him to worship the other Lady G, boss. Ta and ta," said Garcia before hanging up.

"So there were no taxis in the area," said Emily causing everyone to become silent.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood in front of a small whiteboard in front of him jotting down notes as he listened to his teammates talk.

"What about a gypsy cab? They roam around in unregistered vehicles with fake insignias that look legit," said Rossi.

Detective Bailey looked at everyone.

"There are 2, 300 registered cabs in the city and at least as many unregistered," said Detective Bailey.

"And no one pays any attention when they get into a cab," said Rossi.

"If he's unregistered, he's not gonna sit outside taxi stands and wait to pick up fares in the traditional way," said Emily.

"Which makes him either harder to find. This guy could be anywhere," said Morgan.

"Detective, can you gather everyone? We'd like to give the profile," said Hotch.

"Yeah," said Detective Bailey before walking away.

"Thank you," said Hotch as Emily, Morgan, and Rossi left the room with Detective Bailey.

Spencer quickly realized something causing him to walk over to the conference table and started looking at pictures of the squares that were cut off the victims' feet causing Hotch to realize that Spencer had the look that indicated that the wheels in his brain were turning.

"What is it, Reid?" asked Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"When I was in school, we used to use methanol to separate chemicals from each other. Whatever we did, we'd clip a sample of the source material to label and keep next to the output," said Spencer.

Hotch inwardly smiled as he realized that Spencer was talking about a positive memory at school.

"What kind of samples?" asked Hotch.

Spencer held up one of the crime scene photos.

"Square samples 2 inches by 2 inches. I think this guy's a scientist and he's experimenting," said Spencer.

Hotch shook his head.

"Even though your Ph.D. in chemistry could have made you decide to teach chemistry to students or work in a laboratory, I'm glad that you chose the FBI, Reid," said Hotch.

Spencer shook his head as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and lowered his voice.

"Even though the few changes I made in my lifestyle over the past two weeks have caused me to have fewer migraines that are less intense, Dr. Barnes did warn me that if the changes I made don't help, I might have to change careers," said Spencer softly.

Hotch rested a hand on Spencer's shoulder.

"If it comes to the point that you have to leave the BAU for a unit for your own health there are many other FBI units in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia that would love to have you work for them," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded in agreement as he thought back to John telling him the same thing.

"I know," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Hotch looked at all the officers that came to listen to the preliminary profile.

"We wanted to get a preliminary profile to you as soon as possible because of the type of unsub we're dealing with here," said Hotch.

"We believe he's a male Caucasian, driving an unregistered gypsy cab. He uses the vehicle to abduct the women," said Rossi.

"His victims have been between the ages of 20 and 40, and we think that he's in the same age bracket," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at everyone.

"Add to that his use of methanol for whatever reason and the aerosolization of chloroform, and we believe that we're looking for a very intelligent unsub," said Spencer.

"Which is not unusual. True psychopaths often have above-average intelligence," said Hotch.

"This type of unsub will not have injected himself into the investigation as we often see. He will not be following the investigation very closely. In fact, he may not even be concerned about whether he's leaving any evidence," said Emily.

"So how come we can't find him?" asked Detective Bailey.

"Because of what he's doing to them. He's submerging them in liquid, which is washing away any forensic evidence which might be there. And then he's wrapping the bodies in plastic," said Spencer.

"There is something about him which will be helpful. He's extremely antisocial," said Hotch.

"We've all heard neighbors say after an unsub is caught how surprised they all are. That will not be the case with this guy," said Emily.

"Couple his explosive, antisocial nature with taxi-driving and someone will have made contact with him. They will remember," said Rossi.

"We suggest going public with the information as soon as possible, that he's an unregistered taxi driver and that he's had confrontations with people in the city. Thank you very much," finished Hotch just as multiple cell phones and pagers went off.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was walking in the bullpen at the police department as he talked to Garcia on the phone.

"Garcia, what we're looking for is a combination of purchases," said Spencer.

"Ooh, combinations of lists are my life's work and forte, oh, tall and smart one. Go," said Garcia.

Spencer thought about lab equipment he used at Cal-tech.

"Items used to set up a laboratory- beakers, glass tubing, a vessel large enough to hold a woman, enough methanol to submerge her," said Spencer as he entered the conference room.

Garcia started to type.

"Yeah. Added to?" asked Garcia.

"Addresses where large amounts of methanol have been delivered alongside chloroform.

"I shall contact you forthwith," said Garcia.

"I will eagerly be awaiting your call," said Spencer as he hung up just as an officer approached him.

"Dr. Reid, where did the guy go who gave the press conference?" asked Officer Rick Hall.

"He's with the reporters. Why?" asked Spencer.

"Because we already got someone calling who says she talked to the guy," said Officer Hall before hurrying away.

Spencer quickly dialed Morgan's number on his phone.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at the conference room table when his cell phone rang causing him to quickly get up and answer his phone.

"Hey," said Spencer.

"Could it be smell?" asked Emily.

"What?" asked Spencer.

"Could smell be what's attracting him to his victims?" asked Emily.

Spencer quickly realized something.

"Distillation extraction," said Spencer quietly to himself.

"Well, I hope you know what you just said, 'cause you lost me," said Emily.

Spencer started to pace in the conference room.

"Methanol can be used to create scents or aromas. If you soak something in it for hours, it draws out the essential oils. Emily, let me call you right back, OK?" asked Spencer as he hung up and dialed another number on his phone.

Xxxxxxxx 

Rossi looked at his teammates as he walked to the conference table with a cup of coffee for himself.

"Unless the victims all wore excessive amounts of perfume, it would take a hell of a nose to detect smell through a taxi window," said Rossi as he sat down.

"Not necessarily. People with the olfactory disorder hyperosmia have an oversensitivity to smell. They typically pick up scents that other people can't. I don't think he'd be going after their perfume. It's already artificial," said Spencer.

Emily fiddled with her fingernails.

"So they probably weren't wearing anything on their skin," said Emily.

"Something about their natural scent compels him?" asked Hotch.

"Smell's a powerful trigger for memory. He might be trying to bring back the memory of somebody he lost. Excuse me," said Spencer as he checked his phone and saw that it was Garcia causing him to get up and answer his phone, "You have something?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, this is wonderful and totally uncommon. I have exactly one address at which every piece of equipment you listed was delivered to," said Garcia as she gave the address.

Spencer looked at his teammates and Detective Bailey.

"We have an address," said Spencer before he and everyone else went to don their Kevlar vests.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Emily entered a room to find a crying Anisa Gold.

"Clear!" shouted Spencer.

Emily removed her FBI issued windbreaker as she looked at Anisa.

"Are you OK?" asked Emily.

"Yes, just get me out," cried Anisa.

Spencer quickly found a remote control to get the slab that Anisa was on.

"I got it," said Spencer as he pressed the button to get Anisa out of the tank filled with methanol.

Emily quickly draped her jacket over Anisa.

"You're OK. You're OK. It's all right. We're gonna get you out of here," soothed Emily.

"Thank you," sobbed Anisa.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer signed his case report and his eyes went wide when he saw Maeve coming towards him.

"I'm glad that Noah from security told me that you're still in the building because I have a surprise for you," grinned Maeve.

Spencer gave Maeve a kiss.

"What is it?" asked Spencer.

"Even though it's late, I thought that we can go to the movies because I found out that the original "Solaris" is playing tonight," said Maeve.

Spencer's eyes lit up.

"In Russian?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"I've been brushing up on my Russian for you," said Maeve.

Spencer grinned.

"Mind if I invite Emily?" asked Spencer.

"Not at all," said Maeve.

"I will grab us some bottles of water for the road while I call Emily," said Spencer as he hurried towards the refrigerator in the break area and dialed Emily's cell phone number before Emily answered on the second ring.

"Reid?" asked Emily.

Spencer opened up the fridge and grabbed two bottles of water.

"Emily, you are not going to believe this," said Spencer excitably.

"No?" asked Emily.

"They're showing "Solaris" tonight, the original, in the theaters. You want to go with Maeve and me?" asked Spencer as he headed towards his desk to find Maeve putting a new picture into one of his many picture frames on his desk.

"Did Morgan put you up to this?" asked Emily.

"What?" asked a confused Spencer.

"Did Morgan tell you to call me?" asked Emily.

"No, Morgan would have no idea what "Solaris" is," said Spencer.

"So, uh, you just called me out of the blue," said Emily.

Spencer reached his desk and smiled at the picture of Jocelyn covered in markers.

"Well, I mean, the original one's in Russian, so, really, you and I are the only ones that can really enjoy it even though I still have to translate for Maeve a bit," said Spencer.

"Isn't "Solaris" like four hours long?" asked Emily.

"It's five. The best Sci-Fi meditation film of all time. But for some reason, they never really show it in the theaters. You want to go with Maeve and me?" asked Spencer.

"Sorry, handsome. I'm gonna have to pass. I'm just gonna hang out with Sergio tonight," said Emily.

Spencer shook his head at Maeve.

"Oh, shoot. I didn't realize that…," said Spencer.

"Relax, Reid. Sergio is my new cat and I don't want to be a third wheel on your date night with Maeve. But, um... Thank you," said Emily.

"For what?" asked Spencer.

"For being you," said Emily.

Spencer smiled.

"Aw, thanks. I don't know how to be anyone else," said Spencer.

"Yeah. That's what I love about you and hopefully, your children end up a lot like you," said Emily.

"Bye," said Spencer before hanging up.

Spencer looked at his phone with a confused look on his face.

"Spencer?" asked Maeve.

"Emily doesn't want to join us," said Spencer.

"Even though I'm sad that Emily isn't able to join us, we'll still have a lot of fun," said Maeve as she passed Spencer his navy blue pea coat, "Let's get going," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Over an hour later Spencer and Maeve were sitting in the back of a movie theater with popcorn, soda, and candy as they watched "Solaris".


	83. Today I Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Mentions of anorexia, bulimia, and cutting so please read at your own risk.
> 
> This chapter happens on the week of February 7th of 2011 instead of the week of February14th of 2011.

Maeve looked at her husband as they got ready for bed.

"With Valentines Day being next week Monday, I made arrangements for us to have a weekend getaway for us to happen this upcoming weekend so your job doesn't interfere with Valentines Day," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled.

"Where are we going?" asked Spencer.

Maeve smirked.

"Its a surprise," said Maeve before walking towards her husband, "Before we finally sleep, I'm going to do this to distract you from asking me again," said Maeve as she locked the bedroom door before she pulled her husband into a steamy kiss.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer entered the conference room to find Emily talking on the phone as he removed his messenger bag from around his shoulders.

"Lauren Reynolds is dead," said Emily nervously.

Spencer sat down and looked at Emily as she concluded her phone call.

"Ok. Just be careful. And give Jeremy my love. Bye," said Emily.

Spencer looked at Emily.

"Who's Lauren Reynolds?" asked Spencer.

Emily hesitated for a second.

"She was a friend of mine," said Emily.

Spencer thought about how strange Emily was acting since she stopped by to visit her goddaughter while he took time off to spend time with Maeve and the kids after Jocelyn broke her arm nearly two weeks ago.

"How did she die?" asked Spencer.

Emily inwardly cursed Spencer's eyes for being the reason why she's opening up.

"A car accident," said Emily.

"I'm really sorry," said Spencer just as Rossi, Hotch, Ashley, Garcia, and Morgan came into the conference room.

"Good morning," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at his teammates and Ashley.

"Let's get started," said Hotch.

"Hey. Thank you all for coming," said Garcia as she sat down and grabbed the remote for the monitor, "And time is of the essence. OK. Molly Grandin, 25 years old, she's been missing approximately 24 hours. Her car was found abandoned in a strip mall parking lot," said Garcia.

Hotch looked at everyone.

"Syracuse police chief just called me to tell me that four months ago another woman, Gail Langston, also 25, went missing," said Hotch.

Garcia pulled up a picture of a dead woman floating in a lake.

"Gail's body washed up three days later in Onondaga Lake. She'd been held captive, her hands and feet smashed, and then she was stabbed to death," said Garcia as she pulled up pictures of the stab wounds.

"Her car was found in the same parking lot as Molly Grandin's," said Hotch.

Emily looked at Hotch and Garcia.

"Other than abandoned cars, what makes them think it's the same offender?" asked Emily.

"Both women packed a bag with enough clothes and toiletries to last them for the weekend, and in both cases, the bags were found in the car along with their purses and cell phones," said Garcia.

"If the unsub is sticking to the same M.O., then Molly only has 36 hours left," said Spencer.

"Let's go," said Morgan.

Spencer quickly closed the file in front of him.

"The plane awaits," said Garcia.

A few seconds later Spencer got Maeve on the phone.

"Going away for a few days?" asked Maeve.

"I'm going to Syracuse, New York and hopefully I'm back in time for the weekend getaway your surprising me with for Valentines Day," said Spencer.

"I hope so too because this is our fourth Valentines Day together," said Maeve.

"Are you still going to refuse to tell me where we're going?" asked Spencer.

"I'm still not telling you," said Maeve in a singsong voice before Spencer spent the next couple of minutes talking to Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette until he got onto the jet.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting next to Rossi on the jet when Morgan walked out of the galley and concluded a phone call with Garcia.

"All right, baby girl. Keep looking," said Morgan as he sat down and looked at his teammates, "Garcia still hasn't found any overlap between Molly Grandin and Gail Langston's lives," said Morgan.

Ashley looked at the five agents who took her under their wings as she finished up her stint in the academy.

"For two girls that didn't know each other they had a lot in common," said Ashley.

Emily looked at the agent she's supposed to be training.

"What's the first thing that jumps out at you?" asked Emily.

Ashley sighed.

"Their body types are both small, but it's not just physical. They both shy away from the camera and clearly don't enjoy being photographed," said Ashley.

"Both easily overpowered and controlled," said Hotch.

"Well, at 25 they'd be much older than most undergrads at S.U.," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at the college transcripts that he was reading.

"You know, their college transcripts are littered with incompletes and missed semesters," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the report he was reading.

"Both from blue-collar backgrounds with no scholarship. Must be hard to keep up while working a full-time job," said Rossi.

Spencer nodded.

"So going to a private school could have been worth it for appearances' sake," said Emily.

"If the unsub met them on campus, he could be another student," said Ashley.

"He may not be a student. He might be an employee. Janitorial staff, security," said Hotch.

"Uses a similar background to bond with the victims?" asked Spencer.

"They both packed bags to go away with him for the weekend. That trip's romantic," said Rossi.

"Yeah, he's not just getting to know them, he's dating them," said Morgan.

"Prentiss, go to Molly's apartment. If she knew the abductor, there might be evidence there. Reid and Morgan, go to the dump site," said Hotch.

"But Gail's body was found almost four months ago. Won't all the evidence be gone by now?" asked Ashley.

Spencer looked at Ashley.

"You can actually find out a lot about an unsub by where they choose to leave their victims," said Spencer just as the jet's phone rang causing Emily to reach over and answer it.

"Yeah, Garcia, what do you got?" asked Emily.

"Syracuse Police Chief Barrows brought a suspect in for questioning four minutes ago. His name is Lyle Donaldson," said Garcia.

Rossi recognized the name from Molly's file.

"Molly's ex-boyfriend," said Rossi before Garcia hung up.

A few seconds later Spencer's personal phone vibrated causing Spencer to smile as he noticed a video from Maeve. A few seconds later Spencer was watching the video of Jocelyn reading "The Cat in the Hat" out loud to Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette.

When the video was over, Rossi looked at Spencer.

"How much longer until Jocelyn is out of her cast?" asked Rossi.

"Most likely in two weeks and I'm grateful that a child's broken bone heals much faster than an adult does," said Spencer.

"What happened to Jocelyn?" asked Ashley.

"Two weeks ago we were all in Montana and I ended up receiving a frantic phone call from Maeve about Jocelyn running around upstairs when the baby gate was down and Jocelyn fell down the stairs and broke her left arm, received a cut that required stitches on her left eyebrow, and a concussion. I ended up catching the next commercial flight home because of hearing Josie crying for me in the background," said Spencer.

Ashley thought about the two-year-old girl who looked like a female version of her father that she met a couple of times.

"Is Jocelyn OK now?" asked Ashley.

Spencer nodded.

"She's in less pain now and her stitches got removed, and Maeve and I are hoping that Jocelyn learned her lesson about running around in the house," said Spencer before shaking his head a bit, "My mom decided to call Jocelyn 'crash' like she did when I was a child and I'm hoping that when Jocelyn starts tap dancing in September that her balance will start to improve," said Spencer.

"Why tap dancing?" asked Ashley.

Spencer smiled at the memory.

"Jocelyn ended up watching her aunt Stephanie practice her tap dance routine and when Stephanie did an encore performance, Jocelyn danced right next to her and got every move perfect," said Spencer.

Ashley thought about Spencer's eidetic memory causing her to tilt her head.

"I take it that Jocelyn inherited your eidetic memory?" asked Ashley.

Spencer nodded.

"When it comes to Jocelyn being more advanced than the average two-year-old, Maeve and I believe that Jocelyn inherited my memory. So when Jocelyn starts preschool in August, Maeve and I are going to make sure that Jocelyn gets challenged the way she needs to be challenged without having to skip as many grades as I did," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at the lake before looking at Morgan.

"You know, a body would be found here rather quickly, especially if it wasn't weighed down," said Spencer.

Morgan leaned forward and rested his hands on the railing and looked at the lake.

"There was no postmortem damage from being tied to the weights. Everything else about Gail's capture was carefully planned. It seems unlikely this guy would just suddenly panic and lose control," said Morgan.

Spencer who was quickly paging through the file in his hands looked at Morgan.

"This guy prioritizes control. I mean, Gail's body was beaten in a very specific way- a mallet to the hands and feet. Look at this. The stab wounds are parallel to each other," said Spencer as he looked at pictures of Gail's wounds.

Morgan looked at one of the wounds.

"They look more like puncture wounds," said Morgan.

Spencer nodded.

"The M. E. thinks it's a Phillips head screwdriver. Which means he uses tools instead of traditional weapons," said Spencer.

Morgan nodded.

"The wounds definitely have a purpose," said Morgan.

Morgan looked at Spencer.

"Maybe this guy thought he was sinking the body by filling it with water," said Morgan.

Spencer thought about the science aspect of a dead body being dumped in water.

"Well, I mean, at first he'd be right, but after a few hours, the decaying tissue would create gas and the body would become buoyant," said Spencer.

"So this guy wanted to watch her die, then sink beneath the surface," said Morgan.

"That sounds like classic water burial, right?" asked Spencer.

Morgan realized the gender of their unsub.

"Well, everything points that way, except for one thing. Most water burials are exclusively done by females," said Morgan.

"Until now, victimology, M.O., and physical abuse indicated a male offender," said Spencer.

Morgan nodded.

"Until now," said Morgan.

A few seconds later Spencer got Emily on the phone.

"Prentiss," answered Emily.

"Morgan and I think we might be looking for a female offender," said Spencer.

"That explains why there was no sign of sexual assault. With an unsub this obsessed with control and power, it's usually part of the territory. It looks like there was a female living in the other bedroom in Molly's apartment," said Emily.

A shocked Spencer spoke up.

"We'd have been told if she had a roommate," said Spencer.

"Yeah, so Molly must have wanted to keep it a secret for a reason. Whoever she was, she left recently and in a hurry. I'll put a canvass out now. Thanks, Reid," said Emily before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting at the conference room table with Ashley and Morgan when Emily and Rossi entered the conference room.

"So, neighbors did see a woman coming and going from Molly's apartment over the last few months, but nobody saw her close enough to get a sketch," said Emily.

"And no one met her?" asked Spencer.

"No. The best description we got was white female, mid-20s, light-brown hair, plain," said Emily.

"Molly never mentioned a roommate to her father or her coworkers," said Hotch.

Rossi shook his head.

"Lyle didn't know, either," said Rossi.

Ashley looked at Rossi.

"Is he still here?" asked Ashley.

"We couldn't charge him, so his lawyer walked him out," said Rossi.

"All right, so we need to start over, go back over both Gail and Molly's cases and look at everything from the perspective of a female unsub," said Morgan.

"I'll bring in Gail's family and ask about the women in her life," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Emily.

"Prentiss, you and Seaver go back over to Molly's apartment. Find out what else she's hiding," said Hotch.

Spencer yawned causing him to smile sheepishly at his teammates as he thought about his nearly nine-month-old triplets.

"Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are all cutting new teeth so it was a rough night for Maeve, my in-laws, and me last night because we all took turns dealing with the triplets and getting sleep," said Spencer.

"It's OK. We might as well all get some dinner before heading to the hotel to get some sleep," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer wrote "Today I do. Tomorrow I will" onto the whiteboard before he looked at Rossi and Emily.

"You know, this phrase doesn't seem to have a particular source or author. It's found in pretty much every self-help book," said Spencer before noticing a look on Rossi's face, "I read 22 of them today all touting the same basic three-part plan," said Spencer.

"Let me guess- phase one is positive thinking, visualizing goals," said Rossi as Spencer crossed his arms.

"That's to work up the courage to get to phase two- taking real steps to achieve said goal," said Emily.

Rossi thought about Gail's behavior.

"Gail committed to school, got grades like never before," said Rossi.

Emily thought about Molly's food journal.

"Molly gave up her obsessive food journal and started eating better," said Emily.

"It's hard to believe motivational sayings alone would allow her to make these type of strides," said Spencer.

"Maybe that's why the unsub moved in with them. She could offer support and encouragement day and night," said Emily.

"She'd be around to watch Molly's diet or Gail's study habits," said Rossi.

Spencer nodded.

"At first her methods worked. She gets to be the hero, the savior," said Emily.

"She's a pure narcissist, so helping her victims is only about gaining their appreciation and dependence," said Spencer.

Rossi gestured to the crime scene photo of Gail's dead body.

"The more her victims gain confidence, the less they need a full-time cheerleader," said Rossi.

"And that's when her motivational plan goes completely off the rails. Phase three is normally about maintaining the tenets of the program independently," said Spencer.

"But her program doesn't end. She holds them captive, destroys them physically," said Rossi.

"She's the motivational speaker from hell," said Emily.

A minute later Spencer was fixing himself a cup of tea when Rossi joined him and started to fix himself a cup of coffee.

"Are you ever going to explain about why you decided to cut out tea on your diet, eating healthier, started to exercise more, and start wearing glasses full-time?" asked Rossi.

Spencer sighed.

"I've been dealing with stress-related migraines for over the past month. So part of the treatment plan Maeve, my doctor, and I came up with was quitting coffee, eating a bit healthier, exercising more, and wearing my glasses so my contacts don't bother my eyes when a migraine is starting," said Spencer.

"That's a good start," said Rossi.

Spencer nodded.

"I've been having fewer migraines that are less intense ever since I made those changes three weeks ago," said Spencer.

"If you ever have a migraine and need a quiet night at home; your children, your in-laws, and Stephanie are always welcome to stay at my mansion with me for a night," said Rossi.

"I'll talk to Maeve, Joe, and Mary about your offer because Hotch and Haley already took in Stephanie and the kids a few times and I don't want to dump my kids and my sister on them each time I have a migraine," said Spencer.

"Aaron and Haley think of you as a second son, so they're willing to help you any way they can," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood with his teammates as Hotch started to give the profile.

"We're looking for a white woman in her mid-20s, most likely blue collar and local to the Syracuse area," started Hotch.

"She probably has a job that puts her in the role of caretaker, such as a masseuse, a nail or hair stylist, personal trainer," said Morgan.

Spencer thought about how his sister prefers talking to Maeve about certain things.

"Women feel comfortable opening up to her about their personal lives, revealing details about their insecurities that she later uses to manipulate them," said Spencer.

"Do you think she tries to pass herself off as a therapist or a counselor of some sort?" asked Chief Barrows.

"That's doubtful. Her narcissistic personality wouldn't allow her to listen to anything that didn't revolve around her for more than a few minutes at a time," said Hotch.

"It's hard to learn anything when you always need to be the expert. We don't think she's capable of getting a degree of any kind," said Morgan.

"Wouldn't she need some kind of certification for the jobs you're talking about?" asked Chief Barrows.

"She would, but she's a master manipulator. She probably talked her way into many jobs before they realized her credentials were fake," said Morgan.

"So check gyms and spas, salons, yoga studios for employees fired in the last two years," said Hotch while everyone in the room nodded.

"We need to I.D. this woman as fast as possible if we want any chance of finding Molly Grandin alive," finished Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx 

"Garcia, both families released their daughters' medical records. Have you gotten access to those yet?" asked Emily.

"Yes. Both women went to the same hospital but for different programs and at different times," said Garcia.

Ashley looked at Spencer and Emily.

"Maybe the unsub works at the hospital?" asked Ashley.

"Even if she conned her way into a job, I doubt she'd last long enough to get close to patient files," said Emily.

Spencer looked at Emily and Ashley.

"We were off on our profile. She doesn't find her victims by chance like we thought. She hunts them," said Spencer.

"Garcia, does Syracuse General keep their surveillance footage of the entrances and exits?" asked Emily.

"Oh, in this age of black market pharmaceutical drug trade, you betcha. I can get you that," said Garcia.

At that moment Emily's cell phone rang causing Emily to look at her phone.

"Excuse me," said Emily as she walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer watched the monitor as he listened to Garcia talk on the phone.

"Now, Molly and Gail had different doctors, but both went to Syracuse General pharmacy. Assuming they were stalked, you know, 10 to 14 weeks before their disappearance, I went ahead and started with footage from when they went to get refills, which falls right into that time window. Behold," said Garcia as she paused the security footage, "Gail Langston, July 3rd. See that woman a few steps behind her with the large cup of coffee?" asked Garcia before she fast forwarded the footage, "Check this out. A few weeks later, there she is again. The same woman is following her. Creepy," said Garcia.

Ashley instantly noticed that Gail and the female unsub were both wearing the same scarf causing her to look at Spencer and Emily.

"She's wearing the same scarf as Gail," said Ashley.

Garcia, did this woman follow a similar pattern when she was stalking Molly?" asked Emily.

"Emily, you're totally ruining the ending," said Garcia as she fast forwarded the security footage, "Here's Molly and the stalker on November 8th. What do you know? She went shopping," said Garcia.

Ashley noticed the purses that both women were carrying.

"They're carrying identical purses," said Ashley.

"And then 15 minutes later on their way out," said Garcia.

"So she stalks them, copies them, and uses it to strike up a conversation," said Spencer.

Garcia did some rewinding to show the best image she found on their unsub.

"Here is a nice clean one of our stalker lady person," said Garcia.

Emily took in the sight of the young woman.

"Ok, now, can you blow that up and print it?" asked Emily.

"Yeah. I'm doing it as we speak," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

After going with Emily to talk to Dr. Weingold at Syracuse General, Spencer was sitting at a table by Morgan when Morgan called Garcia.

"Garcia, Dr. Weingold at Syracuse General.sent us an extensive list of female patients in their mid-20s that match our profile," said Morgan.

"She's most likely local, raised by a single parent or in foster care," said Spencer

"Ok, narrowing it down," said Garcia.

Spencer nodded.

"This unsub likes familiar places. Look for extended family or previous addresses. Did any of them grow up near Onondaga Lake?" asked Morgan before he and Spencer heard Garcia typing.

"Ok. Wait, wait. Here's one that might fit. Jane Gould. Her grandparents had a house near Maple Bay, which is where Gail's body was found," said Garcia.

"Are they still alive?" asked Spencer.

"No. They died when Jane was in middle school," said Garcia.

"Is the grandparents' house currently occupied?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah. Water and power all paid up," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at Morgan as he thought about his aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon being there for him after his dad left.

"That's the one place she got attention from a parental figure. She feels at home and in charge there," said Spencer.

"I'll send you an address. I'm calling up her photo right now," said Garcia as she looked at a photo of Jane, "Hold on. Oh, lord. Oh, lord. This is her. This is the creepy stalker woman from the surveillance video," said Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting in the back seat of an SUV as he concluded a phone call with Garcia.

"OK, thanks, Garcia," said Spencer before hanging up and looked at Morgan and Emily, "So Dr. Weingold opened Jane's files. She can't release details, but she said there honestly aren't many. Jane never admitted to being a cutter, let alone what triggered it," said Spencer.

Rossi who was listening in from the station spoke up.

"She started acting out after she lost her grandparents," said Rossi.

"Arrested for vandalism, removed from two foster homes for destruction of property. Desperate attempts to get attention," said Hotch.

"Is that why she started cutting, another cry for help?" asked Emily.

"Cutting is about control, similar to anorexia. It's common in teenage girls who feel like they have no control over their lives," said Ashley.

"Her grandparents' deaths were probably the trigger," said Hotch.

"The loss of parental figures at such a young age turns your world upside down. There's a lot of pain, but no outlet. No one's in charge," said Ashley.

"Both Molly and Gail can relate to that," said Rossi.

"Jane used them to convince herself she's important," said Emily.

"More than that, she thinks she's a selfless savior," said Spencer.

"Instead of an orphan that no one claimed," said Ashley.

Xxxxxxxx 

After going through Jane Gould's childhood house with Morgan and Emily, Spencer walked down the few steps on the porch when Morgan looked at him.

"Well, he's not cold yet, so we may have just missed her," said Morgan.

"After a confrontation like that, she'll want to go someplace familiar, someplace she feels in control," said Spencer before thinking of the one place Jane would be taking Molly, "I'll let Hotch know we're headed to the lake," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer quietly crept upstairs and made his way to Jocelyn's and Gabriella's bedroom and smiled at the sight of two-year-old Jocelyn sleeping in her bed with her left arm propped up on a pillow while 18-month-old Jocelyn slept peacefully in her crib. A few seconds later Spencer was leaning forward and moved Jocelyn's growing curly brown hair away from her forehead and gave his two-year-old daughter a kiss.

"Daddy loves you, Josie," whispered Spencer.

Jocelyn opened her eyes and as soon as her vision cleared she gave her daddy a wide grin.

"You home, daddy," said Jocelyn.

Gabriella who was sleeping in her crib quickly woke up and scrambled up to her feet and grinned at her daddy.

"Dada!" exclaimed Gabriella.

"Daddy's home, girls," said Spencer as he walked over to Gabriella's crib and removed his 18-month-old daughter from her crib.

"Mommy know?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer looked towards the baby monitor that was on Gabriella's dresser.

"If mommy woke up to hearing you and me talk to you two girls through the baby monitor, she most likely realized that I came home without telling her," said Spencer.

Jocelyn gave her daddy a serious look.

"You sassy for not telling mommy, daddy," grinned Jocelyn.

Gabriella nodded as her growing curly red hair bounced.

"Dada sassy," said Gabriella.

"You two young ladies are right about daddy being naughty for not calling me," said Maeve.

Spencer turned around with Gabriella on his hip and looked at Maeve who was leaning against the doorway with a smirk on her face.

"I'm sorry that I didn't call you, but I didn't want to wake you up," said Spencer.

Maeve walked towards her husband and kissed him.

"I appreciate you deciding not to wake me up, but coming in here and waking up the girls was naughty," said Maeve.

Spencer gave his wife his famous puppy dog eyed look.

"I just wanted to give the girls each a goodnight kiss and tell them how much I love them after being away for a couple of days," said Spencer.

Maeve shook her head.

"You are forgiven because the children and I all missed you while you were away, but its time to get Jocelyn and Gabriella back in bed before we check on the triplets," said Maeve.

Gabriella looked up at her daddy.

"Dada?" asked Gabriella.

"Yes, Gabby?" asked Spencer.

"I poo poo," said Gabriella.

Spencer instantly smelled the air and looked at his 18-month-old daughter.

"What has everyone been feeding you while I was away, Gabby?" asked Spencer as he carried Gabriella to the changing table and unzipped Gabriella's footie pajamas before blowing a raspberry on Gabriella's exposed stomach causing the toddler to squeal with laughter.

"Food," giggled Gabriella.

Maeve looked at her oldest daughter who was giggling at her daddy's antics.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom before daddy and I tuck you and your little sister back in?" asked Maeve.

Jocelyn nodded.

"Yes, mommy," said Jocelyn.

A few seconds later Spencer was sitting in the rocking chair with Jocelyn and Gabriella on his lap as he read them "The Cat In the Hat" before he and Maeve either tucked Jocelyn back into her bed and Gabriella into her crib. After Jocelyn and Gabriella were both asleep, Spencer and Maeve checked on Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette before they headed to the master bathroom where Maeve joined her husband in the shower before they went to bed.

Xxxxxxxx 

A day and a half later, Maeve pulled over her husband's antique Volvo and looked at her husband who currently had one of his many ties tied around his eyes while he wore noise-canceling headphones.

"You can uncover your eyes and unplug your ears now," said Maeve.

As soon as Spencer uncovered his eyes and ears he gasped when he realized that they were at Gideon's cabin.

"What are we doing at Gideon's cabin?" asked Spencer.

"When you were reunited with Gideon over two years ago and you brought him over to meet Jocelyn and me, I overheard him telling you that we can use the cabin whenever we want to as long as we check in and make sure he isn't here. Gideon is currently on the west coast so we're free to use this cabin. With your migraines, I thought that our early Valentine's Day trip should happen somewhere quiet," said Maeve.

Spencer leaned forward and kissed Maeve.

"I was thinking about us taking a trip here sometime," said Spencer as he looked at the snow that was on the ground, "If you insist on having us go hiking, hopefully, my bad knee will cooperate," said Spencer.

Maeve smirked at her husband.

"The only things we're doing this weekend are eating, sleeping, reading, play chess, and have sex in front of the fireplace," said Maeve.

Spencer groaned as he felt his body start to react.

"Before you even think about jumping me, you need to help me get all our groceries, sheets, pillows, blankets, and cleaning supplies into the cabin. Then we'll be cleaning the cabin before we eat a quick dinner and light a fire and play strip chess in front of the fireplace," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were working as a team together to clean all the dust and grime that built up over the past couple of years before they ate some grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner before starting a fire in the fireplace and laid down a bunch of blankets on the floor before they started to play a game of strip chess in front of the fireplace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm leaving the chapter here because I want everyone to imagine what Spencer and Maeve did during their weekend getaway. Gideon told Spencer that he doesn't care about what he and Maeve does in the cabin as long as they clean up any mess they made.


	84. Coda

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only watched one episode of "Dr. Who" a couple of months ago and it was a 2008 episode that dealt with going to Pompeii at the time of Mount Vesuvius erupted.
> 
> This chapter starts on February 21st of 2011, so Gabriella is 19-months-old and Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are all nine-months-old. I'm sorry that there are no Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette in this chapter but I promise you guys that they'll appear in the next chapter.

Spencer headed up to Hotch's office and knocked on the door before hearing Hotch speak up.

"Come in," said Hotch.

Spencer entered Hotch's office.

"I really appreciate you for letting me take the morning off so I could be there while Gabriella was evaluated for autism and meeting with my mother's doctor about my mom's condition," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about Spencer's and Maeve's 19-month-old daughter who looked like her mother.

"What's the prognosis for Gabriella?" asked Hotch.

"Gabriella is mildly autistic and has sensory processing disorder," said Spencer.

"How are you handling the diagnosis?" asked Hotch.

Spencer sighed as he ran a hand through his short hair.

"I'm OK with having a child that ended up being autistic like Stephanie and me because I prefer passing down autism than schizophrenia to my children," said Spencer.

"Now what's going on with your mother?" asked Hotch.

Spencer sighed as he ran a hand through his short hair.

"Mom has Dementia and most likely Alzheimer's," said Spencer softly.

Hotch got up from his desk and made his way over to Spencer and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you afraid of inheriting another disorder right now?" asked Hotch.

Spencer shook his head.

"Ever since Christmas, Maeve and I have been going through my parents' medical histories and it turns out that my mom's the only one who's been diagnosed with schizophrenia and there's no history of Alzheimer's and Dementia in either side of my family. So Maeve believes that I have the same chance as everyone else as long as I continue the lifestyle changes I'm making," said Spencer.

Hotch's lips twitched up a bit as he thought about the woman who caught the heart of his youngest agent and changed him for the better over the past three years.

"Now this is another time about me being grateful about you falling in love and marrying a geneticist," said Hotch.

Spencer smiled.

"I'm glad that I have Maeve in my life," said Spencer.

"Have you told mom about her diagnosis?" asked Hotch.

"Since mom got tested last night and Maeve and I were given results this morning, I told mom right away," said Spencer.

"How did she handle it?" asked Hotch.

Spencer took a shaky breath as he flashed back to telling his mother about her diagnosis over two hours ago.

"Mom got hysterical about eventually forgetting Maeve, the kids, and me and ended up being sedated," said Spencer.

"I'm sorry that you'll have to deal with your mom having Dementia," said Hotch.

Spencer sighed.

"I wish that mom didn't have schizophrenia and now Dementia, but I have a feeling that my life would totally be different if my mom wasn't sick. I haven't reacted to my mom's diagnosis because I still had to come into work, but knowing Maeve she's going to tell me to let the dams break when I get home and the kids are asleep," said Spencer before sighing sadly, "Even though we know that my migraines might cause me to leave the B.A.U., making memories with my mother will be another reason why my time in the B.A.U. might end soon," said Spencer.

"And that's OK because your mom's more important than this job, but at least you won't be having to spend a lot of money to travel back and forth to visit with your mom," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"I'm grateful that my mom moved out here because of the kids and me in 2009, but I'm afraid about how the kids are going to handle their grandma Diana's condition as they get older," said Spencer before looking at Hotch, "I'm going to go get started on my paperwork," said Spencer.

"OK and if you and Maeve ever need anything please let Haley and me know," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two hours later Spencer was sitting at the round table with his teammates looking at a picture of a 10-year-old boy in the file in front of him when Emily rushed into the room.

"Traffic. I'm sorry," said Emily.

"Let's get started," said Hotch.

Garcia looked at her teammates as she pulled up a picture of 10-year-old Sammy Sparks on the monitor.

"OK. 10-year-old Sammy Sparks of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, showed up at his elementary school this morning covered in blood. When police got to his house, they found that his parents, Charlie and Alison Sparks, were missing," said Garcia.

Morgan looked at the forensics report in front of himself.

"Well, forensics indicate that at least one of them was injured, and by the looks of it, it was pretty severely," said Morgan.

Emily looked at Garcia and Hotch.

"Has there been a ransom demand?" asked Emily.

"There's been no communication whatsoever," said Garcia.

"Then why call in the BAU?" asked Rossi.

"New Orleans is hoping we can interview Sammy," said Hotch.

"No one's talked to the witness yet?" asked Spencer.

"I don't understand. If Sammy was covered with blood, there's a good chance he could identify the unsub," said Ashley.

Hotch thought about Spencer, Stephanie, and Gabriella.

"Sammy's autistic. Getting him to tell us what happened isn't gonna be easy," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that evening, Maeve looked at her husband as they got ready for bed.

"Before you even think about leaving for Louisiana tomorrow, I hope you do know that I'm going to tell you to let those dams break about your mom being diagnosed with Dementia," said Maeve.

Spencer nodded as he and Maeve got into bed and as soon as Maeve pulled him into a hug, he started to sob on Maeve's shoulder.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was dunking his tea bag into his cup of hot water just as his personal cell phone vibrated and a few seconds later he grinned as he saw a picture of new "Dr. Who" pajamas that Maeve found for the kids, Stephanie, and themselves.

I JUST BOUGHT THESE FOR OUR NEXT "DR. WHO" MARATHON! PLEASE STAY SAFE AND THE KIDS AND I ALL LOVE YOU! ~ MR

Ashley walked over to him and saw the smile on his face.

"Did Maeve send you a picture of the kids?" asked Ashley.

Spencer shook her head.

"Maeve found new "Dr. Who" pajamas for the kids, Stephanie, and me that she bought them for us to wear during our next "Dr. Who" marathon," said Spencer.

"Is that the one where they fly around in the phone booth?" asked Ashley.

"First of all, it's a police box, not a phone booth. Second of all, Dr. Who started a quarter of a century before Bill and Ted even went on their bodacious adventure, so, really, they should have just called it "Bill and Ted's Excellent Rip-Off." I mean, at least then-," rambled Spencer before Ashley placed a hand on Spencer's arm to get him to stop talking.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I think that everyone is waiting to start briefing, but how about you tell me more about "Dr. Who" after this case," said Ashley politely.

"OK," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Garcia started to brief them from Quantico.

"Good morning, Angels. New information to report. The blood at the crime scene matched type to Charlie Sparks, so we can assume that he is the injured party," said Garcia as Spencer took his seat across from Morgan and Emily.

"Well, shell casings by the door says he was shot. Are we looking at a robbery gone wrong?" asked Morgan.

Emily shook her head.

"No robber would break into a family residence before the start of school and not expect to find people home," said Emily.

"No, I think he came for Charlie and Alison Sparks. He planned the abduction and then gained entry to the house," said Hotch.

Rossi looked at the crime scene photo in front of himself.

"But the scene is frenzied, disorganized. He didn't think it through," said Rossi.

Ashley looked at everyone.

"I hate to say it, but could Sammy be our unsub?" asked Ashley.

Rossi looked at Ashley.

"I don't think so. What's the number one motive for kidnapping?" asked Rossi.

Ashley thought about everything she has learned in the academy so far.

"Financial gain," said Ashley.

"Yeah, well, if that's the case, they are barking up the wrong money tree. The family runs a music store that's been Sparks owned since the 1940s, but business is down and a loan against the house is the only thing keeping that store afloat," said Garcia.

"The unsub should have done his research," said Rossi.

Emily thought about what happened in the Gulf of Mexico nearly a year ago.

"Well, he may have. This area was devastated by the oil spill. A little bit of money would go a long way here," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer slowly entered the room where Sammy was drawing in and a few seconds later he decided to go into 'dad mode' to deal with Sammy.

"Hi, Sammy. I'm Dr. Spencer Reid," said Spencer softly as he noticed that Sammy was drawing causing him to think about the times he could come home from work to find Jocelyn and Gabriella drawing or coloring in their coloring books, "What are you drawing?" asked Spencer softly.

Sheriff Oliver rested a hand on Sammy's shoulder to get Sammy to respond to Spencer only for Sammy to scream and have a flashback to the time his parents were abducted before Sammy started to frantically rock in his seat.

Rossi gave Sheriff Oliver a look.

"Some autistic children don't handle touch well," said Rossi firmly.

Sheriff Oliver left the room as Spencer looked at Rossi.

"It's possible that witnessing his parents' abduction pushed him into emotional overload and he shut down," said Spencer softly before looking at the paper that Sammy was drawing on and noticed multiple "L's" on it, "Look at that," said Spencer softly.

"Is he trying to tell us something?" asked Rossi quietly.

Spencer looked at the 10-year-old boy and felt sad at the possibility of losing a parent at 10-years-old like he did as he made his way to the small coffee table in front of Sammy.

"Sammy," said Spencer softly as he sat on the coffee table in front of Sammy, "We're looking for your mom and your dad. Did "L" take them?" asked Spencer gently.

Sammy held up the crayon in his hand and started to draw an "L" in the air a bunch of times before Rossi left the room to call Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Spencer was getting ready to head to Sammy's school with Rossi just as he came up with an idea to keep Sammy busy as he pulled out his wallet and grabbed the most recent family portrait of him, Maeve, his children, and Stephanie.

"Since you love to draw, would you like to draw a picture of my family for me until I come back?" asked Spencer softly.

Sammy took the photo from Spencer and looked at it.

"The woman next to me is my wife Maeve. The teenage girl in the photo is my half-sister Stephanie and she lives with my wife, kids, and me. The oldest toddler who looks like me is my two-year-old daughter Jocelyn. The toddler who looks like my wife is my 19-month-old daughter Gabriella. The baby boy who looks like me is Arthur. The baby boy who looks like my wife is Joseph. Finally, the blonde hair and blue eyed baby girl is my youngest daughter Lynette. Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are all nine-month-old triplets," said Spencer.

Sammy nodded at Spencer as he flipped his notebook to a new page and started to draw Spencer and his family.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer exited Sammy's elementary school with Rossi and Sammy's principal Miss Rogers when Miss Rodgers looked at Spencer and Rossi.

"We don't really have special resources to accommodate children like Sammy, so he's in with everybody else," said Miss Rodgers.

Rossi thought about Spencer's sister Stephanie being able to comprehend every material while Spencer told him about Stephanie having a great case manager at her high school.

"Can he comprehend the material?" asked Rossi.

"Not everything. You know, I've done my best to research alternative teaching methods, but there's only so much I can do," said Miss Rodgers.

Spencer thought about Stephanie, Gabriella, and himself.

"Children with autism normally think very logically. Their minds can pick up patterns that ours normally wouldn't recognize," said Spencer.

"Hmm. Yes, that's right. I've found that repetition and routine are the keys to getting through to him," said Miss Rodgers.

Spencer looked at Rossi.

"You know, that makes sense. Repetition forms patterns on the brain, and as those patterns reoccur, it forms a calming influence on the child," said Spencer.

Rossi nodded.

"Which would allow new information to be retained. I'm sure Sammy's parents figured that out, too," said Rossi.

Spencer thought about the schedule he and Maeve formed for Stephanie, Gabriella, and himself.

"His parents most likely kept him on a strict daily schedule," said Spencer.

"Oh, like clockwork," said Miss Rodgers.

Rossi nodded.

"That's how Sammy was able to walk from his house to school yesterday. He'd memorized the route," said Rossi.

Spencer nodded.

"Yeah, it's 7:45, time for him to go to school. He doesn't need to wait for his mom or dad. He simply grabs an empty lunchbox and heads here," said Spencer.

"If Sammy was living on a strict routine, that means Charlie and Alison were, too," said Rossi.

"Which would have only made them easier targets," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer looked at his teammates as he thought about how he, Gabriella, and Stephanie were all different from Sammy despite him, Gabriella, Stephanie, and Sammy all being autistic.

"I'm not sure how we're going to get through to him. Sammy's teacher says he's never even been able to return his own mother's hug," said Spencer.

Emily looked at the land-line on the table in front of her.

"Garcia, what have you got?" asked Emily.

"On, E., I wish I could be more help. If this is about money, it would be a hell of a lot easier for me to give you a list of people who wouldn't need it, and I'd probably save a forest in the process. Due to the spill, fisherman and fishing-related industries have been hit the worst," said Garcia.

Hotch looked at Sheriff Oliver.

"Sheriff, was it common knowledge that the Sparks had gotten this loan?" asked Hotch.

"I knew. A loan around here is like winning the lottery," said Sheriff Oliver.

"So why no ransom note?" asked Emily.

"Maybe the unsub thinks he can get the money directly from the source, cut out the middleman," said Morgan.

"You think he'll use one of the parents as leverage to get the other to clear out their accounts," said Ashley.

"He's already shot Charlie. It shouldn't be that hard to manipulate Alison into doing what he wants if he offers medical assistance in exchange," said Spencer.

"I think he just did," said Garcia over the phone.

"What have you got?" asked Hotch.

"I froze the Sparks' assets earlier today, but someone at the Bayside Branch one Parish over just managed to withdraw $10,000 from their joint savings account," said Garcia.

Emily's mouth opened in shock.

"Call the branch. If they're still there, don't let them leave," said Hotch.

"Yeah," said Garcia.

Emily motioned Ashley to follow her.

"We're probably too late," said Emily.

"If the unsub has what he's after, Sammy's parents just became expendable," said Rossi.

Spencer turned around and looked at Sammy who was playing with his train.

Xxxxxxxx 

After eating with his teammates, Spencer stood behind Hotch as Garcia video chatted with them.

"I have run every "L" I can find, think of, or make up in my giant magic head and nothing hits. I even ran the number 50 in case Sammy has some sort of predilection to Roman numerals. Came up dry," said Garcia.

"Any luck on finding Sammy's next of kin?" asked Hotch.

"In name only. Charlie has a sister named Elizabeth that was last reported residing in Mont Belvieu, Texas. But she's not responding to calls or email," said Garcia.

Spencer thought about Jocelyn's middle name being Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth. The "L" could stand for Liz or Lizzie," said Spencer.

"Garcia, we need to find her and fast," said Morgan.

"I will move so fast, the earth will reverse its rotation and time bend backwards. Hello," said Garcia before signing off.

Morgan looked at his teammates.

"All right, so this unsub has the money he needs. Why hasn't he let the Sparks go?" asked Morgan.

"He has to be holding them for a reason," said Rossi just as Emily and Ashley joined their male teammates.

"We might have an answer to that," said Ashley.

"Alison tried to withdraw $40,000 from the branch in Bayside, but she only got 10,000," said Emily.

"So maybe he's holding them until he gets the money he needs," said Hotch.

"I think it's more than that. I think he wants a specific amount," said Emily.

"Alison kept telling the bank manager that 10 grand wasn't enough," said Ashley.

"That says to me he's told them what would be," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer led Miss Rodgers into the room where Sammy was currently in with Rossi causing Sammy's principal to see all the pictures that Sammy drew.

"Oh, he's been busy," said Miss Rodgers before seeing the pictures that had a lot of "L's" on them, "What are those?" asked Miss Rodgers.

"We have no idea. We're trying to find his aunt right now, but we're hoping that maybe in the meantime you'd be able to help us get through to him," said Spencer.

"OK, I'll try, but even before this happened, Sammy wasn't wild about talking," said Miss Rodgers as she took the seat next to Sammy and pulled a small flip book out of her purse.

Rossi noticed the book.

"What's that?" asked Rossi.

"These help some kids with autism learn routines," said Miss Rodgers as she showed a picture of a bus.

Rossi realized what the book said.

"School bus leaves at 2:15," said Rossi.

Miss Rodgers nodded as she showed Sammy a picture that he drew.

"Sammy, what's this?" asked Miss Rodgers.

Sammy started to freak out a bit and rock in his seat causing Miss Rodgers to look at her student.

"OK, OK," soothed Miss Rodgers.

Spencer looked at Miss Rodgers.

"Do you have any idea what that "L" might stand for?" asked Spencer.

"I have no idea," said Miss Rodgers before looking at her student who kept rocking himself in his seat, "Sammy. Sammy, you're safe. It's me, Ms. Rogers. I'm here. I'm here, Sammy. You're safe. Sammy. Sammy," said Miss Rodgers.

Sammy stopped rocking himself and laid out his hands in a sprawled out position before he started to tap his fingers onto his notebook.

"I've never seen that. I don't know what it is," said Miss Rodgers.

Rossi watched Sammy tap his fingers on his notebook.

"Is he trying to type?" asked Rossi.

Spencer thought about how his mom put him through piano lessons when he was a kid and how Stephanie would play the piano to calm herself down when she's stressed.

"I don't think so. I think he's trying to play something," said Spencer before looking at Rossi, "Can we get a keyboard in here?" asked Spencer.

"There's a piano at his house," said Rossi.

A shocked Miss Rodgers looked at Spencer and Rossi.

"You want to take a 10-year-old boy back to the crime scene where his father was shot?" asked Miss Rodgers.

Spencer looked at Miss Rodgers.

"Sammy's trying to tell us something. I think it's important we try to figure out what," said Spencer firmly.

Miss Rodgers stood up.

"Well, who decides whether the harm to Sammy's well-being is worth whatever information you may or may not get by doing such a thing? He's a child, and I don't think you get to choose what's best for him," said Miss Rodgers before Spencer, Rossi, and Miss Rodgers noticed Emily with another woman.

"Everyone, this is Lizzie Sparks, Sammy's aunt," said Emily.

Miss Rodgers looked at Spencer, Rossi, and Emily.

"I still don't see why you have to take him back to that place," said Miss Rodgers.

Spencer looked at Sammy's principal.

"Sammy was playing the piano when his parents were abducted, so taking him back to the exact location might trigger an important response," said Spencer.

"No, but he's fragile. It could also wound him further," said Miss Rodgers.

Elizabeth Sparks looked at Spencer, Emily, and Rossi.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do here," said Elizabeth.

Rossi looked at Elizabeth.

"You're Sammy's legal guardian right now. The decision's yours," said Rossi.

"No. He barely knows her. Lizzie, is it? For all we know, she's the "L" he's afraid of," said Miss Rodgers.

Spencer looked at Miss Rodgers.

"Sammy saw his aunt and didn't even react. If she was the abductor, we'd have seen a visceral response," said Spencer.

Miss Rodgers shook her head.

"You can't be sure of that. He's in shock," said Miss Rodgers.

Emily looked at Miss Rodgers.

"We are running a background check right now," said Emily.

A shocked Elizabeth looked at Emily.

"On me?" asked Elizabeth.

Rossi looked at Miss Rodgers.

"It's just procedure. But you have to decide. What do you want us to do?" asked Rossi.

Spencer looked at Elizabeth.

"I have five kids with my wife while we're also foster parents to my orphaned 16-year-old half-sister. If it was my wife and me that were attacked and abducted and any of my children or little sister witnessed the attack, I would trust my teammates to take my sister or that said child back to the house to show the clues that they're trying to tell us," said Spencer.

Elizabeth took a deep breath before making her decision.

"We can go first thing tomorrow morning because Sammy needs sleep," said Elizabeth.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer followed Sammy into the Spark family home and watched Sammy put his toy train onto his piano as he listened to Rossi talk to Elizabeth.

"When was the last time you saw him?" asked Rossi.

"On his 5th birthday," said Elizabeth.

Spencer watched Sammy move his train back and forth on the piano while Rossi thought about how Spencer didn't see his father for 17 years.

"5 years," said Rossi.

"Charlie and I had a fight. It got ugly," said Elizabeth as Spencer watched Sammy sit down on the piano bench as he removed his messenger bag from around his shoulder, "I haven't seen either one of them since. Do you think Charlie's going to be OK?" asked Elizabeth.

"I'm hopeful," said Rossi.

Spencer slowly approached Sammy.

"Sammy, would it be all right if I sat here?" asked Spencer softly.

Sammy nodded at Spencer causing the 29-year-old genius to sit down on the bench next to Sammy. Spencer studied the piano keys for a few seconds before he started to play some scales with the lower notes.

Sammy looked at Spencer before playing the same scales with higher notes.

Spencer grinned at Sammy.

"Whoa. You've been holding out on me, Sammy," said Spencer before he played the scales he played a few seconds ago backwards.

A shocked Rossi looked at Spencer.

"I knew that your sister plays the piano, but I didn't know you could play, Reid," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Rossi as Sammy played the same higher note scales backwards.

"My mom put me through piano lessons when I was a kid and I really excelled because its essentially math. I started playing again after my sister moved in," said Spencer before looking at Sammy, "Sammy, how about you play this note..." said Spencer as he pressed a key, "For yes... And this note…," said Spencer as he pressed another key, "For no. Does that sound like something you could do?" asked Spencer.

Sammy pressed the key that Spencer showed for "yes".

Spencer grinned at Sammy.

"Yeah, exactly. Just like that," said Spencer before becoming serious, "Now, Sammy, do you remember when the man came and took your parents away?" asked Spencer gently.

Sammy pressed the key for "yes" multiple times before he started to play a classical song on the piano causing Spencer to look at the 10-year-old boy as he didn't recognize the song.

"Sammy, I don't understand. Does this song mean something to you?" asked Spencer softly.

Sammy stopped playing and gently reached over and took hold of Spencer's right hand and placed Spencer's hand onto the piano and pressed Spencer's fingers onto the notes that he wanted the 29-year-old agent to play before he started to play himself on the higher notes. Spencer watched Sammy play for a few seconds before he started to play the same notes in a different tempo.

After watching Spencer and Sammy play for a minute, an impressed Rossi looked at Elizabeth who was watching her nephew and Spencer in awe.

"You're looking at two of the most fascinating minds I've ever encountered," said Rossi.

Elizabeth looked at Rossi.

"I never seen Sammy taken to someone aside from his parents so quickly," said Elizabeth quietly before she walked away.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was still playing the same tune when Rossi rushed into the room and looked at him.

"Reid," said Rossi causing the 29-year-old genius to stop playing the piano, "take a look at this," said Rossi.

Spencer got off the bench and walked towards Rossi only to notice Sammy's flip book.

"What, at Sammy's flip book?" asked Spencer.

"Not just a flip book," said Rossi as he paged through the book, "His routine. Shower, brush teeth, dress. His entire life is planned in order," said Rossi as he shook the book.

"Maybe we can figure out where Sammy met the unsub," said Spencer.

"He already figured it out," said Rossi as he passed Spencer the book causing the young agent to start going through the book.

"Sammy sees his life in pictures," said Spencer as he thought about the pictures that Sammy drew as he passed the book back to Rossi and grabbed his messenger bag, "He's been trying to speak with us, but he only knows how to communicate through symbols. Look, it's his language," said Spencer excitably.

Spencer looked at the picture of the anchors and realized that Sammy saw one of his mismatched socks.

"Anchors," said Spencer as he pulled up a pants leg causing Rossi and Elizabeth to see Spencer's sock covered in anchors, "Like my socks," said Spencer before thinking about Rossi's shoes and pointed to the picture that had a footprint, "And that's the tread on your shoes," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the bottom of his shoe while Elizabeth looked at Spencer.

"What does the "L" mean?" asked Elizabeth.

"It's not an "L."," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Elizabeth.

"It's a time," said Rossi as he shook Sammy's book.

"3:00. The time Sammy wants us to know about, the time that he met the unsub," said Spencer.

"Where was he at 3:00?" asked Elizabeth.

Rossi looked at Sammy's book and saw where Sammy would be going to at 2:30 PM.

"2:30, music store. He goes there every day after school," said Rossi while Spencer started to change the time on his watch, "and he doesn't leave until the store closes at 6:00," said Rossi.

Spencer walked towards Sammy and showed him his watch.

"Hey, Sammy. Sammy, it's almost 3:00. Is there someplace you should be?" asked Spencer.

Sammy traced the hour and minute hands on Spencer's watch.

"Should be store," said Sammy.

Spencer looked at Rossi as he watched Sammy grab his toy train and stood up and headed towards the door before Spencer followed Sammy while Rossi looked at Elizabeth who was about to protest.

"No, no, let him go," said Rossi as he got Hotch on the phone, "Hotch, I think we've got something," said Rossi.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer followed Sammy into Sammy's parents' music store and looked at Morgan.

"Morgan, we need to fast-forward to 3 PM. If I'm right, the unsub is somewhere on this tape," said Spencer as he watched Sammy make his way towards the keyboard in the store while Morgan fast-forwarded the security camera footage only to hear classical music.

"Reid, here's when Sammy gets to the store. They changed the music. Why would they do that?" asked Morgan.

"It's for Sammy. Classical might be more comforting than Hard Rock," said Rossi.

Spencer nodded in agreement as he watched Sammy sit down at the keyboard when Morgan looked at him.

"OK, here's 3:00," said Morgan.

Sammy started to play the same classical piece he showed Spencer how to play causing Spencer to slowly walk towards Sammy.

"That's the song," said Rossi as he looked at Spencer.

"Sammy's been trying to tell us who took his parents all along. At 3 PM the song plays, the same song every day at the same time because Charlie Sparks puts the CD in at 2:30 when Sammy arrives. Sammy's never late because Sammy sticks to a schedule, a routine," said Spencer quickly before he ran to the laptop, "30 minutes later…," said Spencer as he watched a man come into the building while pushing a trolley, "This man arrives. A delivery man with a routine all of his own. We need to figure out who that is because he's our unsub," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood by Allison as they waited for an officer to bring Sammy and Elizabeth before he looked at the slightly older woman.

"I'm Dr. Spencer Reid and I was one of the two agents who guarded your son," said Spencer as he waved at Alison.

"Alison Sparks. Thank you for taking care of Sammy," said Alison.

"Your welcome. Out of my teammates, I was the only one that Sammy connected to," said Spencer before smiling a bit,."My 16-year-old half-sister, my 19-month-daughter, and I all have Asperger's syndrome," said Spencer.

"Hopefully you and your wife are getting your sister and daughter the help they need," said Allison.

"Stephanie has an IEP at her high school in Washington D.C. where my wife, children, and I reside and Gabriella will be starting occupational therapy soon," said Spencer.

"How old are your other children?" asked Alison.

"I have a two-year-old daughter named Jocelyn and nine-month-old fraternal triplets named Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette," said Spencer just as a police car pulled up and a few seconds later Sammy and Elizabeth Sparks got out.

Spencer watched Allison burst into tears as she ran to her son and knelt down before Sammy gave his crying mother a hug before noticing that Sammy made eye contact causing him to give a smile to Sammy as Allison hugged her son.

A few seconds later Spencer was pulling out his phone and sent Maeve a text message.

I'LL BE COMING HOME TONIGHT SO CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A "DR. WHO" MARATHON? ~ SR

A few seconds later his phone vibrated.

WE CAN ~ MR

Spencer quickly typed another message.

I'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN I'M ON MY WAY HOME. ~ SR

As soon as Spencer pocketed his phone, he saw Sammy standing by him.

"Spencer?" asked Sammy.

Spencer gave Sammy an encouraging look.

"Yes, Sammy?" asked Spencer.

"Can... I... please... hug... you?" asked Sammy.

Spencer smiled.

"Yes you can," said Spencer.

Sammy pulled Spencer into a hug that Spencer returned tightly as he tried to hold back the grief of Sammy losing his father at 10-years-old like he did even though he reconnected with his father before William made mistakes that led to his death.

Xxxxxxxx 

As they were flying home from Louisiana, Spencer who had already finished his paperwork was looking at the picture of Sammy that Alison gave him while also looking at the picture of him with his family that Sammy decided to draw for him when Hotch joined him.

"You OK?" asked Hotch.

"Even though its frowned upon to stay in contact with victims especially since Ellie Spicer actually ran away from her foster home and flew to Quantico to see Morgan, I'm shocked that you told me to exchange contact information with Alison," said Spencer.

Hotch smiled a bit as he thought about the conversation he had with Rossi about Sammy becoming attached to Spencer.

"Dave told me that Sammy connected with you instantly and Alison was the one to ask me if she could stay in contact with you because of Sammy," said Hotch.

"If I wasn't already married and a father, I would have thought about finding a woman who would accept me for who I am and start a family because of Sammy," said Spencer.

Hotch nodded in agreement.

"I believe that you would because kids now adore you," said Hotch.

"Has Jack mastered the magic trick I've been teaching him?" asked Spencer.

Hotch nodded.

"He has and he refuses to show me how he makes a coin disappear," said Hotch.

Spencer smirked.

"I told Jack that unless he has an apprentice, a magician never reveals his secrets," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

After giving Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette each a kiss and watching his children sleep for a minute, Spencer quickly showered and put on his new "Dr. Who" pajamas and headed downstairs to find Maeve and Stephanie who were both wearing their new "Dr. Who" pajamas either making popcorn and fixing bowls of ice cream for their "Dr. Who" marathon.

"Are you allowing me to eat ice cream, Maeve?" asked Spencer.

"Dave called me and told me about this case being personal for you, so you deserve to indulge tonight," said Maeve.

Spencer took a shaky breath.

"I was pretty much in charge of interviewing Sammy and I was the only one to connect with him," said Spencer before wiping a tear that fell down his face, "Sammy ended up losing his father and his mother will now have to raise him alone and hopefully Allison will still be devoted in raising her autistic son so he could reach his full potential," said Spencer.

Maeve quickly connected the dots as she thought about her husband's childhood.

"Are you flashing back to your 10-year-old self-dealing with your father leaving you?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"I kept on flashing back to that moment during the flight home and I'm already planning on making an appointment with Dr. Moss," said Spencer.

"Good idea," said Maeve as she removed the kettle that contained the popcorn she popped on the stove and dumped the popcorn into three bowls, "As soon as we season our bowls to our liking, we'll get started on our "Dr. Who" marathon before getting some sleep," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were cuddling on the couch while Stephanie sat on the loveseat as Spencer, Maeve, and Stephanie started to watch "Dr. Who".

Xxxxxxxx 

Nearly two hours later Emily was sitting with a cup of coffee in front of herself and another cup of coffee across from her at a table outside of a coffee shop just as she felt a hand on her shoulder causing her to realize that Ian Doyle approached her.

"I knew you were watching me," said Emily grimly.

Ian Doyle noticed a look on Emily's face.

"What's the expression?" asked Ian as he trailed his hand down Emily's shoulder, "Keeps your friends close, your enemies under surveillance?" asked Ian as he walked to the chair across from Emily.

"I've been here for two hours. You should know better than to keep a lady waiting," said Emily.

Ian looked into the eyes of the woman he once loved.

"It seems hypocritical, seeing as I had to wait seven years," said Ian before he sat down across from Emily.

Emily looked into the eyes of the man she never wanted to see again.

"Hello, Ian," said Emily.

"Hello, Lauren," said Ian before remembering that Lauren wasn't the woman she really is, "Oh, wait. Lauren Reynolds died in a car accident, didn't she?" asked Ian sarcastically.

"What do you want?" demanded Emily.

"You," said Ian before thinking about wanting to give Emily some more time, "Oh, not today. Don't worry about that. But soon," said Ian.

Emily thought about the gun that she had underneath the table.

"I've got a Glock leveled at your crotch. What's to stop me from taking you and the little ones out right now?" asked Emily.

Ian shook his head.

"You'd never make it back to your car and you know it," said Ian.

Emily rolled her eyes as she realized that Ian would have his men watching their meeting before the smirk on Ian's face grew as he thought about the homework he did.

"Tell me, does the lovely Penelope know the truth about you? Or is she too busy watching movies with Derek to care?" asked Ian.

Emily's eyes widened in horror as she realized that Ian Doyle must have done his homework on her teammates and had his men watching her teammates.

"Here you are, all alone, while Aaron sits at home with his wife and son. And why didn't Dave and Ashley invite you to their game night? Maybe they thought you'd be at the Reid family home having a "Dr. Who" marathon with Dr. Maeve Donovan-Reid and his 16-year-old half-sister Stephanie while the kids are asleep," said Ian.

Emily stiffened in her seat while Ian smiled.

"Oh, that one does have some quirks. I thought that Dr. Reid would have a thing for blondes because of his mother, but I'm surprised that he's married to a beautiful and intelligent redhead. I'm also surprised that Dr. Donovan-Reid was willing to have your beautiful two-year-old goddaughter Jocelyn, his 19-month-old daughter Gabriella, and nine-month-old triplets Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette with Dr. Reid despite his mother having schizophrenia and getting diagnosed with Dementia earlier this week," said Ian.

Emily gasped as she realized why Spencer has looked a bit sad the past couple of days before becoming serious as she made eye contact with Ian.

"Come near my team and their families I will end you," said Emily icily.

"I don't have a quarrel with them. How long that remains the case depends entirely on you. They're innocent. You are not," said Ian.

"I was doing my job," said Emily.

"I think you did a little more than that. You took the only thing that mattered to me. So I'm going to take the only thing that matters to you. Your life," said Ian as he leaned forward and placed a matchbook with a four leaf clover onto the table in front of Emily, "Honore de Balzac once said, "most people of action are inclined to fatalism, and most of thought believe in Providence."," quoted Ian before he stood up, "Tell me, Emily Prentiss, which do you think you're going to be?" asked Ian before he walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I have Asperger's syndrome myself and I actually spoken about living with Autism at the 2015 Autism Society of Wisconsin Spring Conference when I was part of that year's panel of experts. I became highly active in the Autism community in my home town when I joined my local Autism Society division.


	85. Valhalla and Lauren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts two days after the last chapter so its still February in this universe and Jocelyn got her cast removed during those two days. Even though Maeve took a year off to focus on being a mother and write a book, she still occasionally attends genetics conferences along the East coast.

Spencer pulled up at Dulles International Airport and gave Maeve a kiss.

"Have a good time at the genetics conference in Boston and your parents, Stephanie, the kids, and I will all be fine," said Spencer.

Maeve kissed her husband again.

"If you get a case, please stay safe. Also, please take care of yourself so you don't develop a migraine," said Maeve.

"I promise," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer watched Maeve hand her luggage in at the luggage dock before she headed into the airport with her carry on before he drove himself to work.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting at the conference table with his teammates sans Emily when Garcia looked at her teammates as she showed some pictures of burnt up houses.

"Two DC homes torched, two families, on the same night, last night," said Garcia sadly.

Morgan looked at Garcia.

"I'm surprised it still hasn't hit the news. It's already mid-day," said Morgan.

"Yeah. All anyone's talking about is this storm that may or may not hit. I managed to find an online article about the fires written by this guy Jeff Hastings, but no one's running with it," said Garcia.

"How strange. They usually thrive on tragedy," said Rossi sarcastically.

"Yeah, and it gets weirder," said Garcia as she showed pictures of one of the families that were murdered.

Spencer's heart dropped as he saw a picture of a 10-year-old boy.

"Ron and Lauren Cosenza and their 10-year-old son were found in the master bedroom of their home, each shot through the forehead. The gun belonged to the father," said Hotch.

"Murder-suicide?" asked Ashley.

"Well, it looks like Metro PD's investigation is going that way, but it's still the first 48. They want our help," said Morgan.

Garcia pulled up pictures of another family while Spencer looked at his teammates.

"Kerry and Frank Fagan, like the Cosenzas', were found in their master bedroom from a suspected gas leak," said Spencer.

Rossi who was looking at a picture of a burnt up room on his tablet looked at his teammates.

"It had to be massive to cause that. How does the news miss a house explosion?" asked Rossi.

"Any connection between the families?" asked Ashley.

"Only one. A continent. Kerry Fagan was born in Germany, Ron Cosenza is from Italy," said Garcia.

"So two of the five victims are from Europe. How does that help?" asked Morgan.

Garcia shook her head.

"It doesn't. I'm just stating the facts, and the facts happen to be…," said Garcia just as Emily rushed into the conference room.

"Guys, I'm sorry I'm late," said Emily.

"You OK?" asked Hotch.

"Yeah, it's just one of those weeks, I guess. I'm sorry," chuckled Emily as she sat down, "What did I miss?" asked Emily before she noticed the monitor, "Arsonist?" asked Emily.

"One appears to be murder-suicide, the other a freak accident," said Morgan.

"So why are we looking at it?" asked Emily.

"House fires are rare. Add to that a few miles apart, within the same hour, kind of tips the scales of coincidence," said Rossi.

"Yeah, if somebody did this, they're highly motivated and organized," said Spencer.

"And if he wants to strike again, he's got 72 hours before the storm shuts the city down," said Hotch as he got up and left the room with the others excluding Emily and Garcia following him.

A few seconds later Spencer was calling the land-line in his house and heard his father-in-law speak up.

"Hello?" asked Joe.

"I'm working a local case, dad," said Spencer.

"Should Mary and I expect you home for dinner?" asked Joe.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'll let you guys know if I'll be coming home in time for dinner or need you guys to keep a plate warm for me," said Spencer.

"Please stay safe, son," said Joe.

Spencer smiled at the concern lacing through his father-in-law's voice.

"I promise, dad," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer sighed as he looked at the picture of the 10-year-old Cosenza boy when Ashley looked at him.

"You OK?" asked Ashley.

Spencer sighed.

"When it comes to being a father, cases that deal with kids being killed are the worst cases for me to deal with," said Spencer.

"Do you regret working this job while being a parent?" asked Ashley.

Spencer shook his head.

"Even though I could be working any job with my intelligence, I'm choosing to make this country a safer place for Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, Lynette, and Stephanie by putting one unsub away at a time," said Spencer before he focused on the files in front of him.

A few minutes later Garcia entered the conference room and looked at Spencer and Ashley.

"There is no history of any kind of psychological weirdness with either family. They were healthy, happy, fit," said Garcia as she sat down next to Spencer.

"Until last night. Any signs of financial stress?" asked Ashley.

"No," said Garcia as she got ready to set up her laptop, "They were healthy on that front, too," said Garcia.

Ashley gestured to Garcia's laptop.

"What's with the…?" asked Ashley.

"Oh. The heat is out in my lair. Not a single snowflake has fallen and yet the weather remains the top news story," said Garcia.  
Ashley thought about the fires not being mentioned on the news yet.

"Nothing about these cases?" asked Ashley.

"No. They're bound to get hip to it. Once our presence is felt and we connect the cases, it'll be a ballroom blitz," said Garcia.

Spencer noticed something in the files.

"Hmm," said Spencer.

Ashley saw that Spencer had a look that she has gotten to know about since she started to consult with the team.

"What is it?" asked Ashley.

Spencer looked at Ashley and Garcia.

"You know, considering the time these fires occurred, the habitual patterns of both families were in direct conflict with where the bodies were found," said Spencer.

"The master bedroom," said Ashley.

"Yeah, normally Lauren Cosenza would be downstairs helping her son with his homework, and Ron wouldn't even be home from work yet," said Spencer.

"What about the Fagans?" asked Ashley.

"Their routines were less established. They traveled a lot. But they were expected at a dinner party last night," said Spencer.

Garcia shook her head.

"If someone did this, what are the chances these victims are random?" asked Garcia.

Spencer's eyebrows raised up as he thought about Garcia's question.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer was sitting at his desk praying that the ibuprofen that he took 30 minutes ago would start to kick in. Spencer then looked at a picture of him and his mom caused him to tear up a bit as he thought about having to lose his mom sooner than he wanted to. A few seconds later he heard something drop on a nearby desk causing him to jump and rub his eyes before he slipped his glasses back on and looked at Emily.

"I'm sorry," said Emily.

"I thought you were in there," said Spencer softly as he gestured his head towards the conference room.

Emily thought about how Spencer looked a bit pale.

"Are you OK?" asked Emily.

Spencer thought about Hotch and Rossi being the only teammates who knew about his migraines and offered him their offices if he needed a quiet room.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm... I'm sure these victims overlap somehow. Garcia pulled their phone numbers, but so far I can't find anything," said Spencer.

"You just jumped and you look like you've been crying," said Emily.

Spencer studied Emily for a second and thought about how she's been acting weird the past couple of weeks causing him to decide to open up to her while hoping that she would open up t him.

"I've been having these really intense headaches lately," said Spencer.

Emily gave Spencer a concerned look as she hoped that Maeve has been helping Spencer out.

"Have you seen a doctor?" asked Emily.

"Maeve and I went to the doctor together, and I was diagnosed with stress-related migraines. So I've been making some healthy lifestyle changes and if they don't work I'll have to leave the B.A.U. for a less stressful unit. There's a chance that I might have to leave the B.A.U. within the next couple of months because my mom got diagnosed with Dementia earlier this week," said Spencer softly.

Emily sighed as she realized that Ian Doyle was right about Spencer's mother while being grateful that Spencer has Maeve and his in-laws in his life.

"Oh. I'm... Sorry. Does anyone aside from Maeve, your in-laws, and sister know?" asked Emily.

"You, Hotch, Haley, and Rossi. But Rossi only knows about my migraines because he questioned me about switching to tea," said Spencer.

"I won't tell anyone," said Emily softly.

Spencer nodded.

"I know. They'd just worry. Not that you're not gonna worry, but they'll just make me feel like a baby because I already have to deal with Maeve, Mary, and Stephanie taking care of me when I'm stuck in bed with a migraine. You know?" asked chuckling Spencer.

Emily thought about how everyone including her were pretty much babying Spencer as he recovered from getting shot above the left knee when it came to bringing him coffee, food, grabbing his crutches, and the male members of their team sharing a hotel room with Spencer.

"I do," said Emily.

Spencer looked at Emily.

"How are you?" asked Spencer.

"I'm good," lied Emily.

Spencer gave Emily a look that he perfected on Jocelyn and Gabriella when they're misbehaving and studied Emily's fingernails for a second.

"You've been picking your fingernails again," said Spencer.

Emily shook her head as she thought about Spencer being one of the best profilers she ever met.

"Yeah," said Emily.

Spencer squinted at Emily behind his glasses.

"You only do that when you're stressed," said Spencer.

Emily shook her head.

"It's just a bad habit," said Emily.

Spencer looked at the file in front of him and noticed something.

"Aha," said Spencer as he got up and grabbed his files and looked at Emily, "You coming?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah. I'll be there in a minute," said Emily.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered the conference room and looked at Hotch, Morgan, Ashley, and Garcia.

"I ran the victims' phone numbers. They never contacted each other, but there is a common number between them," said Spencer.

"Give it," said Garcia.

Spencer looked at the file in his hands.

"Uh, 703-555-0118," recited Spencer.

Garcia typed in the number and pulled up some information on the number.

"Byron Delaney, his wife Grace died last summer, children grown," said Garcia before she saw the nationality of Byron, "What do you know? He's British," said Garcia.

Morgan stood up from his spot.

"Garcia, send me the address. I'll grab Prentiss," said Morgan.

"Sent," said Garcia.

Hotch looked at the clock before looking at Spencer and saw the pain in Spencer's eyes.

"You should go home and get some sleep," said Hotch.

Spencer recognized the 'do not argue' tone in Hotch's voice.

"OK," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer entered the kitchen to find Mary warming up dinner for him.

"Thanks for calling ahead so I could fix dinner for you," said Mary.

Spencer softly chuckled as he poked his stomach.

"You made it your goal to put much-needed weight on my frame when you and Joe moved in," said Spencer.

Mary softly chuckled.

"Even though you're a great cook, I knew that you barely fed yourself prior to meeting my daughter," said Mary.

"Speaking of your daughter, I'm not looking forward to sleeping in an empty bed tonight," said Spencer.

"When you're traveling for work, Maeve always has a hard time sleeping in bed without you," said Mary.

"I know because I saw Maeve wearing my dress shirts, t-shirts, or cardigans when I Skype with her," said Spencer.

"Even though the kids are already asleep, why don't you have Jocelyn sleep with you?" asked Mary.

Spencer smiled as he thought about his female clone.

"With the current case I'm working on, I might do that," said Spencer.  
Mary placed a filled up plate that contained lasagna, mixed vegetables, and a bottle of water in front of her son-in-law before sitting down across from him. After Spencer cleaned off his plate and started to eat a brownie, Mary looked at him.

"How have you been doing since your mother got diagnosed with Dementia?" asked Mary.

Spencer sighed.

"I'm angry that my mom now has to deal with Dementia and most likely Alzheimer's, but I know that I'll get through this because I have your daughter, the kids, you, Joe, Stephanie, my relatives in Las Vegas, and my team," said Spencer.

"There are times that I wished that you didn't grow up with a dysfunctional family and had parents like Joe and me, but I know that you wouldn't end up being the man that my daughter fell in love with," said Mary.

Spencer nodded in agreement.

"I know," said Spencer.

"Even though your mother might not always be there for you, just remember that you have me too," said Mary as she pulled her son-in-law into a hug.

A few minutes later Spencer was taking a quick shower before he headed towards Jocelyn's and Gabriella's bedroom where he gently extracted Jocelyn from her bed and carried her to his and Maeve's bedroom.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer was trying to sketch the damaged tattoo that Morgan and Emily took a picture of when Morgan, Emily, and Hotch came over to his desk.

"Reid, you got anything?" asked Morgan.

Spencer continued to quickly sketch the tattoo as he thought about following Maeve's suggestion on taking an art class as one of the healthy ways for him to relieve stress.

"The damage is pretty extensive, but luckily some of the tattoo remains," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Ashley.

"Seaver, get the victim's photo out to the press," said Hotch.

Ashley quickly sat on the edge of a desk and grabbed her cell phone.

"I think I know who dug the hole. The journo told me to follow the money, like straight up, that's what he told me, so I did. It turns out "The Gazette" is owned by a multinational global conglomerate... oil, new technologies, shipping, air and ground transportation, all of which employ the services of one company... C.W.S.," said Garcia.

Hotch quickly recognized the acronym.

"Clear Water Securities?" asked Hotch.

Garcia nodded while Rossi looked at Hotch.

"You know them?" asked Rossi.

"I've come across them. They're a private counterintelligence group out of Geneva," said Hotch.

"Ron Cosenza, Byron Delaney, Kerry Fagan all worked for C.W.S.," said Garcia.

"How long ago?" asked Emily.

"Seven years ago," said Garcia.

Hotch looked at Ashley.

"Seaver, hang up," ordered Hotch.

Ashley quickly hung up while Rossi looked at Hotch.

"Do we have a problem?" asked Rossi.

Hotch shook his head.

"Well, C.W.S. does," said Hotch.

Spencer who finally finished sketching the tattoo rolled his chair back and looked at his teammates.

"Got it," said Spencer as he showed the picture of a four-leaf clover he drew.

Emily opened her mouth in shock and walked away causing a concerned Garcia to trail after her.

Hotch looked at Spencer's sketch.

"With how much you like dabble in drawing, do you know if any of your children might end up excelling at art?" asked Hotch.

Spencer pointed at a picture that he tapped on his privacy divider.

"Jocelyn drew that picture yesterday and told me to display it here today," said Spencer.

Hotch noticed a picture of an orange cat that looked really advanced for a two-year-old.

"A cat?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded as his lips twitched up a bit.

"I have a feeling that Jocelyn is trying to ask me for a cat," said Spencer.

"And when it comes to Jocelyn having you wrapped around her little finger, you might grant her wish," said Hotch.

"I would, but I'm going to talk to Maeve, my in-laws, and Stephanie first because we already have to deal with chasing a two-year-old, 19-month-old, and nine-month-old triplets around the house," said Spencer.

"Has any of the triplets started to attempt walking yet?" asked Hotch.

"Arthur just started walking around while holding onto furniture, so I wouldn't be surprised if he takes his first steps within the next couple of weeks," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was walking in the hallway when he saw Emily exit the room with a paper in her hands causing him to stop walking.

"Hey, what's that?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, oh, this is the only lead I have so far. What about you? Seaver said you were looking for photos of, uh, Doyle's Tuscan villa?" asked Emily.

Spencer pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"I couldn't find any stills from the day he was arrested, but there may be some surveillance footage from the sedans. They generally record everything," said Spencer before he started to walk away.

"Yeah?" asked Emily.

Spencer turned his head and nodded before he continued to hurry away.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on top of his desk as another agent from another agency sat in his chair as he listened to Hotch talk about Ian Doyle.

"It's not often that we know a subject's name, and in this case, knowing Ian Doyle's identity doesn't give us very much. He's known to a select few, and those who know him well either work beside him or they're on his list. Two or three of his victims worked for C.W.S. and were responsible for his transport to North Korea. There were seven operatives on the mission altogether, and the remaining five have been warned. All the federal and international agents responsible for tracking him down are now on his list of targets. We'll find Doyle the way we find any other offender... By studying his behavior. We'll dissect his every move since he regained his freedom. When he escaped from North Korea, he killed a man and he used his vehicle to cross the border into Russia," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Morgan came over with a post-it note.

"I got four names on the bottom of the list Prentiss gave us," said Morgan as he posted the note onto the board and looked at the paper that Emily printed off earlier, "Luke Renault, Lawrence Riley, Lila Rafferty, Lyle Rogers," read Morgan.

"All with the initials L.R.," said Ashley.

"The CIA uses cryptograms like that to assign to non-official cover agents working the same case," said Hotch.

"So do other foreign countries," said Morgan as he used a pencil to point at the list of names, "These last four names are covers... spies," said Morgan.

Garcia noticed something on the paper that Morgan was holding causing her to walk over to Morgan.

"Wait," said Garcia as she took the paper from Morgan, "No. This isn't right. Do you see this space? That shouldn't be here," said Garcia as she pointed out the space to Hotch.

Spencer looked at Garcia.

"Could it be a formatting error?" asked Spencer.

"No, this is a spreadsheet template. Formatting doesn't allow for this. There's a missing name on here," said Garcia as Spencer's mind started to race.

"It's another spy whose cover is L.R.," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly flashed back to hearing something that Emily said 17 days ago before he repeated Emily's words.

"Lauren Reynolds is dead," said Spencer to himself.

Hotch turned around and looked at Spencer.

"What?" asked Hotch.

"'Lauren Reynolds is dead.' Prentiss said that on a phone call 17 days ago. But her intonation wasn't surprise or grief. It was like a mantra, like she was reminding herself. Lauren Reynolds, L.R.," said Spencer quickly while Hotch dialed Emily's number.

Ashley looked at her temporary teammates.

"If Prentiss is the last name on that list, she's on Doyle's list, too," said Ashley as Hotch opened up a drawer in Emily's desk.

"That explains her behavior the past month. The secrets, the evasion," said Rossi.

"She's been biting her fingernails again, too," said Spencer.

"Guys," said Hotch.

Spencer, Ashley, Garcia, Morgan, and Rossi turned their heads to find Hotch holding Emily's badge, gun, and phone.

"She left her badge and gun? Why would she do that?" asked Morgan.

Spencer thought about the woman he named to be Jocelyn's godmother when it came to stopping Benjamin Cyrus from killing him so he could be there for Jocelyn's birth.

"That doesn't make sense. Why run? We're her family. We can help," said Spencer.

"Doyle's killing families. She's not married, not close to relatives. He was ready to wipe us out. She ran to protect us," said Rossi before looking at Spencer, "And knowing Ian Doyle, he probably did his homework on all of us and he most likely knows that you named Prentiss as Jocelyn's godmother," said Rossi.

A few minutes later, Rossi looked at his teammates who looked like they digested the news he gave them.

"She's a trained spy. She doesn't want to be found," said Rossi.

"She knows all of our tricks. We don't know any of hers," said Morgan.

"All right, then how do we find her?" asked Garcia.

"Here's how. Ian Doyle is our unsub, Prentiss is our victim," said Hotch as he pinned Emily's I.D. onto the board, "We profile their behavior and we treat it like any other case. Because terrorism isn't an area we specialize in, I've reached out to an expert from the state department, someone who can also shed light on Prentiss' past," said Hotch.

"Who?" asked Spencer.

Hotch tilted his head towards the direction that the expert he called was coming from.

"Her," said Hotch.

Spencer, Garcia, Rossi, Morgan, and Ashley turned their heads to notice JJ.

"Let's get to work," said JJ.

Xxxxxxxx 

"OK, so I talked to a friend from Langley. He couldn't give me Emily's full CIA history, but he could give me this," said JJ as she pulled up a redacted file on Emily and pulled off the redacted information, "She assumed the identity of Lauren Reynolds as part of a special task force called JTF-12," said JJ.

"I heard about them. They were profiling terrorists, weren't they?" asked Rossi.

"Yeah, assembled after 9-11. CIA and Western agencies contributed their best and brightest," said JJ.

Spencer shifted in his seat a bit as he thought about the times that the CIA tried to recruit him after 9-11.

"But serial killers and terrorists have different personality traits," said Ashley.

"How does Doyle fit in?" asked Spencer.

"He was their last case. And now the JTF is on his hit list," said JJ as she pulled up a picture of a young man, "Jeremy Wolff was victim number one, from Germany's B.N.D.," said JJ.

JJ pulled up another picture of an older man.

"Sean McAlister at Interpol was the second. He's the one that brought the J.T.F. in to work the Doyle case. He was murdered last week in Brussels with his wife and daughter," said JJ as she pulled up a picture of a woman in her 30's, "Tsia Mosely of France's D.C.R.I. She got engaged to Jeremy earlier this year. After he died, she fled to D.C.," said JJ as she pulled up another picture, "And team leader Clyde Easter, British S.I.S. He hasn't checked in since Tsia's murder. He was also in D.C.," said JJ.

"Did J.T.F. make the arrests?" asked Hotch.

"No, the host countries handled that. The team moved on to the next case," said JJ.

"If all they did was deliver a profile, how does Doyle even know about them?" asked Hotch.

"Well, considering the shadowy nature of terrorist cells, they utilize a skill we don't... infiltration," said JJ.

"Who was undercover on Doyle?" asked Spencer.

"Emily," said JJ as she pulled up another picture, "She made contact with him in Boston to get intel on Valhalla. She was posing as another weapons dealer," said JJ.

Morgan looked at a picture of Emily sniffing a flower.

"Look at how she's dressed. She seems awfully comfortable," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at JJ.

"How close did she get to Doyle as part of her cover?" asked Hotch.

"The recon they did on Doyle included a background of all of his romantic relationships. Emily was his type," said JJ grimly.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer watched a video of Emily being abducted with his teammates and JJ as they headed to Boston.

"Emily walked into a trap. It looks like Doyle got into the SUV, but from this angle, you can see that he didn't. Which I wish Boston PD Would have told me before I started watching it. Sorry again for the screaming," said Garcia.

A shocked Morgan looked at her teammates.

"She threw a flash-bang grenade into a car. She's lucky the three people inside didn't die. Is anybody else bothered by that?" asked Morgan.

"Well, three bad guys," said Rossi.

"Illegal as it is, I think Prentiss knows she has to be as ruthless as Doyle," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"He's come to the U.S. to wage a public vendetta and hired a group of mercenaries to remain loyal to him. He has nothing to lose, so she has to act the same way," said Spencer.

"So how did Doyle know she was waiting for him?" asked Rossi.

"Well, the mole must have told him, right? The same guy who's been feeding Doyle the contractors and agents?" asked JJ.

"And our best suspect was just arrested with a suitcase full of cash. How do we get Easter to talk? He won't cooperate willingly," said Ashley.

"I'll handle that. The rest of you focus on Doyle's location," said Hotch.

Garcia looked at Hotch.

"I hate to be the one to ask this, but how long does Emily have?" asked Garcia.

"Her best chance is also the most troubling. Doyle saved her for last because he views her as his stressor. Which means he'll take his time," said Hotch while everyone nodded grimly.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer stood next to Rossi as they stood in front of Jack Fahey who was a bloody bandage over one of his now gone ears.

"Why were you calling Clyde Easter so much, Jack?" asked Rossi.

"Anybody got a smoke?" asked Jack before he looked at Spencer and noticed how thin he is, "How about you, beanpole?" asked Jack.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"What do you think?" asked Rossi.

Spencer removed his hands from his pocket and started to cross his arms as he made arm contact with Rossi.

"Narcissism masking deep-seated insecurity," said Spencer softly.

"So if we puncture his self-image, this hood rat will talk," said Rossi softly.

Spencer nodded while Jack glared at them.

"Hey, hey, hey, I ain't no hood rat," said Jack as he pointed at Rossi, "You take that back," demanded Jack.

Rossi walked towards Jack.

"Well, you look like one. You smell like one," said Rossi before looking at Spencer, "You smell that?" asked Rossi.

Spencer sniffed the air before looking at Rossi.

"Hood rat," said Spencer.

"I am not! Take it back!" demanded Jack.

Rossi leaned forward towards Jack.

"Hey, Jack. Do you know what a hood rat is?" asked Rossi before he looked at Spencer, "You see what I mean? He's just gonna have to learn the hard way," said Rossi as he stood back up to his full height.

"All right, all right, look, Clyde was gonna pay my medical bills, all right?" asked Jack before he pointed at his bandaged left ear, "This ear, it ain't growing back," said Jack.

Spencer looked at Jack's bandaged ear.

"What happened to it?" asked Spencer.

"This bitch teammate of his shot it. Said it was a warning. Thought she could take on this I.R.A. big shot named Doyle. So I told these…," said Jack just as Rossi grabbed his bandaged right ear and boxed it, "Aah! What the hell, man?! Jeez!" cried Jack.

Rossi looked at Jack with fire in his eyes.

"Where's Prentiss?" demanded Rossi.

"Who?" asked Jack as Rossi boxed his ear again, "I don't know!" cried Jack.

Rossi let go of Jack's ear while Spencer decided to use one of Emily's alias's as he leaned forward and rested his hands on the interrogation table.

"Lauren Reynolds. Where is Lauren Reynolds?" demanded Spencer.

Jack instantly noticed fire showing in Spencer's expressive brown eyes before realizing why the two agents in the room would ask him where Lauren is before he smiled.

"Oh. Friend of yours, is she?" asked a smiling Jack.

"You tell us where she is right now, or I swear, I'll send you to a prison where they'll teach you what a hood rat is," sneered Rossi.

Jack nodded.

"And by the time you do, she'll be in pieces. So, uh... My price just went up," said Jack while Spencer gulped.

sssssssssss

Clyde Easter looked at the agents that Emily has told him about.

"Ian Doyle's a power-assertive psychopath, highly controlling and very explosive when something doesn't go as planned," said Clyde.

Ashley nodded.

"OK, so how does this fit in with who he is as a family annihilator?" asked Ashley.

"And Prentiss' role in it," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Clyde.

"Annihilators have a romanticized view of who their family is," said Spencer.

"Well, actually, he was an orphan," said Clyde.

"Well, they think of family as their possession, until some law shatters that and starts them killing," said Morgan.

"But Doyle was never married," said Clyde.

Rossi thought about how Emily was with Spencer's, Hotch's, and JJ's children.

"Children?" asked Rossi.

"No," said Clyde.

Spencer lifted up the photo of the 10-year-old boy that was killed.

"You run your profile that he carried out his murders with surgical-like precision," said Spencer as he passed the photo to Rossi.

"Yes," said Clyde.

"With no collateral damage," said Morgan.

"That's right," said Clyde.

Rossi looked at the picture of the boy as he tried to block out picturing Jack, Jocelyn, Henry, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, Lynette, and Stephanie in the 10-year-old boy's place.

"Perhaps this child was a surrogate for one he had," said Rossi.

"Say Doyle had a child and you didn't know about it. Is it possible that Prentiss did?" asked Ashley.

A shocked Clyde looked at Emily's teammates.

"Then why would she keep it from me?" asked Clyde.

Hotch looked at Clyde.

"Who else was in the compound the day that you arrested Doyle?" asked Hotch.

"Just his staff," said Clyde.

"All Irish?" asked Hotch.

Clyde nodded.

"Yeah," said Clyde.

"That's a start," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer studied the picture of Declan Doyle and Doyle's housekeeper before looking at the hand and noticed the fingernails and realized that it was Emily holding the gun.

"Wait, wait, look at that," said Spencer as he looked up at Morgan, "Morgan, come look at this," said Spencer.

Morgan came over and looked at the picture that Spencer and Garcia were looking at.

"It's black clothing and a hand, Reid," said Morgan.

Spencer pointed at the very short fingernails on the hand that was holding the gun.

"No, look at the fingernails," said Spencer.

Garcia instantly realized what Spencer was trying to tell them and paled.

"Oh, my God!" exclaimed Garcia.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer shot out of his seat and rushed towards Maeve who pulled him into a hug.

"How's Emily?" asked Maeve.

"She just got into surgery," said Spencer.

"She'll make it and when she gets out of the hospital and is recovering at home she can spend a lot of time at our house playing with the kids," said Maeve.

Hotch looked at Maeve.

"How did you get here so quickly?" asked Hotch.

"I was already in Boston for a genetics conference and there was no way that I was going to let my husband be in the waiting room without me," said Maeve before she took hold of Spencer's hand, "Let's sit down, Spencer," said Maeve.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve were sitting side by side with hands clasped together as they talked about Maeve's time in Boston and how the kids were the past few days.

Xxxxxxxx 

A few hours later Spencer and Maeve were looking at pictures of Jocelyn with her godmother when a grim-faced JJ came into the waiting room. After everyone saw the look on JJ's face, Garcia looked at JJ.

"No," cried Garcia.

"She never made it off the table," said JJ.

Tears started to fall down Spencer's face as he got out of his chair causing a crying Maeve to stand up and grabbed her husband's hand into a tight grip.

"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye," sobbed Spencer.

A teary-eyed Maeve pulled her husband into a hug.

"I know, Spencer," cried Maeve.

"Now how are we going to tell Jocelyn that she'll never get to see her godmother again," cried Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next morning Spencer and Maeve were sitting down at their dining room table with tears falling down their face when Joe, Mary, and Stephanie came into the kitchen with Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette.

"I thought that you weren't supposed to be back until tomorrow, Maeve," said Joe before noticing Spencer, "Case over?" asked Joe.

Mary studied her daughter and son-in-law for a second before noticing Spencer's and Maeve's eyes were red from crying and there were dried tear stains on their faces.

"Did something happen to Diana?" asked Mary.

Spencer shook his head as Jocelyn came over to him.

"Why are you cwying, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer reached over and pulled his two-year-old daughter onto his lap.

"Your godmother went to Heaven last night because of a really bad man wanting to get revenge on her. In a few days we'll be dressing up in black and go to church where we'll say goodbye to your godmother who will be in a box that's called a coffin and buried six feet in the ground," said Spencer.

Joe, Mary, and Stephanie all gasped as they realized what Spencer said causing Joe, Mary, and Stephanie to put Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette into their high chairs and Gabriella into her booster seat while Jocelyn tilted her head realized what her daddy said as tears started to fall down her face.

"I never get to see Auntie Emily again?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer nodded just as Jocelyn started to cry causing Spencer to hug his two-year-old daughter tightly while Maeve, Stephanie, Mary, and Joe joined in for a group hug as everyone dealt with tears running down their faces as they gave their condolences to Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

A few days later Spencer was standing by Emily's grave with Jocelyn on his hip and Maeve standing next to him with her arm looped around his free arm as they listened to the priest talk about Emily and said a few prayers. A short while later Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn were each putting a red rose on Emily's closed casket at the same time before Maeve looked at Jocelyn who was wearing a black dress.

"Please say goodbye to your godmother," said Maeve.

Jocelyn blew kisses to her godmother's casket.

"Bye-bye, Auntie Emily," said Jocelyn.

Spencer looked at Jocelyn.

"Can you please go with mommy while I stay with my teammates?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn shook her head as her shoulder-length curly brown hair shook underneath her black hat as she tightened her grip around her daddy's neck.

"I want to stay wit you, daddy," said Jocelyn.

Hotch looked at Spencer and thought about Maeve telling him that Jocelyn refused to leave her father's side the past few days as he thought about hating the fact that he and JJ lied to everyone about Emily.

"Jocelyn can stay," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at his wife.

"We'll see you shortly," said Spencer as he gave her a brief peck on the lips.

Maeve walked away to stand with the other mourners as she watched her husband stand between JJ and Ashley with Jocelyn on his hip on one side of Emily's closed casket while Rossi, Morgan, and Garcia stood on the opposite side while Hotch and the priest stood at the short end of the casket in silence.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer and Maeve were wiping up Jocelyn's face and hands when Ambassador Prentiss walked over to them.

"Dr. Reid?" asked Elizabeth.

Spencer looked up at Ambassador Prentiss.

"Yes, Ambassador?" asked Spencer.

"Even though I finally met my daughter's goddaughter a couple of hours ago, I was hoping that you would let me be Jocelyn's godmother," said Elizabeth.

Maeve looked at Elizabeth.

"Its Jocelyn's choice," said Maeve.

Jocelyn tilted her head at Elizabeth.

"Will you be in Gabby, Artie, Joey, and Nettie's life too?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer looked at Ambassador Prentiss.

"I guess that Jocelyn doesn't want you to be her new godmother unless you include her siblings because Emily always treated Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette equally too," said Spencer.

Elizabeth gave Jocelyn a soft look.

"I was already planning on including your siblings in my life too," said Elizabeth.

Jocelyn walked over to Elizabeth and gave her a hug causing the grieving woman to scoop up Jocelyn and hug her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I decided to follow along with the show because of the plans I have for Spencer after Supply & Demand and It Takes A Village.
> 
> I decided that 19-month-old Gabriella and nine-month-old triplets Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette wouldn't attend Emily's funeral because it would be too overwhelming for them.
> 
> Emily will be back in a future chapter, but with Emily being Jocelyn's godmother I can picture Elizabeth Prentiss asking to step in as Jocelyn's godmother as a healing factor for both Elizabeth Prentiss and Jocelyn.


	86. With Friends Like These

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts about five weeks after the last chapter and Spencer and his teammates were on desk duty until now. So Gabriella is now 20-months-old and Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are all 10-months-old.
> 
> I'm finally caught up with posting what I already have for this story on Fanfiction onto this website. Its going to be awhile before I update because I had exploratory laparoscopy surgery done last week Monday and I'll be having a hysterectomy at a later date (Hopefully soon because I want the pain I'm going through to end!).

Spencer was carrying Jocelyn on his shoulders as he reached Hotch, Rossi, Garcia, and Morgan who all agreed about attending Ashley's graduation ceremony from the academy.

"I didn't know that my goddaughter would be joining us today," said Morgan.

Spencer sighed as he swung Jocelyn off his shoulders and set her onto the ground and covered her ears before looking at his teammates.

"Ever since Emily died, Jocelyn has refused to leave my side and Maeve told me to bring her with me before Jocelyn could start another tantrum," said Spencer before sighing, "Jocelyn has been accompanying me to every therapy I had with Dr. Moss since Boston and Dr. Moss said that its normal for toddlers to get clingy during times like this," said Spencer.

"I already have grief assessments scheduled for all of us," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly pulled out a phone and typed Hotch a text message before sending it to him.

Hotch's phone vibrated causing the older agent to pull out his phone and see the text message from Spencer.

I ALREADY HAD TWO APPOINTMENTS WITH DR. MOSS SCHEDULED BECAUSE OF MY MOM GETTING DIAGNOSED WITH DEMENTIA AND MAEVE SCHEDULED AN ADDITIONAL SIX APPOINTMENTS AFTER EMILY. ~ SR

Hotch nodded while being grateful that Maeve made sure that Spencer has been spending the past four weeks talking a professional about his mom and Emily.

Morgan looked at Jocelyn.

"Do you want to sit on my lap, Jocelyn?" asked Morgan.

Jocelyn shook her head as the pigtails that her daddy pulled her into shook.

"I stay wit daddy," said Jocelyn firmly before looking up at her daddy, "Pwease carry me, daddy," said Jocelyn.

Spencer sighed as he scooped up his oldest daughter and settled her onto his him and a few minutes later Jocelyn was sitting on her father's lap as they watched Ashley graduate from the academy with her fellow cadets.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer pulled on his navy blue military style pea coat just as Jocelyn who was wearing a long sleeved purple t-shirt and overalls ran over to him.

"Daddy stay home like mommy, grandma, and grandpa and not die like Auntie Emily!" cried Jocelyn.

Spencer sighed as he thought about how Jocelyn has been throwing tantrums every morning during the past two weeks since he and his teammates were put on desk duty.

"Daddy has to go back to helping put really naughty men and women into really long timeouts or I will lose my job," said Spencer before he reluctantly set his oldest daughter on the ground and quickly got his revolver out of its safe and exited the house as he heard Jocelyn scream.

"COME BACK, DADDY!" cried Jocelyn.

Spencer inwardly counted to 10 before heading to his car where Stephanie was leaning against the hood.

"Jocelyn threw another tantrum?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes," said Spencer before looking at his watch, "We need to get you to school so I'm not late for work," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer was dropping off his sister at school before he started to drive himself to Quantico.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was in the conference room with Ashley, Garcia, and Morgan when Hotch and Rossi entered the room.

"Congratulations, Agent Seaver," said Hotch.

Ashley shook hands with Hotch.

"Thank you," said Ashley.

Rossi noticed the cupcakes on the table.

"Who made the cupcakes?" asked Rossi as he gave Ashley a fist bump.

Garcia held up a hand.

"I did," said Garcia.

Ashley looked at her teammates.

"Thank you all for coming to my graduation. It meant a lot," said Ashley.

"Let's get started. Ok, we're going to Portland, Oregon, and it's not for a Dead Moon concert," said Garcia sadly as she sat down, "So, Jay Johnson, a DJ, was cutting through an alley on his way home after leaving a club when he was bludgeoned by a pipe and then stabbed 31 times. His watch, his cell, and his computer were stolen. That was two days ago. Now, early this morning, Karen Heywood, a 30-year-old nurse, she died during a home invasion. She was stabbed 40 times, but first she was bludgeoned with weapons of opportunity," said Garcia.

Morgan looked at the M.E. report in front of himself.

"Eight different ones, to be exact," said Morgan.

"That's too many weapons for one person," said Rossi.

"There was a left- and a right-handed killer according to the M.E. report," said Garcia.

Rossi sighed.

"Yeah, but eight different weapons," said Rossi.

"So we're looking for a group," said Morgan.

Hotch looked at the report in front of himself.

"Yeah, it seems that way. And the left-handed wounds were deeper than the right," said Hotch.

"Maybe a woman was involved?" asked Spencer.

"Or a weak man," said Ashley.

Hotch looked at Garcia.

"Anything taken from the house?" asked Hotch.

"According to a neighbor, just some random stuff... A computer, some jewelry, a framed picture of a Lily," said Garcia.

"And pawnable items. What do we have, serial-killing crooks?" asked Morgan.

"Sounds like a musical," said Rossi.

"Similar victimology... young professionals killed three miles apart," said Hotch.

"Is there a gang situation in Portland?" asked Ashley.

Spencer thought about the government reports he read.

"Minimal. This seems more like desperate people in need of quick cash," said Spencer.

"Why kill them if it's just for the money?" asked Ashley.

"That's what we have to find out," said Rossi.

Hotch closed his file as he thought about the long flight they're about to have.

"And we've got eight hours till nightfall. Let's go," said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer had Maeve on the phone.

"You guys are already back on cases?" asked Maeve.

"All of the other teams are on cases and lives are at stake, but Ashley joined our team so we're not an agent down," said Spencer.

"OK and where are you heading off to now?" asked Maeve.

"Portland, Oregon," said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "How has Jocelyn been doing since I left the house?" asked Spencer.

"She cried for over an hour until she fell asleep and she's still asleep right now," said Maeve.

Spencer sighed.

"It just sucks that Jocelyn is too young to talk to a child psychologist right now because I would have her go to counseling like I am," said Spencer.

"I know," said Maeve.

"I have to get going because it's a long flight and I'll call you when I land," said Spencer.

"Please stay safe and I love you," said Maeve.

"I promise and I love you too," said Spencer before hanging up.

A minute later Spencer was heading to the elevator with his teammates when Rossi looked at him.

"Trouble with Jocelyn again?" asked Rossi.

"Other than Maeve and I having to deal with Jocelyn insisting on sleeping with us the past month, Jocelyn threw a tantrum while I left the house. Maeve just told me that she cried for over an hour until she fell asleep and was still asleep when I called to let her know that I'm heading to Portland," said Spencer before running a hand through his short hair, "Maeve and I agree that it sucks that Jocelyn is too young to talk to a child psychologist right now about her godmother being killed," said Spencer.

"You might need to talk to Jocelyn after this case," said Rossi.

"I'm already planning on it, but if Jocelyn keeps on acting like this, I might have to consider working a safer job so Jocelyn isn't afraid of losing me," said Spencer.

Hotch inwardly sighed as he realized that the lie he's keeping from his team is already affecting the Reid family and Donovan family deeply when it comes to Jocelyn being clingy to her father after losing her godmother.

Xxxxxxxx 

Hotch looked at the file in front of himself as the jet flew him and his teammates to Portland, Oregon.

"So both victims around the same age and killed at night," said Hotch.

"One in an alley on the way to his car, the other in her home after coming from the grocery after work," said Rossi.

Morgan paged through the crime scene photos in his hands.

"There's extreme overkill in both," said Morgan.

"Overkill usually implies a personal relationship," said Ashley.

"Or it could mean that the victim represents someone for whom the killer has extreme anger," said Hotch.

"These unsubs are night owls, stalking and killing other night owls," said Rossi.

"And they're also disorganized. In one they subdued their victims by hitting them with a pipe found at the scene, and in the other they used a knife, followed by seven other items found in the kitchen," said Spencer as he closed his file.

"A doorstop, even a ceramic cat," said Ashley as she held up a picture of a ceramic cat, "All of this just to steal?" asked Ashley.

"When a gang mentality sets in, unsubs become more capable of heinous acts," said Rossi.

Ashley shook her head as she thought about what Spencer said earlier.

"It's still odd. The incidence of robbery is so low in this area," said Ashley.

Spencer pulled a map of Portland out of his messenger bag.

"That's why I started working a geographical profile," said Spencer as he started to open up his map, "First things first, I factored in journey to crime distance," said Spencer as he pointed at a location on his map, "If you look here, you'll see that this area of Portland is well within the expected five-mile radius. I also factored in distance of decay," said Spencer as he looked at Hotch.

"What does distance have to do with decay?" asked Ashley.

Rossi looked at Ashley.

"It's how geo-profilers measure relative probability of an offender traveling outside his comfort zone," said Rossi.

"Unsubs prefer to stay in an area that they know well," said Hotch.

"Like you'd commute to work or to the gym," said Morgan.

"The closer the crime scenes, the greater likelihood it is that the unsub lives or works nearby," said Hotch.

Spencer leaned forward to place his geographical profile onto the table in front of Rossi, Ashley, and Morgan.

"Based on my algorithm, the unsubs either live or work in the area," said Spencer as he pointed at the overlapped area on his geographical profile.

Ashley looked at Spencer.

"I wish that there was a class or seminar on geographical profiling while I was in the academy," said Ashley.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"If I'm able to pull a few strings very quickly, would you be willing to teach some classes on geographical profiling to the new batch of cadets in the academy?" said Rossi.

Spencer thought about it for a moment.

"If I'm going to be teaching classes on geographical profiling, I believe that F.B.I. agents and law enforcement officers from all over the country should be welcome to attend too," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Ashley walked side by side in the alley that led them to the location where Mr. Johnson was killed as Spencer looked at Ashley.

"So Mr. Johnson exits the nightclub through the back door to get to his car," said Spencer.

"Maybe one unsub can watch from over there and the other from back there," said Ashley as she pointed at certain locations.

Spencer looked at the memorial.

"Then when he gets here, another unsub hits him with a pipe and it's game on," said Spencer.

Ashley noticed a couple of vials that once held drugs on the ground.

"Look at the vials, Reid. This is a drug corridor," said Ashley.

Spencer thought about his one-year medallion that he had in his pocket and thought about how he hasn't been able to go to a Beltway Clean Cops meeting prior to Emily's death because of Jocelyn refusing to let him leave her side when he's going somewhere that isn't work.

"That would explain why there's so much overkill. Maybe they were on something," said Spencer.

"On the jet, I did some research into the club. A year ago, someone overdosed inside. Since then, new management's clamped down on the partying," said Ashley.

Spencer nodded.

"Which means the unsubs most likely fit into this area," said Spencer.

"Well, if you can't party inside, then you come out here," said Ashley as she gestured to her surroundings,

"They're probably all the same age," said Ashley.

Spencer nodded.

"Yeah, mid-20s," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was fixing himself a cup of tea when Hotch approached him.

"You can sit out of giving the profile if you want to," said Hotch.

"Why?" asked Spencer as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Your showing signs of having a migraine and our unsub might have paranoid schizophrenia," said Hotch.

Spencer closed his eyes as he thought about his mother as he made a mental note to visit his mom right after the case.

"I don't want to sit out on giving the profile, but I will only talk about the geographical profile," said Spencer before walking away and pulled out his phone and called Maeve who answered on the second ring.

"How's it going, Spencer?" asked Maeve.

"This case is now personal for me," said Spencer.

Maeve's mind started to race as she thought about how the case could end up personal to her husband before she thought of a possible reason.

"The unsub has schizophrenia?" asked Maeve.

"Yes," said Spencer.

"If you need to talk, I'll always answer my phone even if you wake me up," said Maeve.

"Thank you," said Spencer before thinking about how Arthur took his first steps the day after Emily's funeral and the videos of Joseph taking his first steps and the kids having a food fight during lunch that Maeve sent him a few hours ago, "Aside from the videos you sent me of the kids' very first food fight and Joey taking his first steps today, how are the kids doing?" asked Spencer.

"Mom, dad, and I decided to start getting Gabriella potty trained because she doesn't like the feel of a dirty diaper on herself," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled as he thought about his 20-month-old daughter.

"That means that she'll be occupying the other twin sized bed in hers and Jocelyn's bedroom soon," said Spencer.

"That's the plan. Arthur is fussy because of sprouting another new tooth and Lynette started walking while holding onto furniture," said Maeve.

"Hopefully I'll be home if Lynette ends up taking her first unassisted steps in a few days," said Spencer.

"Please don't feel guilty about missing one of the kids' milestones because you missed milestones before and it was important for your life to return to normal," said Maeve.

Spencer thought about Jocelyn's behavior.

"How's Jocelyn?" asked Spencer.

Maeve sighed.

"She ended up having three timeouts today and she's napping like the other kids right now," said Maeve.

Spencer sighed as he thought about Jocelyn turning three in over three months.

"Hopefully Jocelyn's behavior will improve or she won't be able to start preschool this August," said Spencer.

"I hope so too, Spencer," said Maeve.

"I have to get going," said Spencer.

"I love you, Spencer," said Maeve.

"I love you too, Maeve," said Spencer before hanging up.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was sitting on the table that he and his teammates were given to work at as Hotch started to give the profile to the officers that gathered to hear their profile.

"We believe our unsub is a white male paranoid schizophrenic who suffers from hallucinations. Since schizophrenic breaks usually occur in your early 20s, we believe he's around this age and that he lives nearby," said Hotch while Spencer closed his eyes as he thought about his mother while not noticing the concerned looks that Morgan was giving him, "We think this unsub is hypervigilant, and in this condition, he's unable to travel very far from his home," said Hotch.

"He kills at night and is extremely violent. During the day, he's most likely a loner. Someone in this state probably can't keep a job. We believe something happened to our unsub in his childhood," said Rossi while Spencer didn't notice Morgan looking at him again, "Childhood voices are telling him to kill, or he's misinterpreting them as doing so," said Rossi.

"Our unsub has probably been coping until now, but a recent stressor brought him back to that childhood incident and is causing him to act out," said Ashley.

Morgan looked at Spencer and wondered why he hasn't said anything about schizophrenia at all before he turned to the officers in the room.

"Our unsub spends his days wandering, trying to fight the desire to kill, yet he feels trapped by his hallucinations. No matter what he does or tries to do, the hallucination's power is greater than his own. Because of his limited social circle as a child, it is our belief that the incident involved close friends or family. Now, once we figure out what happened when he was a kid and the stressor that recently triggered a relapse, we'll be that much closer to narrowing down the killer's identity," said Morgan.

Spencer was still thinking about his ailing mother just as Hotch turned his head and looked at him.

"Reid," said Hotch.

Spencer grabbed his geographical profile and passed it to Detective Colbern.

"We need you all to start searching in this area. Based on previous kills, we know that he strikes at night and will not retreat until we find him," mumbled Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer was using cold water to wash his face as he inwardly prayed for the ibuprofen that he took earlier for his migraine to go away as he noticed Morgan come into the bathroom as he grabbed some paper towel to dry off his face.

"You know, that profile kind of makes it sounds like schizophrenia leads to serial killing," said Spencer as he dried off his face.

Morgan sighed as he watched the 29-year-old agent put his glasses back on.

"That's not what we said at all, Reid," said Morgan.

"You know, my mom has schizophrenia. There are many different types," said Spencer.

"I know that," said Morgan.

"Catatonic, disorganized…," said Spencer as he grabbed another piece of paper towel to dry his hands with, "Just because someone suffers from inability to organize their thoughts or they can't bathe or dress themselves, it doesn't mean they'd stab someone in the chest 30 times postmortem," said Spencer as he sat on the edge of the sink.

"Reid, what's really going on?" asked Morgan.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"Our unsub's hallucinations aren't fractured like a typical schizophrenic. They're vivid and clear, leading me to believe that we're missing an important variable. Rather than making crazy conjectures, I think we should be trying to figure out what it is," said Spencer.

Morgan thought about Spencer being less than seven months away from turning 30.

"OK, listen to me. I know this is a scary age for you. It's when schizophrenic breaks happen. Have you talked to anybody about this?" asked Morgan.

"Maeve, my in-laws, Stephanie, Hotch, Rossi, and Emily all know that I've been dealing with migraines," said Spencer.

"Have you seen a doctor?" asked Morgan.

"My doctor and Maeve both told me that my migraines are related to stress," said Spencer.

Morgan thought about the changes that Spencer has made with his life over the past two months.

"So that's why you switched to tea, eating healthier, exercising more, and quit your consulting work?" asked Morgan.

"Yes, but I can't sleep at night. I can't focus on our cases. I only read five books last week," admitted Spencer.

Morgan sighed.

"Come on, kid, you gotta cut yourself some slack. You're also depressed about Prentiss, and I get it... we all are. Reid, I miss her every day. But if your mind was splitting, do you really think you'd be able to figure out that this team is missing a variable?" asked Morgan.

"I'm just speculating that we are," said Spencer as he looked at Morgan, "You need to prove it," said Spencer.

"OK, then you do that," said Morgan before realizing that he and Spencer rarely have guy time together because of how busy Spencer is outside of work when it comes to Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, Lynette, Stephanie, and his mother, "I know that we rarely get to spend time because of you being married and having five kids, but what do you say about helping me with my latest properties?" asked Morgan.

"Why do you want me to help you with your property?" asked Spencer.

Morgan smiled a bit.

"Your Ph.D. in engineering came in handy while you helped me with the finishing touches on the house I sold to you and Maeve, and helping me with my latest properties would be another good way for you to relieve stress," said Morgan.

Spencer chuckled a bit as he thought back to the time of him helping Morgan finish up his house over three-years-ago and how he and Maeve still love their house despite now having 10 people living under the same roof.

"I find that spending time in the shooting range is my way to relieve stress, but I do like the idea of getting to put my Ph.D. in engineering to use again," said Spencer.

"I'm glad that you have Maeve because I don't have to worry about you being alone during a time like this," said Morgan.

Spencer nodded.

"I'm glad that I have Maeve too, and hopefully you'll find your own Mrs. Morgan someday and start a family of your own with her," said Spencer.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready to end my days as a bachelor yet," said Morgan before becoming serious, "Come on, Doc. Let's get to work.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer was reading a report about Karen when he looked up at his teammates.

"You know, at the grocery store where Karen Heywood was shopping the night she was murdered, the Clark said the unsub was buying water and a lot of salt," said Spencer.

"Saltwater could be used to torture his victims," said Rossi.

"Well, there's no evidence of that," said Morgan.

Ashley thought about what else saltwater could be used for.

"It could also be used to remove victims' blood from clothing," said Ashley.

"Think about this, though. The visions that schizophrenics have can be interpreted as demons. What do some people do when they think they have demons inside of them?" asked Spencer as he reached over for another paper.

"They could get an exorcism," said Morgan.

"Holy water is used in exorcisms," said Rossi.

"What about the salt?" asked Ashley.

"Salt is used in exorcisms and a variety of religious healings," said Spencer as he grabbed a pen.

Ashley looked at Spencer.

"What are you looking for?" asked Ashley.

"The number of churches in the comfort zone," said Spencer before he counted the number of symbols for churches, "Three," said Spencer.

"All right, let's see if any of them keep their doors open late," said Hotch.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer and Morgan walked down the aisle with the minister who was telling them about his encounter with their unsub.

"He came here in duress about...two hours ago," said the minister.

"What did he say?" asked Spencer.

"He said... He said voices were blaming him for a fire, and he needed me to get rid of them," said the minister.

Spencer looked at Morgan.

"You're right. He thinks he's haunted," said Spencer.

Morgan looked at the minister.

"Did he ask you for an exorcism?" asked Morgan.

"Yes. He claimed his mother had taken him to get one when he was young," said the Minister.

"And what did you tell him?" asked Morgan.

"I couldn't do it. Throughout history, people have confused possession with mental illness. Some still do. Nowadays, most churches turn people like him over to medical professionals," said the minister.

"I'm assuming he didn't take your rejection well," said Spencer.

"He was very angry," said the minister.

"But he didn't attack you? He didn't threaten you in any way?" asked Morgan.

The minister shook his head while Spencer looked at Morgan.

"He's probably gotten help from the church before," said Spencer.

"Was there anything else about his behavior that you found odd?" asked Morgan.

"Like something he maybe said or did?" asked Spencer.

"No. I told you everything," said the minister before remembering something, "Oh, there is one thing. He had a stutter," said the minister.

A few minutes later Spencer and Morgan were leaving the church as Morgan concluded a phone call with Garcia.

"OK, well, let me know what you find, Garcia," said Morgan before hanging up.

"Psychogenetic stuttering begins in the area of the brain that controls thoughts and reasoning. It's most commonly associated with mental illness," said Spencer.

"I checked with the supermarket guy and the lady at the building, but neither one of them heard stuttering," said Morgan.

"Which means it's either caused by the schizophrenia medication or maybe it's situational," said Spencer.

"Well, the presence of it along with the fire information should help Garcia narrow down her list," said Morgan.

Spencer nodded before he and Morgan decided to get into the SUV they were using.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer walked into the latest victim's bedroom and took in the sight of the newest victim.

"This victim's a lot older than his other ones, Morgan. She must represent something to him," said Spencer.

"Maybe his mother who had him exorcized. Now that he can't get one, he's taking his anger out on a surrogate," said Morgan.

Spencer noticed the blood stain on the floor causing him to look at Detective Colbern.

"Did the EMTs try to save her?" asked Spencer.

"No. Why?" asked Detective Colbern.

"There's a body imprint next to her," said Spencer as he and Morgan both crouched down.

"Why would the unsub lie down next to a person he's just killed?" asked Morgan.

Spencer quickly realized why the unsub would lay down next to the victim.

"He slept here," said Spencer before he noticed the number of stab wounds, "Look at the number of stab wounds," said Spencer as he stood up to his full height.

"There's gotta be over 50 of them," said Morgan.

Spencer who finished counting the stab wounds looked at Morgan and Detective Colbern.

"71," said Spencer causing Morgan and Detective Colbern to look at him, "Do you know how physically exhausting it would be to stab someone 71 times?" asked Spencer as he pretended to stab himself 10 times, "It's hard enough to stab someone 10 times, but 71... he'd be completely worn out," said Spencer.

"He's accelerated wound counts, which means he does it intentionally," said Morgan.

"But why?" asked Detective Colbern.

Spencer quickly realized why the unsub accelerated the number of stab wounds.

"Wait, that's it. If you add the increased number of stab wounds and the fact that he slept here to the vivid hallucinations and the unexplainable onset of stuttering, you get the missing variable. This guy's an insomniac," said Spencer quickly.

"Just as adrenaline makes a person love the feeling of killing, once it leaves the body it makes them tired," said Morgan.

"He does this all to sleep?" asked Detective Colbern.

"The insomnia is what makes the hallucinations so clear, and sleep is the only release that he has from them," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Spencer and Hotch were walking through a neighborhood together as they searched for Ben and a few seconds later both men stopped walking and turned towards a house to find two frightened children closing the curtains as Hotch reached for the mic on his vest.

"I think we've got something at 2218," said Hotch.

A few minutes later Spencer and Hotch entered the house that Ben broke into and Spencer followed Hotch into the living room causing his heart to drop at the sight of Ben holding a knife at two children.

"Ben, drop the knife," said Hotch.

Ben gasped.

"Shoot me," said Ben quietly just as Morgan and Ashley entered the living room.

Spencer slowly made his way towards Ben.

"Ben, we're not gonna shoot you, but we do need you to put down that knife, OK?" asked Spencer gently as he holstered his revolver, "All right, where are the other people in this room, Ben?" asked Spencer softly.

Ben pointed in the direction that his three friends were standing in.

"Right there. You see him?" asked Ben.

Spencer looked at the direction that Ben was looking at.

"Right here? Were they there for the exorcism?" asked Spencer.

Ben nodded.

"Mm-hmm. I didn't kill them, though. I didn't do it," said Ben as he hallucinated one of his friends talking to him, "And I'm not lying!" cried Ben.

"Ben, they're dead and they can't hurt you anymore," said Hotch.

"They can't?" asked Ben.

"No, Ben. Your mind is playing tricks on you. Once you get help, it'll all stop," said Morgan.

Ben looked at his hallucinations.

"Yeah, OK. All right, I killed you. I set the fire," said Ben.

"Ben, listen to us. It's OK. We're gonna get you a doctor's help. I promise you that," said Morgan.

"No. The... The only way that you can help me is if you do it... If you kill me," said Ben.

Spencer thought about all the times he had to stop his mother from trying to commit suicide until he had her committed.

"Ben, that's not true. Listen, the only way we can help you is if you put down that knife and let those children go and we'll get you to the hospital," said Spencer.

Ben who hallucinated Spencer telling him to stab him in the neck looked at Spencer.

"Are you sure that'll work?" asked Ben.

"Oh, I'm absolutely sure of it. Put that knife down, OK?" asked Spencer gently.

Ben who hallucinated Spencer telling him to stab him in the neck again

"OK. It's OK. Get going," said Ben as he let the children go.

As soon as the two children ran out of the room, Ben charged at Spencer causing Spencer to quickly sidestep away as Hotch shot the younger man in the shoulder.

"Aah!" grunted Ben as he fell to the ground.

Spencer reached for the mic on his vest.

"We need an ambulance," said Spencer before he crouched down and checked Ben's pulse.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Are you OK?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"I doubt that Maeve will be happy if she hears about my close call," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

Over eight hours later Spencer pressed the buzzer on the hospital's main entrance and a few minutes later Dr. Reynolds opened up the door causing Spencer to remember that it was one of the nights that Dr. Reynolds would stay the night at the hospital to keep an eye on the 30 residents.

"Good evening Dr. Reynolds, but do you think I can see my mom?" asked Spencer.

"She's already in bed, but why are you showing up here after midnight?" asked Dr. Reynolds.

Spencer sighed.

"I just got back from a case and the unsub that my teammates and I caught made me decide to visit my mom before I go home to my family," said Spencer softly.

Dr. Reynolds realized what the unsub might have had that would cause Spencer to visit after visiting hours.

"Was the killer you caught schizophrenic?" asked Dr. Reynolds.

"Yes," said Spencer.

Dr. Reynolds studied Spencer for a moment and thought about how the past five weeks have been rough for Spencer when it came to his mother getting diagnosed with Dementia and losing a teammate in the field nearly a week later.

"You can watch your mom sleep for a half hour, but then I want you to go home to Maeve and children and get some sleep," said Dr. Reynolds firmly.

"Yes sir," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

10 minutes later Spencer quietly entered his mother's hospital room and sat down in the rocking chair by his mother's bedside and watched his mother sleep.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer quietly crept into his and Maeve's bedroom and he sighed at the sight of Jocelyn sleeping in his bed just as Maeve exited the master bathroom.

"You should have been home over an hour ago," said Maeve.

"I know, but I had to go to the hospital and watch my mom sleep for a bit," said Spencer.

Maeve pulled her husband into a hug.

"I know that cases that deal with schizophrenics aren't easy for you and I told you countless of times that you're not going to turn out like your mother," said Maeve softly.

Spencer looked into his wife's eyes.

"How did I get so lucky to be married to someone like you?" asked Spencer.

Maeve smiled.

"My answer is very long," said Maeve before yawning, "but right now you should get into the shower before we get some sleep," said Maeve.

Spencer thought about Jocelyn ruining his and Maeve's sex lives because of having to sleep with them every night.

"Want to join me in the shower?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"Yes," said Maeve as she led her husband to the bathroom and closed the door and locked it, "And do you think that you can try to reduce Jocelyn's fears so she can start sleeping in her own bed again?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"I'm already planning on talking to her because it would be nice to have a night without Josie ruining our sex lives," said Spencer.

A minute later Spencer and Maeve were getting into the shower together.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day after dinner, Spencer looked at Jocelyn as they sat in the library.

"Are you scared that you'll never see me again because of Auntie Emily going to Heaven?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn nodded as her eyes started to water.

"I don't want to lose you, daddy," said Jocelyn.

Spencer sighed.

"I knew what I signed up for when I became an F.B.I. agent, but I want to make this country a safer place for you, your siblings, Jack, Henry, and Auntie Stephanie," said Spencer before taking a deep breath, "Mommy, grandma, grandpa, Auntie Stephanie, and I have been letting your naughty behavior slide because of you missing your godmother, but you need to start behaving or you won't be allowed to start attending preschool this August," said Spencer firmly.

Jocelyn's eyes went wide as she thought about not getting to attend school like her aunt.

"OK, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"Remember falling down the stairs and breaking your arm six weeks ago?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn wiggled her left arm.

"My arm hurts a lot and I got a pink and purple cast," said Jocelyn.

Spencer nodded as he thought about being grateful that Jocelyn doesn't even remember watching him recover from being shot above the left knee.

"There will be times that I will come home from a case with an owie that might scare you, but I promise you that I will always fight to come home to you, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, Lynette, Stephanie, and mommy," said Spencer.

"You promise?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer smiled as he realized that his two-year-old daughter pronounced promise correctly.

"I promise because even though I'm not looking forward to you, Gabriella, and Lynette getting married and starting your own families someday, I still want to walk Stephanie, you, Gabriella, and Lynette down the wedding aisle and hold my grandchildren in the future," said Spencer.


	87. The Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for making you guys wait over two weeks for this chapter, but the surgery I was suppose to have ended up becoming exploratory laparoscopic surgery instead because of my doctor finding a bunch of problems after she inserted a camera through my belly button (Which is finally healed enough for me to sit with my laptop on my lap without feeling any pain or discomfort). I ended up seeing an oncologist (I don't have cancer, but she wanted to send me to a specialist who can help me better than herself) who has put me on two different medications to help with another medical condition I was diagnosed with during the attempted surgery and is planning to do surgery in the beginning of February (I should be done with this story before then if I don't deal with too much writer's block) because I have a higher risk of losing part of my small intestines if she did surgery she wants to do now.
> 
> This chapter started two weeks after the last chapter and I decided not to write about Spencer's grief assessment, but he pretty much said everything that he said to Hotch in Hanley Waters while he mentioned about having to go to therapy a lot over the past four years because of having complex-post-traumatic-stress-disorder, his therapy sessions increased because of his migraines, his mom getting diagnosed with Dementia and Emily dying while adding that he wonders if he should become a college professor like his mother wanted him to from the beginning.

Spencer woke up to a small tongue licking his face causing him reach over for his glasses and slipped them on and as soon as his vision cleared he realized that Jocelyn was laying on top of him as she made panting noises while her tongue was sticking out of her mouth before looking at his alarm clock to see that it was 5:45 A.M.

“Why are you up right now and why are you acting like a puppy right now, Josie Posie?” asked Spencer.

Jocelyn stopped panting and grinned at her daddy.

“Woof. Woof,” said Jocelyn before she started licking her daddy's face causing Spencer chuckle before smirking at his oldest daughter.

“Why not give mommy some kisses too?” asked Spencer quietly.

Jocelyn grinned as she scrambled towards her mommy and started to lick her mommy's face as Maeve's eyes shot open.

“Why are you licking me, Jocelyn?” asked Maeve.

Spencer grinned at Maeve.

“I guess Jocelyn decided to act like a puppy today instead of a cat,” said Spencer.

Maeve shook her head before she noticed the time on the alarm clock before looking at her husband.

“Since there are about two hours before you have to leave for work, do you want to fit in a run this morning?” asked Maeve.

Spencer looked at Jocelyn who started to make panting noises again as he thought about the possibility of bringing Jocelyn along so she can't wake up her siblings.

“What do you say about joining mommy and daddy for a run this morning?” asked Spencer.

Jocelyn grinned as she thought about one of the jogging strollers that her mommy and daddy owned.

“Woof woof,” said Jocelyn as she wiggled her tushie quickly.

“I take that as a yes,” laughed Maeve.

Spencer looked at Maeve.

“Let's get Jocelyn and ourselves changed and check on Gabby, Artie, Joey, and Nettie before we put Josie into her jogging stroller,” said Spencer.

“Dibs on using the bathroom first,” said Maeve as she quickly got out of bed.

10 minutes later Spencer and Maeve were running in their neighborhood while Spencer pushed a jogging stroller that contained a bundled up Jocelyn.

xxxxxxxxx

Later on that evening, Spencer signed his last consult for the day just as he heard Maeve's voice.

“Are you ready for our monthly 13th day of the month date night?” asked Maeve.

Spencer got up from his desk and made his way over to Maeve and pecked her on the lips.

“Yes and I'm sorry that I had to stay at the office later than I planned,” said Spencer.

Maeve glanced over at the empty desk that once belonged to Emily as she thought about Spencer telling her that his workload was going to increase because of his teammates still being an agent down and how he refused to bring consults home to work on because he wanted to focus on her, the kids, and Stephanie when he's not working.

“Its OK, Spencer,” said Maeve.

Spencer started to pack up his messenger bag before wrapping the scarf his mother knitted him around his neck and looked at Ashley.

“Have a nice night and please don't stay here too long,” said Spencer.

Ashley looked up at Spencer and Maeve with a curious look on her face.

“I hope that I'm not overstepping any boundaries, but what type of date night do you two do on the 13th day of each month?” asked Ashley.

Spencer wrapped an arm around Maeve and grinned at Ashley.

“There's a movie theater in Washington D.C. that has a horror movie festival on the 13th and Maeve and I always go to that festival when I'm home because of our love for horror movies,” said Spencer.

“Now that sounds like fun,” said Ashley.

Maeve smiled.

“It is,” said Maeve before nodding at her husband.

Spencer realized what Maeve was giving him permission to do as he looked at Ashley.

“Would you like to go to the movies with Maeve and me?” asked Spencer.

Ashley looked between Spencer and Maeve.

“Are you sure that I won't be a third wheel?” asked Ashley just as Morgan and Garcia approached them.

“What about a third wheel?” asked Garcia before smiling at Maeve, “Hi Maeve,” said Garcia.

“Hello Penelope and Derek,” said Maeve before becoming serious, “Spencer and I are going to the movies and we decided to see if any of you guys want to join us because we haven't done anything as a group since Christmas,” said Maeve.

Ashley looked at Spencer and Maeve.

“I'm in because going to the movies with your guys beats going home to an empty apartment,” said Ashley.

Spencer looked at Morgan and Garcia.

“Are you guys in?” asked Spencer.

“Since I rarely see you outside of work, I'm in,” said Garcia.

“I'm in too,” said Morgan.

A few minutes later, Spencer, Maeve, Ashley, Morgan, and Garcia were entering the elevator together when Spencer looked at Maeve.

“Aside from the pictures and videos you sent me of the kids today, how were they today?” asked Spencer.

“They were great and I'm sad that Gabriella will be turning 22-months-old on Friday while Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette will be 11-months-old on Sunday,” said Maeve.

Spencer sighed sadly as he thought about his three youngest children.

“I can't believe that Gabby will be turning two in two months while the triplets will be turning a year old next month,” said Spencer.

Garcia looked at Spencer and Maeve.

“Speaking of first birthdays, are you two still going to throw a birthday party for the triplets like you two did for Jocelyn and Gabriella?” asked Garcia.

Maeve nodded.

“My mom and I already started planning the triplets' birthday party,” said Maeve.

Spencer looked at Maeve.

“Have you decided a theme yet?” asked Spencer.

Maeve grinned as she pulled out her phone and showed a picture of the cake she ordered causing Spencer to grin when he saw that the cake will be in a shape of a castle and disposable plates that had pictures of castles or knights on horses.

“You decided on a medieval theme party for the triplets?” asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

“We made sure that each triplet had a name of a character from “Le Morte D'Arthur” in their names and we made sure that their nursery had a medieval theme, so I thought that you would want to keep the medieval theme going for the triplets,” said Maeve.

Spencer grinned.

“You know me well, Maeve,” said Spencer.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

A couple of hours later, Spencer exited the movie theater with Maeve, Ashley, Garcia, and Morgan as he gave Maeve a piggyback ride when Garcia looked at her teammates and Maeve as she decided to talk about the movie.

“There's too much blood and gore and eew,” said Garcia. 

Spencer and Maeve laughed as Spencer turned his head towards Garcia.

“Garcia, it's a slasher film. How do you do a slasher film without violence?” asked Spencer. 

“You imply it,” said Garcia. 

Morgan shook his head as he looked at Garcia.

“Baby, the movie is called "Slice 6." what were you expecting?” asked Morgan. 

“A refreshing beverage with a twist of comedy. I'm gonna have nightmares for a week,” said Garcia.

Spencer smiled as Ashley looked at Garcia.

“With everything that we do and see on a daily basis, that got to you?” asked Ashley.

Garcia looked over at Ashley. 

“Listen, newb, you may be all Sigourney Weaver ass-kicking tough, which is awesome, but the mystical mavens of innocence like myself jump at things that go bump in the night,' said Garcia. 

“Why are you worried? I'm sure that Morgan will protect you,” said Spencer before grinning at the memory of him, Maeve, and Ashley all throwing popcorn at Morgan to wake him up, “As long as he's not jumping out of his chair like a prepubescent schoolgirl,” teased Spencer.

Maeve, Ashley, and Garcia laughed while Garcia looped arms with Morgan.

“The only reason I jumped is 'cause you guys woke me up,” said Morgan. 

Garcia laughed.

“How could you sleep during that?” asked Garcia.

“Easy. You drag me out after a 12-hour workday… For what? You telling me that girl didn't know that the unsub was waiting for her upstairs? Come on, now,” said Morgan.

Spencer looked over at Morgan. 

“Villain,” corrected Spencer.

Morgan looked over at his pseudo younger brother who was still giving Maeve a piggy back ride without even limping.

“What?” asked Morgan.

“In movies, unsubs are called villains,” said Spencer.

Morgan quickly saw the look that Maeve was giving him.

“My bad,” said Morgan.

Spencer felt a tongue on his neck causing him to stop walking and look back at Maeve.

“What was that for?” asked Spencer.

“I want to get down because I want to make sure I don't damage your bad knee by making you give me a piggyback ride all the way to our car,” said Maeve.

Spencer crouched down a bit as Maeve climbed off his back.

“And you decided to lick my neck to gain my attention?” asked Spencer.

Maeve looped her right arm with her husband's left arm.

“I wanted to see how you would react to me licking you because of us having to wake up to Jocelyn licking us this morning,” laughed Maeve.

“Jocelyn really did that?” asked Garcia.

Spencer and Maeve laughed.

“She's going through a phase of pretending that she's a puppy,” said Maeve.

Garcia smiled.

“Now that's adorable,” said Garcia.

Spencer nodded in agreement.

“Josie's funny and cute antics definitely helps get me to smile and laugh more, but do you want to know why horror movies are so successful?” asked Spencer. 

“Why is that, genius?” asked Morgan. 

“They prey on our instinctual need to survive. In tribal days, a woman's scream would signal danger and the men would return from hunting to protect their pack. That's why it's always the women and not the men who fall victim to the bogeyman,” said Spencer. 

Ashley smiled.

“Count on you, Reid, to break a movie down to science,” said Ashley.

Maeve laughed.

“That's my Spencer,” said Maeve.

Spencer gave Maeve a peck on the lips.

“You enjoy breaking movies down to science too, Maeve,” said Spencer.

Garcia looked at her teammates and Maeve.

“My favorite thing about horror movies is the suspense factor,” said Garcia.

Spencer grinned at Maeve.

“Ah, the ticking clock,” said Spencer and Maeve in unison. 

Ashley grinned at Spencer and Maeve.

“The helpless victim walks through the dark... Shadows reaching out to get her,” said Ashley.

“A sudden noise draws her attention. Is someone there, or is it just in her head?” asked Spencer with a spooky voice.

Maeve laughed as she bumped shoulders with her husband.

“Still, it's totally unrealistic. No one should be walking through a dark alley by themselves at night,” said Garcia.

Morgan coughed a bit.

“Ahem. Hello,” said Morgan as he pointed at himself. 

Garcia instantly realized what Morgan was trying to tell her.

“Ah. No one should be walking through a dark alley without a Derek Morgan by their side,” said Garcia.

Maeve smiled from behind her husband.

“At least I have my husband to protect me,” said Maeve.

Spencer gave Maeve another kiss before he became serious.

“But the best part of a horror movie... You never know when the end is gonna come,” said Spencer.

Garcia looked at Maeve.

“Did you enjoy the movie we just saw?” asked Garcia.

“I did because we watched horror movies in Spencer's old apartment when we were dating,” said Maeve.

“There are times that I'm shocked that you two married each other after dating for two months,” said Morgan.

Spencer smiled at Maeve.

“My mom once told me that I would know it when I found the right one and the year I met Maeve taught me that life is too short and I didn't want to wait any longer with getting married and having kids,” said Spencer.

Garcia and Morgan each squeezed Spencer's arm as they realize that he was referring to the Hankel case and Gideon's girlfriend getting murdered while Ashley looked at Spencer and Maeve.

“Seeing you two together makes me hope that I'll eventually find the right guy who isn't either a narcissist or won't judge me for who my father is,” said Ashley.

Spencer looked at Ashley.

“I hope so too because I use to believe that I would never find someone who isn't scared of my mom until I met Maeve,” said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was walking to the bullpen with Ashley, Garcia, and Rossi as he told Rossi about the movie that he, Maeve, Ashley, Garcia, and Morgan went to see the night before.

“What we didn't see coming is the slicer's brother was in the closet,” said Spencer. 

“Frightening,” said Rossi. 

“His betrayal consumed him and he sent his brother to his own private hell,” grinned Spencer as they entered the bullpen. 

Rossi instantly noticed Hotch talking to Strauss causing him to stop walking.

“Speaking of horror…,” said Rossi. 

Spencer looked in the direction that Rossi was looking in to realize who Rossi was referring to.

“What's Strauss doing here?” asked Spencer. 

A worried Garcia looked at Spencer, Ashley, and Rossi.

“Whatever it is, I cast my vote on "not good.",” said Garcia.

Spencer exchanged glances with his teammates before they all started to head towards the conference room.

 

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting at the conference table with his teammates sans Hotch when Hotch entered the room.

“Let's get started,” said Hotch. 

“OK,” said Garcia as she pulled up pictures of three young women, “Monica Shanley, Natalie Wallace, Amber Lasko. Three college students killed in their off-campus apartments in the last five days. Two were going to San Diego Coastal University, one was going to San Diego Tech,” said Garcia.

Morgan noticed the similarity in the women. 

“Well, the unsub definitely has a type. They could all be related,” said Morgan. 

“Yeah, what he said. They're all in their early 20s, brunette, majoring in education and/or child development,” said Garcia. 

“Is there any indication that they knew one another?” asked Ashley. 

“As it stands right now, I'm coming up empty. Their apartments were spread throughout the city, so…,” said Garcia.

Spencer who had already read his case file looked at his teammates. 

“No fingerprints at the crime scene. The unsub uses gloves,” said Spencer. 

“He's organized,” said Ashley.

Hotch looked at the file in front of himself. 

“Forced entry at all the apartments. Backdoor, patio door, living room window,” listed Hotch. 

“The homes were wrecked. Clear evidence of a struggle,” said Rossi.

Ashley looked at her teammates. 

“He's creating a scene. He wants to inflict fear not only in his victim but in whoever finds the body,” said Ashley. 

“Could be a message to the local P.D. "Look what I can do.",” said Rossi.

“He's killed three women in under a week. In all likelihood, he's hunting for his fourth victim now. San Diego P.D. wants us on the scene as soon as possible,” said Hotch.

A minute later Spencer got Maeve on the phone.

“Where are you jetting off to this time, Spencer?” asked Maeve.

“I'm going to San Diego, California,” said Spencer.

“Please stay safe and I hope you didn't forget that I'll be unavailable for two hours this morning because of my job interview at Georgetown University Hospital,” said Maeve.

Spencer smiled as he thought about Dr. Barnes telling Maeve that Georgetown University Hospital was looking for two new laboratory genetics counselors at his last checkup and that he thought that she should apply for the job before her year off of work to focus on being a mother ended.

“Are you hoping that you'll get this job?” asked Spencer.

“When it comes to impressing Dr. Marks and Dr. Barnes with my knowledge on genetics and mental illness, I'm hoping that I'll be hired because I'll be helping a lot of families with this job,” said Maeve.

“I hope that you get hired too, so please let me know how your interview went,” said Spencer.

“I'll text you after my interview, but do you have time to talk to the kids before you head to the jet?” asked Maeve.

Spencer sighed sadly.

“I'm heading to the jet in two minutes because San Diego needs my teammates and me there ASAP, but I promise you that I'll find time to call and talk to the kids as soon as I have five minutes to make a phone call,” said Spencer.

“OK and please stay safe,” said Maeve.

“I promise and I love you,” said Spencer.

“I love you too,” said Maeve before hanging up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Spencer was looking at the crime scene photos while Rossi looked at his teammates.

“Our unsub has a type and a temper,” said Rossi.  
Morgan thought about the crime scene photos from Amber's apartment as he looked at his teammates.

“Amber was getting ready for her bath. It would have been an easy target for a sexual assault, but none came. That's highly unusual behavior for this kind of unsub,” said Morgan. 

“You know, extreme violence in physical aggression is in its nature sexual,” said Spencer. 

“That's true, but as a substitution for the sex act. This guy could be impotent. He can't perform, so that's why he goes all out for the kill,” said Morgan. 

Hotch looked at his teammates.

“If he's targeting female college students, we need to make sure that campus officials are informed if they haven't been already. We also can't rule out other students and faculty,” said Hotch. 

Spencer thought about what he knew about San Diego.

“You know, San Diego's essentially one big college town, with an enrollment at S.D.C.U. of approximately 65,000 students,” said Spencer.

Ashley thought about the research she did. 

“San Diego County has nine universities... five private, four public. We add seven more if we're including trade schools,” said Ashley. 

“Each girl lived off-campus and was attacked in their apartment. That's pretty high-risk,” said Rossi. 

“Less risky if he's stalking them in advance, running layouts and routines,” said Hotch. 

“Between classes and part-time jobs, they'd be home sporadically at best,” said Ashley. 

“Which tells us they're not victims of opportunity. He targets them, then stalks them to know where they live and when they're gonna be alone,” said Morgan.

“Morgan, you and Reid go to the last victim's apartment. Seaver, interview the roommate. Dave and I will go to the medical examiner's,” said Hotch.

A few seconds later Spencer's personal phone vibrated and a few seconds later Spencer saw a text message from Maeve.

I GOT THE JOB AND I'LL BE STARTING THE DAY AFTER THE TRIPLETS TURN ONE ~ MR

Spencer grinned.

“Reid?” asked Hotch.

“Maeve sent me a text telling me about how her job interview went,” said Spencer as he typed his reply to Maeve.

I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU AND WE'LL CELEBRATE WHEN I GET HOME FROM SAN DIEGO. ~ SR

“And?” asked Rossi.

Spencer quickly sent the message to Maeve before looking at Rossi.

“Maeve's starting her new job as a laboratory genetic counselor at Georgetown University Hospital the day after the triplet's first birthday next month,” said Spencer.

“Knowing Maeve, she'll enjoy being a laboratory genetics counselor,” said Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

“Even though Maeve's sad about her time of being a stay at home mom is coming to an end, she's looking forward to her new job because she'll be helping families in a way that she couldn't help them while she worked at Mendel University,” said Spencer.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Spencer walked around the parking garage with his hands in his pockets and his prescription sunglasses perched on his face when Morgan looked at him.

“Well, there's no secure parking,” said Morgan. 

Spencer turned himself around in a circle as he thought about his old bicycle that he rode around at Cal-tech to him get around on campus.

“I rode a bike when I was in college,” said Spencer. 

Morgan thought about starting college a month before his 13th birthday.

“That's 'cause you weren't old enough to drive, Einstein,” said Morgan. 

“I could drive. It's just the government wouldn't issue me a license until I was 14,” said Spencer as he took a look of his surroundings, “A lot of places for the unsub to hide out here,” said Spencer as he removed his prescription sunglasses and slipped on his glasses as he started to climb up some  
stairs. 

“Yeah, he could have easily grabbed her when she passed through here,” said Morgan.

Spencer looked at the open door that led to a bunch of apartments.

“Yet she made it all the way to her apartment. Where she should feel safe, but then he took that from her,” said Morgan.

Xxxxxxxx

Spencer and Morgan entered Amber's apartment and approached the detective that was waiting for them.

“I'm Agent Derek Morgan,” said Morgan as he shook hands with the detective before gesturing to Spencer, “This is Dr. Spencer Reid,” said Morgan. 

“Detective Bryce Harding,” said Detective Morgan before he looked down at the notes he took, “Amber's roommate Michelle told us she was out of town visiting family when the attack occurred,” said Detective Harding. 

“The unsub must have known that. That's why he made his move last night,” said Morgan. 

Detective Harding gestured to one of the windows in Amber's and Michelle's apartment.

“He jimmied the lock on the window,” said Detective Harding.

Spencer started to head to Amber's bedroom that had the same paint color as Jocelyn's and Gabriella's bedroom. 

“I guess he needed the privacy to complete the torture,” said Spencer. 

Morgan looked back at Detective Harding as he and Detective Harding followed Spencer towards the bathroom.

“Well, most sadists like to kill on their own turf. This guy didn't risk taking her to a secondary location,” said Morgan. 

“Maybe something happened which makes the location of the kill significant,” said Spencer as he noticed dried up blood smeared on the wall above the tub causing him to point at the wall, “Look. That's something new. He's smearing blood on the walls, exhibiting more control and rage over his victims, taking pleasure in the kill,” said Spencer. 

“What's with the specific physical type?” asked Detective Harding. 

“It looks like he's taking his anger out on women who represent someone he knows,” said Morgan. 

“Yeah, like Edmund Kemper. He most likely can't confront his true target yet, so he's going after women who look like her until he can build up the confidence to complete his endgame,” said Spencer.

xxxxxx

Spencer was sitting next to Morgan as he listed to Garcia brief them about the victims on the phone.

“The first victim Monica Shanley's B.F.F. reported that they were talking on the phone and hung up just before Monica stepped inside her apartment,” said Garcia. 

“What does that get us?” asked Morgan. 

“Well, some neighbors heard loud screaming coming from Monica's apartment at 11:12 P.M. At 11:15 they called 911. 11:26 cops arrived,” said Garcia. 

“He's able to strike, kill, and get out in less than 14 minutes?” asked Spencer just as Ashley joined them.

Rossi looked at Ashley. 

“How'd it go?” asked Rossi. 

Ashley sat down in one of the chairs.

“According to her roommate, Amber worked odd jobs to make ends meet,” said Ashley. 

“Could be where she made contact with the unsub,” said Rossi. 

“Garcia, get us a list of jobs that Amber worked the last few months, and look for personal checks she might have deposited as under-the-table payments,” said Hotch.

“Copy that,” said Garcia. 

“The unsub stalks his victims. He knows their routine. He could attack them anytime they're alone, even in their cars, but he chooses to attack them in their homes,” said Rossi. 

“And waits for them to bolt the doors before he strikes. He wants them to feel safe before he takes that away from them,” said Morgan. 

“It's about making them feel powerless in their own personal space,” said Spencer. 

“So it's physical and psychological torture,” said Ashley. 

“If he keeps to his accelerated timetable, he'll strike tonight,” said Hotch.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer's heart dropped as he entered the nursery where Laurie was killed causing Morgan to think about Spencer telling him that Gabriella was still sleeping in a crib despite her turning 22-months-old in a day while thinking about how Stephanie looks so much like the victims.

“Thinking about your sister, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette right now?” asked Morgan.

Spencer nodded as he thought about seeing the little boy that was sleeping in his mother's arms.

“I am because Stephanie looks so much like the victims and I'm grateful that the infant that Laurie was babysitting is too young to remember watching his babysitter get murdered,” said Spencer before he decided to focus on the case as he looked around the nursery that Laurie was murdered in, “With an infant in the room, Laurie would have been at her most vulnerable,” said Spencer before noticing all the similar supplies that were in Jocelyn's, Gabriella's, Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette's bedrooms back home in Washington D.C.,” Look at this. He felt compelled to organize the supplies. Look,” said Spencer as he showed Morgan a bottle that had blood on it and some formula still in the bottle.

Morgan looked at the rocking chair that was in the nursery.

“Do you think the unsub fed the kid? Then he stabs Laurie, so the kid probably started crying. Maybe he gave the kid the bottle in order to keep him quiet,” said Morgan.

Spencer squinted at Morgan. 

“What kind of an unsub stops murdering to care for an infant?” asked Spencer. 

“One who identifies with the child. We might be looking for someone with a deep-rooted abandonment issue,” said Morgan. 

“Or maybe the baby crying interfered with his enjoyment of watching the babysitter bleed out?” asked Spencer. 

“Well, either way, caring for the child would be psychological torture for Laurie,” said Morgan just as he and Spencer heard a cell phone beeping causing Morgan to search through the bedding and stuffed animals in Jullian's crib causing Morgan to find a cell phone that had missed calls and a bunch of text messages, “Reid. Look at that. She's got several missed calls and a few text messages from social networking sites. "What's with the photo? Halloween isn't for months.",” read Morgan.

Spencer quickly got Garcia on his phone and a second later he heard Garcia's voice.

“Speak, boy wonder, behold my might,” said Garcia.

Spencer inwardly smiled at one of the nicknames that Garcia gave him. 

“Garcia, the latest victim Laurie Burgin was writing something on the Internet last night. Can you figure out what it was?” asked Spencer. 

“Yeah. I was just tweeting myself. Uno memento,” said Garcia as she started to search through Laurie's internet history, “Oh, God,” said Garcia just as Morgan approached Spencer.

“Reid. She managed to take a picture of the unsub before she died,” said Morgan before he zoomed in on the picture.

Spencer realized that the unsub was wearing some type of mask. 

“Can't really make it out,” said Spencer.

“I can tell you more. Laurie's account was active two hours after that photo was posted,” said Garcia. 

“Well, there's no record of her calling 911,” said Morgan.

“He must have uploaded the image himself,” said Spencer. 

Garcia who was going through Laurie's Twitter page spoke up.

“And continued posting status updates after she died. "Feeling faint at heart." "All alone and too scared to cry.",” read Garcia. 

“All right, this isn't good. He's mocking his victims now. He sat here tweeting while Laurie bled to death. All right, baby girl, listen. I need you to go through Laurie's accounts. See who was following her and see who was messaging back,” said Morgan. 

“On it,” said Garcia. 

“All right, let's get out of here, let's get back to Hotch. We got a photo and we got a profile,” said Morgan. 

“Thank you, Garcia,” said Spencer before hanging up.

xxxxxx 

Spencer looked at the bodies that were covered up when Detective Harding looked at Spencer and Rossi.

“Jake suffered multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen. The sitter Lily got the brunt of it,” said Detective Harding.

Rossi lifted up the tarp and looked at one of the bodies. 

“This is the second time he struck inside someone else's home. He's telling us something,” said Rossi. 

“He's narrowing in on his ideal victimology,” said Spencer as he crouched down and lifted up the tarp and looked at the second body, “Babysitting somehow fits into the scenario he's trying to recreate,” said Spencer before he noticed the knife wounds, “You know what? He changed his M. O. as well. He violated Lily with a knife,” said Spencer. 

“He hasn't shown aggressive sexual behavior up till now. What's different?” asked Rossi. 

“This is more personal. She could be the one he's been after all along,” said Spencer.

“I don't know. This guy's meticulous. He plans everything out,” said Rossi. 

“Then why didn't he know the Ellisons were returning?” asked Detective Harding. 

“I think he did. I mean, the unsub was watching the house. He knew that they came home, but he just didn't care. He adapted,” said Spencer. 

“He went after the biggest threat first. He eliminated Jake in order to gain control over Lily and Amy,” said Rossi.

Spencer started to look at the bodies again.

“There are two initial points of attack, one in the hallway outside the nursery and the other one here,” said Detective Harding.

“Yet, both bodies ended up together,” said Rossi. 

Spencer noticed the way that the bodies were posed.

“Look at the way they're posed, directly looking at each other,” said Spencer. 

“He wanted them to watch each other die,” said Rossi. 

“I think it's more than that. This change in behavior could be the piece that we're missing,” said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxxx 

Morgan looked at the most recent crime scene photos as he looked at his teammates.

“This guy knew the Ellisons were home, but he struck anyway. He could have taken out the entire family, but he chose to spare the mother and the child. Why?” asked Morgan. 

“With the Jenkins, the unsub actually fed the baby. Here, he spared the mother and locked her in a room with her son. It's like he's protecting the children,” said Ashley. 

“The addition of Jake Ellison caused the unsub to change his methodology. For the first time, he posed the bodies, and he's also sexually violated one of the victims,” said Spencer. 

“OK, we have a father posed to look at a dying babysitter and a mother and child protected upstairs. That's a pretty clear message,” said Rossi.

“Garcia, search for local women who died in their early 30s and they're survived by a husband and at least one son. Go back 10-15 years,” said Hotch.

“Cross that with new marriage licenses filed by surviving husbands,” said Spencer. 

“The unsub's always been troubled, Garcia, so look for youthful offenders who would have fit into the sociopathic triad,” said Morgan.

Garcia who did some typing spoke up.

“OK, I've got 30 matches, which points to a disturbing social phenomenon and does not help us narrow this down,” said Garcia. 

“OK, so cross-reference that with your list of newly-released inmates and mental patients,” said Ashley.

“OK, I've got a few. What about... Here's one. Greg Phinney, Chula Vista. He was put into juvie when he was 13 for... Threatening his step-mom with a knife,” said Garcia. 

“What do we know about the stepmother?” asked Morgan. 

“Kate Jones, aka the second Mrs. Phinney. Married Greg's father a year after Greg's mother was killed in a car accident. Greg was 11 at the time. Mr. Phinney died four weeks ago,” said Garcia. 

“Is there any evidence that Kate worked in the Phinney home before the mother's death?” asked Hotch.

“Oh, the plot solidifies. Kate cited additional income as a caregiver on her tax returns when she was a college student Payments trace back to the Phinneys. Kate filed numerous reports against Greg for violent behavior, experimentation on animals. Greg's father finally put the kibosh on things when he was 17, had him institutionalized. Greg was released two weeks ago,” said Garcia. 

“Just before the killings started,” said Ashley. 

“Garcia, where's Greg Phinney now?” asked Spencer. 

“Yeah, that's a good question,” said Garcia.

xxxx 

“He's not in here. The bedroom's clear,” said Morgan.

Spencer grabbed a latex-free glove out of his pocket and opened up Greg's laptop and pressed a key causing him and Morgan to see an employee login on the screen as Morgan got Garcia on the phone. 

“Baby girl, can you tell me why Greg Phinney's laptop has an employee login screen?” asked Morgan. 

“Well, lover, I have been doing some digging. Did you know that he's been working part-time as a data entry clerk at the "San Diego Register"?” asked Garcia.

Spencer squinted in confusion.

“If he was in an institution, where did he get time to find a job?” asked Spencer.

“Uh, he didn't even have to look. This job is part of his work-release program. And 20 hours of Internet privileges will go a long way,” said Garcia. 

Morgan started to pace a bit.

“That's how he finds his victims. He browses the classifieds,” said Morgan. 

“Did he have access to the customers' personal information?” asked Spencer.

“Oh, honey, he entered it,” said Garcia.

Spencer and Morgan walked towards the wall where there was a picture hanging on the wall that had darts sticking through it causing them to realize that Greg had a lot of built up anger directed at his step-mother.

“That must be Kate Phinney,” said Spencer. 

“Well, he's obviously built up the confidence to confront her. Garcia,” said Morgan.

“Reading your mind. Calling the others,” said Garcia. 

ccccccccc

Over seven hours later Spencer quietly entered Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette's nursery and shook his head when he saw that Lynette was standing up in her crib while hanging onto the railings.

“What are you doing up, Lynette?” asked Spencer softly.

Lynette grinned at her daddy as she made the sign for milk causing him to smile.

“Then let's go get you some formula,” said Spencer quietly as he scooped up his youngest daughter and exited the nursery with Lynette.

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting in his recliner with Lynette facing him on his lap as he passed the heated up bottle of formula to Lynette who quickly put the bottle into her mouth and started drinking the formula while Spencer looked into his youngest daughter's blue eyes that matched his mother's.

“You and your siblings are growing way too fast for my liking because Jocelyn will be turning three and starting preschool this August, Gabriella will be turning two in July, and you, Arthur, and Joseph will be turning a year old next month,” said Spencer sadly as he ran a gentle hand through Lynette's growing blonde curly hair.

Lynette stopped drinking her bottle and allowed it to fall onto her lap as she reached out and patted her daddy's face.

“Dada,” said Lynette as she started to babble away.

Spencer smiled.

“Are you trying to tell me about what you did with mommy, grandma Mary, Grandpa Joe, your siblings, and Auntie Stephanie while I was in San Diego or are you telling me to stop being sad about how fast you and your siblings are growing?” asked Spencer.

“Aye,” said Lynette as she grabbed her bottle and started to continue drinking the formula her daddy heated up for her.

Spencer smiled as he shook his head.

“If your telling me to stop being sad about how fast you and your siblings are growing, I'm not going to stop being sad about how fast you and your siblings are growing because daddy wishes that you and your siblings would stop growing before my eyes,” said Spencer as he started to recite a chapter of “Le Morte D'Arthur” out loud to Lynette.


	88. Out of Light & Big Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even though you readers were understanding about the hiatus I had to take so I could recover from surgery, here's a long chapter to make up for the hiatus.
> 
> Because of this story coming to an end soon, I decided to include a scene form Unforgettable in this chapter.

Stephanie looked at her oldest brother as she, her brother, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews, and Maeve's parents ate pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon for breakfast.

"When it came to all those tornadoes hitting the south the past three days, I really want to do a few things to help the victims," said Stephanie.

Spencer thought about how his sister admires him for the sacrifices he has to make to make their country a safer place.

"And you're wanting to help the victims because of me saving lives for a living?" asked Spencer.

Stephanie nodded.

"Yes," said Stephanie.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Maeve.

"Other than wanting to donate the clothing I never wear anymore, I'm hoping that you would let me donate some of the money from my trust fund," said Stephanie.

"How much money were you thinking about donating?" asked Spencer.

"Would $1,000 be too much?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer thought about how much money Stephanie has under her name.

"Not at all," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"I do want to donate all the clothing that Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette grew out of to the victims of the tornadoes," said Maeve.

"While saving all the clothing that Jocelyn grew out of for Gabriella and Lynette?" asked Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"That's the plan because Gabriella will be fitting into Jocelyn's clothing soon while Jocelyn will be getting new clothes soon," said Maeve.

"I give toys away too?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer looked at his two-year-old daughter while feeling saddened at the thought of Jocelyn turning three in about three months.

"You really want to donate some of your toys to the kids who lost their toys to the tornadoes?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn nodded as her curly pigtails bounced.

"I like my books more tan toys," said Jocelyn.

Joe and Mary laughed before Mary looked at her oldest granddaughter.

"We know, Jocelyn," said Mary before looking at Spencer, Maeve, and Stephanie, "I also have a bunch of clothing that I'm going to donate to the victims too," said Mary.

Joe looked at his wife.

"I guess that we'll go through our belongings while the kids are taking their n-a-p-s today," said Joe.

Jocelyn glared at her grandfather.

"No nap," said Jocelyn as she pouted and crossed her arms.

xxxxxxx

10 minutes later Spencer was about to unlock his gun safe when he noticed Lynette standing by the edge of the couch as her lip quivered.

"What's wrong Lynette?" asked Spencer before thinking of Lynette still having to take her first unassisted steps even though she can walk while holding onto furniture, "You don't want me to leave without giving you a hug and a kiss?" asked Spencer.

Lynette's face broke into a huge grin as she let go of the couch and took a bunch of wobbly steps towards her father before she started to fall forward causing Spencer to dive and catch Lynette before she crashed on the floor.

"Daddy's so proud of you Lynette," said Spencer just as Maeve, Stephanie, Mary, and Joe hurried down the stairs with Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, and Joseph.

"What was that noise?" asked Mary.

Maeve noticed her husband on the floor with Lynette on top of him.

"I assume that Lynette tried to walk until she started to fall and you dove to catch her?" asked Maeve.

Spencer laughed and nodded as he blew a raspberry on Lynette's stomach causing the nearly one-year-old baby girl to start laughing.

"That's why you guys heard a crash," said Spencer.

Mary looked at her son-in-law's bad knee.

"Did you land on your bad knee at all?" asked Mary.

Spencer shook his head.

"I made sure not to land on my bad knee at all, mom," said Spencer.

Maeve who had Jocelyn on her hip took Lynette from her husband.

"Did daddy save you from getting hurt?" asked Maeve.

Lynette gave her mommy a big grin while showing off all the teeth she has sprouted.

"As soon as daddy leaves for work and Stephanie for school, you'll have to show your grandparents and me your walking skills," said Maeve.

Stephanie looked at her brother and sister-in-law.

"I rather have Lynette walk right now so I can tell my friends and Jeremy about Lynette taking her first steps at school today," said Stephanie.

Spencer looked at his watch as he got off the floor.

"We have five minutes before I need to get you to school, Stephanie," said Spencer.

Maeve set Lynette onto the floor and looked at her youngest daughter.

"Can you walk for daddy, grandma, grandpa, aunt Stephanie, and me?" asked Maeve.

Lynette grinned at her mother as she started to talk a few steps around the living room before falling down on her baby blanket causing everyone to cheer before Spencer had to drive his sister to school before driving himself to work.

xxxxxxx

Two hours later Spencer was fixing himself some tea when Hotch joined him causing him to look at Hotch.

"When it comes to the super tornado breakout the past few days; Maeve, Stephanie, my in-laws, Jocelyn, and I are going to try and help the victims any way we can," said Spencer.

"How?" asked Hotch.

"Maeve, Joe, Mary, and I are going to donate the clothing that the triplets grew out of and clothing we don't wear anymore. Stephanie is wanting to donate $1,000 from her trust fund and clothing she doesn't wear anymore," said Spencer.

"And how does Jocelyn fit into all of this?" asked Hotch.

Spencer gave Hotch a proud smile.

"Jocelyn wants to donate some of her toys because she prefers her books over most of her toys," said Spencer.

Hotch smiled a bit as he thought about Jocelyn asking him to read to her whenever he interacted with the oldest Reid child.

"You and Maeve must be proud of Jocelyn," said Hotch.

"Even though Jocelyn's turning three in about three months, she knows what tornadoes are because of me reading "The Wizard of Oz" to her and allowing her to watch the movie with Maeve, Stephanie, and me," said Spencer before grinning, "Other than being proud of Jocelyn, I'm proud of Lynette too," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about the milestone that Lynette had to reach while Arthur and Joseph already reached that milestone.

"She finally took her first unassisted steps?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded and laughed.

"Lynette and I were the only ones in the living room when she took her first unassisted steps," said Spencer as he started to tell Hotch about Lynette's first steps causing Hotch to laugh when Spencer told him about having to dive across the floor to catch Lynette only to scare Maeve, his in-laws, and Stephanie because of hearing a crash.

xxxxxx

A few days later Spencer entered his mother's hospital room and smiled at the sight of his mother looking through a photo album.

"Hi mom," said Spencer.

Diana looked up from her photo album and instantly recognized her son.

"Hello, Spencer," said Diana.

"How are you feeling today?" asked Spencer.

"I briefly forgot about Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette today," said Diana.

Spencer nodded.

"I already know because Nurse Clarice told me over the phone when I decided to come visit you," said Spencer.

"I really hate it that I ended up getting diagnosed with Dementia, Spencer," said Diana.

"Me too but I know that life isn't always fair because I have to remind Jocelyn that I always can't stay home from work and play with her," said Spencer.

"Speaking of Jocelyn, where are Maeve and the kids?" asked Diana.

"Your doctor decided that Maeve and the kids shouldn't come visit you today just in case if you don't remember that I'm married and a father and cause you to have an episode. Maeve accepted Dr. Reynold's decision and told me that I should still visit you, but Jocelyn threw a big tantrum when I left the house," said Spencer.

Diana allowed a tear to fall down her face.

"Even though there are times that I forget that your married and have five beautiful children with your wife, pretty soon I won't even remember you're my son anymore." choked Diana before looking into her son's eyes, "I won't remember loving you," said Diana shakily.

Spencer felt a tear starting to fall down his own face as he took his mother's hands before he stated the quote that his mom told him over 25 years ago.

"Love isn't a memory. It's so much more than that." quoted Spencer before looking into his mother's blue eyes, "Remember when I was little and you first started having schizophrenic episodes?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded as she thought about how her son would react before she and William explained schizophrenia to Spencer.

"Oh, I used to scare you," said Diana.

"And you used to tell me that sometimes you got confused, but you never," sniffled Spencer before he continued, "You never stopped loving me. Because that type of love is bigger than a disease of the brain." choked Spencer.

Diana nodded as she reached out to wipe the tear that was falling down Spencer's face.

"You used to say, love is a world of its own that lives in the heart, not in the head." sniffled Spencer.

Diana nodded.

"I remember. You were so little, I didn't think you would," said Diana.

"Even if you forget, I never will." choked Spencer.

Diana looked into her son's brown eyes.

"I'm glad that you have Maeve and the kids to go home to because they'll be there when I eventually forget you," said Diana.

"Speaking of the kids, I hope that you'll be up to attending Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette's 1st birthday party on May 21st," said Spencer.

"If I'm having a good day, I'll be there because I can't miss out on celebrating my three youngest grandchildren turning one," said Diana.

Spencer smiled as he pulled out his tablet.

"Speaking of the triplets, I need to show you this video of Lynette," said Spencer as he turned on his tablet.

A minute later Diana was tearing up at the sight of her mini-me walking around the living room.

"When did Lynette start walking?" asked Diana.

"A few days ago," said Spencer as he told his mom about witnessing his youngest daughter's first steps only for his mom to start laughing when he told her about scaring Maeve, his in-laws, and Stephanie because of having to dive across the room to catch Lynette while Maeve, his in-laws, and Stephanie were upstairs.

xxxxxxx

Two days later Spencer was on a jet with his teammates heading to Lake Worth, North Carolina when Hotch looked at his teammates.

"Doctor's report says our critical victim's in her late teens," said Hotch.

Spencer instantly thought about his 16-year-old sister who was currently safe at school.

"Just like the first Jane Doe," said Morgan.

Spencer who already working on a geographical profile looked at his teammates.

"No one from town is missing, which mean he most likely picks his victims up outside Lake Worth," said Spencer as he pointed at his geographical profile, "The 2008 Jane Doe was found in the woods over here, and the most recent victim was found on the south side of the lake heading out of town," said Spencer with a confused look on his face.

"So the unsub most likely holds them somewhere in between. How long do we think he held his new victim?" asked Rossi.

"The bruises are still green, which means they're no more than eight days old," said Spencer.

Morgan took in the sight of the alive victim's skin.

"Her body's dehydrated, suggesting he wants to keep them weak," said Morgan.

"But he underestimated her. When she had the chance she ran," said Hotch.

"Is it possible the 2008 Jane Doe was his first victim?" asked Ashley.

Spencer looked at Ashley.

"80% of sexual sadists have a dozen or more victims in their past. They lead normal lives and eventually develop God complexes," said Spencer.

"They usually have a ruse that helps them abduct the victims as well," said Morgan.

"Garcia's looking for missing persons in the neighboring states," said Rossi.

"Good. Dave, you, Reid and I will go to the hospital, see if we can talk to the victim," said Hotch.

"Seaver and I will hit the crime scene," said Morgan.

"Good," said Hotch.

xxxxxxxx

After examining the unconscious Jane Doe's body, Spencer exited the college student's hospital room and entered the hallway where Hotch and Rossi were talking to the doctor.

"This wasn't a high-risk victim like a drug addict or a prostitute," said Spencer as he gestured to his own teeth and thought about how his mother, aunt Ethel, and uncle Gordon made sure he saw an orthodontist as a teenager, "Orthodontic works shows she was cared for, most likely from a middle-class family. Tan lines are fading, which means she's probably from a warm climate or spent a lot of time outdoors, probably playing sports. Shin splits on the right leg further supports the theory that she's an athlete, which means if she escaped from her captor, she could have run for miles," rambled Spencer.

Doctor Boyd crossed his arms and looked at Spencer.

"What about the patterns in her wounds?" asked Doctor Boyd.

"I'm not sure what he used to cut her with, but it definitely wasn't a knife," said Spencer just as a nurse stepped out into the hallway.

"Dr. Boyd, she's opened her eyes," said the nurse causing Dr. Boyd to head into his patient's room.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer looked at the now awake victim as he decided to use the voice he uses to calm Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette.

"Hi. I'm Dr. Spencer Reid from the FBI. Can you tell me your name?" asked Spencer gently.

The Jane Doe tried to talk before no sound came out of her voice causing Spencer to speak again.

"Can you tell me who did this to you?" asked Spencer gently.

"He hurt…," whispered the Jane Doe.

Spencer looked over at Hotch before he looked at the Jane Doe again.

"Who hurt?" asked Spencer.

"He has... M... Mercy. Mercy," whispered the Jane Doe.

"Who is "he"?" asked Spencer before the Jane Doe's heart monitor started to beep rapidly.

The nurse quickly looked at the monitor.

"Doctor, her stats are dropping," said the nurse quickly.

Dr. Boyd looked at the scans of the Jane Doe's brain.

"It's intracranial bleed. Call the O. R," ordered Dr. Boyd.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly got out of the way and walked towards Hotch as both men watched Dr. Boyd and two nurses try to work on their Jane Doe only to fail.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was writing what the Jane Doe said onto the clear board when he heard his teammates enter the room causing him to continue writing as he spoke to his teammates.

"Garcia said eight teenage girls have gone missing from the Carolinas in the past decade," said Spencer as he turned to look at his teammates.

"The hospitalized Jane Doe was blond," said Rossi as he sat down.

"Three of the eight are blondes," said Spencer before he turned back to the board.

Morgan sat down as he looked at Spencer.

"What about the recent missing person reports?" asked Morgan.

"Nothing came up," said Spencer as he wrote 3-8 and circled the 8 on the board.

Hotch who got Garcia on the phone spoke up.

"I'm going to put you on speaker, Garcia," said Hotch as he put his phone on speaker.

"So, your girl wonder just got a call from Raleigh P.D. who heard we were looking for a missing person. It turns out that Shreveport police found an abandoned car today that is registered to a Mr. and Mrs. Linda and Don Owens of Raleigh, North Carolina," said Garcia.

"What's that got to do with this?" asked Rossi.

"OK, this is why this is important. It turns out Mr. and Mrs. Owens let their daughter, who goes to North Carolina College, borrow their car so that she and her best friend could drive to Tampa for spring break. But they never made it there," said Garcia.

"What are the girls' names?" asked Morgan.

"Angela Proctor and Marcy Owens. Both are 19 years old," said Garcia.

Spencer sadly sighed as he thought about Angela and Marcy both being over three years older than his baby sister.

"Are they blonde?" asked Spencer.

"Marcy is, Angela's a brunette," said Garcia as Spencer continued to write the victims' name on the board.

"Do you have photographs?" asked Ashley.

"Yeah. That's why I've already sent them to your phones," said Garcia.

"If the girl in the hospital is Angela, she probably wasn't saying "he has mercy, " she was saying, "he has Marcy."," said Hotch.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting at the conference table with Ashley, Morgan, and Rossi when Hotch entered the room.

"The lab confirmed that the three graves contained blond women in their late teens," said Morgan.

"So the unsub does have a type," said Spencer.

"He was probably hurt by one or in love with one," said Ashley.

"Sexual sadists have rage, and based on Angela's wounds, my money's on hurt," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at his teammates.

"You know, Raleigh's four hours away. That's quite a distance to go to abduct the girls," said Spencer.

"Well, he must feel comfortable in that area," said Morgan.

"Where's our list of locals with sexual records?" asked Hotch.

Ashley quickly grabbed the papers in front of herself and handed them to Hotch.

"Here," said Ashley.

Hotch quickly got Garcia on the phone.

"Speak and be heard, my superfriends," said Garcia.

"Garcia, check to see if any of our suspects with sexual offenses had any priors outside of Lake Worth," said Hotch.

Garcia quickly did some typing before speaking up.

"Sam Edmann. He was booked in '65 for... Fondling his girlfriend's 6-year-old son," said Garcia.

"More recent," said Hotch.

Garcia quickly did some more typing.

"Mark Hillman was busted in 2009 for flashing a girl," said Garcia.

Spencer raised his eyebrows.

"Flashing doesn't really say sexual sadist," said Morgan.

Garcia started typing again.

"Right, right. Ok, what about-," said Garcia before she found a better possible suspect, "eew- Marcus Talbot. He was nabbed for peeping into holes in the walls in the girls' bathroom at the art institute 15 years ago," said Garcia with disgust lacing through her voice.

"What does he do now?" asked Rossi.

Garcia did some more typing.

"He is…," said Garcia as she started to feel angry about what she found, "Oh, jeez, really? People do not do their homework. He is currently the art teacher at the high school at Lake Worth where you guys are right now," said Garcia angrily.

"He spends a lot of time with teenage girls," said Morgan.

"Seaver, stay here and wait for the parents. Reid and Morgan, go to Talbot's house. Dave and I will go to the school," said Hotch.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was going through one of Marcus Talbot's books when Morgan joined him.

"How's it going, Reid?" asked Morgan.

"I don't think he had Marcy or Angela here," said Spencer.

"Maybe he has a secondary location," said Morgan as he started to study one of Marcus's knickknacks.

Spencer made his way towards Morgan with the same book in his hand.

"You know, trophy or not, it's pretty careless to keep Angela's clothes. He's plagued by a fear of chaos and obsesses over any disorder," said Spencer as he placed the knickknack that Morgan was looking at back to its original spot.

Morgan who was now looking at Marcus's CDs spoke up.

"Well, welcome to 1992," said Morgan.

"Yeah, music's his only entertainment. He doesn't have a TV or a computer," said Spencer

xxxxxxx

Spencer entered a dark room with Morgan only to find a few dozen photos hanging to dry on clotheslines.

"Wow, this guys is old school. He shoots on film," said Morgan.

Spencer who felt like going to the station and shoot Marcus Talbot between the eyes for wanting to teach photography to 16-year-old girls like his sister looked at Morgan.

"He's too controlling to let anyone else develop it," said Spencer.

Morgan looked through a bunch of photos.

"Looks like Angela Proctor wasn't his only secret," said Morgan.

Spencer and Morgan looked at a bunch of the photos before Morgan voiced their thoughts.

"Wow," said Morgan before he got Rossi on the phone.

"What have you got?" asked Rossi.

"It looks like this guy Talbot had another hobby. The girls in these photos can't be more than 16 years old," said Morgan.

"Photos. Morgan, how many are there?" asked Rossi.

Morgan looked around the room.

"I'm thinking 30, 40," said Morgan.

Spencer who had already counted the photos spoke up.

"54," said Spencer.

Morgan inwardly shook his head.

"Excuse me. That's 54," said Morgan.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Spencer crouched down to see the skull that the search dog found.

"This doesn't make any sense," said Morgan.

Spencer touched the dirt by the skull and noticed how moist it was.

"The grave's fresh. He either dug it quickly because he knew we were coming-," said Spencer.

"Or somebody else did. We just found that burial site that was off the property. The guy uses countermeasures. Here's there's just evidence lying all around. Reid, he wouldn't operate like this," said Morgan.

"Someone's framing Talbot," said Spencer.

"Yeah, but who?" asked Morgan.

xxxxxxxxx

Sheriff Montell was refilling his coffee as he looked at Spencer, Hotch, Ashley, Morgan, and Rossi.

"I could nail Talbot right now on physical evidence alone," said Sheriff Montell.

"But it doesn't fit the unsub's actual behavior. This guy uses forensic countermeasures. He doesn't leave evidence all over the place," said Morgan.

"Our unsub's attempting to frame Talbot. When Angela got away, he probably panicked," said Spencer.

"And he thought he could pin it on him," said Rossi.

"He must have known Marcy had a connection to Talbot's photography class," said Morgan.

"And that Talbot has a proclivity towards girls that age," added Spencer.

"We're on the right track. We're looking for somebody with a similar story to Talbot. He's a resident of Lake Worth even if he's not a native," said Hotch.

"And it's likely he has ties to other parts of the state," said Ashley.

"He's running away from something. Our unsub must have known Talbot had a secret because he has one, too," said Rossi.

"Yeah, but how do we find it? Talbot's got a lawyer on the way. If I don't book him now, he walks," said Sheriff Montell.

"Then the longer we can keep Talbot in custody, the better chance we have of finding Marcy," said Hotch.

"And if he's released?" asked Sheriff Montell.

"The unsub will do whatever he needs to do to survive," said Morgan.

"And we lose Marcy," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Ashley.

"Seaver, go to the Owens' cottage, see if you can take a look at Marcy through the unsub's eyes," said Hotch.

Ashley started to get out of her chair.

"OK," said Ashley.

Sheriff Montell's phone beeped causing the sheriff to look at his phone.

"Angela's autopsy is almost finished," said Sheriff Montell.

"Reid, look at the report when it comes in. Dave, you and Morgan stay on Talbot. He knows who this guy is even if he's not aware of it," said Hotch.

xxxxxxx

Spencer entered the conference room with Sheriff Montell trailing after him.

"I found something that might be helpful," said Spencer as he passed copies of the reports to his teammates, "Autopsy report revealed fragments of glass in some of Angela's wounds," said Spencer.

"Were they able to identify the blades used?" asked Hotch.

"Only that there were a number of them," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at the report in his hands.

"The doctor mentioned she had heavy metals in her blood," said Rossi.

Spencer sat down.

"Yeah. The highest one being lead," said Spencer.

Morgan thought about the glass he saw at Talbot's house.

"Well, add that to the unique patterns of her wounds and the glass in her cuts, maybe this guy worked with stained glass. Talbot had stained glass in his front door," said Morgan.

Ashley thought about the window chimes she saw at the Owen family home.

"The Owens had stained glass window chimes in their condo," said Ashley.

"Lead fumes can get into your system during the soldering process," said Rossi.

Ashley turned her head and looked at Rossi.

"What? My second wife was crafty," said Rossi.

"Garcia, anybody on the list work with stained glass?" asked Hotch.

Garcia did some typing.

"Yeah. Robert Bremmer," said Garcia.

"Bremmer. Talbot said he met him only once," said Rossi.

"Well, Mr. Bremmer's been a member of the church for 16 years. He travels all over the state doing craft fairs," said Garcia.

Sheriff Montell thought about where he met Bremmer.

"He also owns the Rose Cafe," said Sheriff !br0ken!

"Bingo, strange man voice. It looks like he's from Wilkesboro. He moved there to Lake Worth in '91 after his wife and stepdaughter were killed in a car accident," said Garcia.

"Was he a suspect?" asked Morgan.

"There's no record of that, but... Wait till you see the picture. They look a lot alike," said Garcia as some pictures popped up on the laptop in front of Hotch.

Spencer quickly shifted in his seat so he could see the pictures before Hotch turned the laptop around.

"Where's the restaurant?" asked Hotch.

"Real close," said Sheriff Montell.

xxxxxxx

Later on that evening Spencer quietly entered Jocelyn's and Gabriella's bedroom and gave both toddlers each a kiss before he headed to Arthur, Joseph's, and Lynette's nursery and felt saddened at the thought of his three youngest children turning one in less than two weeks. A few minutes later, Spencer entered the master bedroom to find Maeve taking a bubble bath in the master bathroom.

"Welcome home, Spencer," smiled Maeve.

Spencer sat on the edge of the tub and trailed his fingers along the bubbles.

"How long have you've been in here?" asked Spencer.

"I just got into the tub when I heard you come up the stairs and heard you say goodnight and give the kids kisses through the baby monitors," said Maeve as she pointed to the two baby monitors.

"Room for one more?" asked Spencer.

Maeve grinned.

"I was going to suggest you undress and join me in the tub before I grab your tie and yank you in fully clothed," grinned Maeve as she splashed water at her husband.

Spencer sputtered as the hot bathwater and bubbles streamed down his face as he quickly got off the edge of the tub and undressed in front of his wife before joining Maeve in the tub.

xxxxxxx

Nearly a week later Spencer was examining something through a microscope in Jacksonville, Florida when he heard someone enter the section of the tent that he was given to use to look through the remains.

"You know, based on the parasites," said Spencer as he stopped looking through the microscope so he could make eye contact with Hotch, "on the most recent kill, the unsub killed as recently as a month ago, which means he's still active," said Spencer.

An impressed Hotch looked at Spencer.

"How did you establish a timeline so quickly?" asked Hotch.

"By reverse engineering mother nature. Each year, sand and sediment cover up the remains, creating layers on the ocean floor," said Spencer.

Hotch nodded as he thought about how Spencer also focused on environmental engineering instead of just mechanical engineering at Cal-tech.

"That makes sense. The deeper the pump dug, the older the remains," said Hotch.

Spencer squinted a bit.

"Nine victims in nine years means that he's in control of his urges," said Spencer

"Any sense of the victimology? Only that he likes variety. Pelvic bone width indicates that he kills both men and woman, and skull structure says he crosses racial lines as well," said Spencer just as Detective Foreman joined them.

"Agent Hotchner, excuse me. We found three more remains," said Detective Foreman before walking away.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"If he's been dumping this long, it's not just out of convenience. There's got to be an emotional tie as well," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"He'll change his M.O. because he has to, but he won't be happy about it," said Spencer.

"Then he'll have the entire Atlantic to choose from," said Hotch before Spencer focused on his borrowed microscope. 

xxxxxxxxxxx

Spencer was examining a piece of a spine when Hotch came back to check on him.

"Have you nailed down the victimology?" asked Hotch.

"I found a unique evolution, actually," said Spencer as he gently set down the section of a spine, "The earliest victims appear to be high-risk," said Spencer as he picked up a bone and pointed at some lesions, "These lesions are consistent with syphilis, most likely a prostitute," said Spencer as he set the bone down and picked up a mandible and pointed at the missing teeth, "This one has severely ground and missing teeth, commonly seen in excessive methamphetamine abuse. And then all of a sudden out of nowhere, a sea change- healthier and stronger victims all the way through to number 12," rambled Spencer as he examined another bone.

"Lower-risk, harder for him to hunt. What do we know about the first victim?" asked Hotch.

"You know, that one's tough. He or she has been in the water so long, they're mostly bone fragments. I can attempt to reconstruct-," said Spencer before Hotch's phone beeped causing Hotch to interrupted him.

"You've got 3 hours," said Hotch.

Spencer squinted as he thought about his anthropology skills.

"I can do it in two," quipped Spencer.

"Make it one," said Hotch before walking away.

Spencer chuckled to himself as he realized that Hotch was showing his rare sense of humor to him as he quickly started to go through the bones.

xxxxxx

Spencer was leaning in front of the remains of the first skeleton as he looked at Hotch.

"You know, on this first victim, the more I work on this skeleton, the more I question its condition. The ocean floor preserved the other remains remarkably well. I think something else caused this," said Spencer.

"Could this be the age of these bones as opposed to the others?" asked Hotch.

"Well, he's significantly older. Arthritis in the joints puts him in his late 50s, but that doesn't account for this degree of breakdown. In fact, nothing in the ocean would," said Spencer.

Hotch looked down at the remains.

"If the unsub's responsible, maybe he didn't disarticulate this victim but he tore him apart instead," said Hotch.

Spencer picked up either the radius or the ulna and showed the defensive wound he found to Hotch.

"And look at this. This bone has a defensive wound like he held it up before the blow came down. I think the bone-smashing occurred while the victim was still alive," said Spencer.

"Overkill," said Hotch.

"He worked out a lot of aggression on this victim. He didn't do that with the others. That would indicate a personal relationship," said Spencer.

"Father?" asked Hotch.

"That would be my guess. And not a good one, based on the low calcium levels consistent with alcoholism," said Spencer before rubbing his eyes, "Who knew that switching back to contact lenses so its easier to look through a microscope can be a pain," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at his watch.

"It's going to be getting dark soon, so why don't you go back to the station and switch to your glasses," suggested Hotch.

"Thanks," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later Spencer who was happily wearing his glasses again was posting a picture of Dr. Samantha Cormick onto the clear board as he looked at his teammates.

"Meet our first confirmed victim, Dr. Samantha Cormick. Since her DNA profile was already developed, we were able to save a couple of days," said Spencer.

"So he dumps here and hunts in Charleston," said Morgan.

"Tourist spot. Larger victim pool," said Ashley.

"It's a 250-mile trip back here. It's a lot of exposure," said Hotch.

"Torture takes time and privacy, and disarticulation is a mess," said Rossi.

Spencer thought about Frank Breitkopf using an RV trailer as his torture chamber as he traveled all over the country killing over 200 men and woman while abducting school children and abandoning them in the desert in his home state.

"You know, he could have a mobile torture chamber in his truck or trailer. We've seen that before," said Spencer.

Hotch nodded as he thought about Frank.

"Or maybe he doesn't drive at all. He could do it all from his boat," said Morgan.

Spencer nodded in agreement.

"Well, if he gets them on board in Charleston and sails them out here, he would have time for both," said Spencer.

"And nobody would even notice a fisherman tossing chum into the water," said Morgan as Hotch got Garcia on the phone.

"Yello," answered Garcia.

"Garcia, we've got more information about the unsub's boat. It might help you narrow your list," said Hotch.

"Ok. Bring it," said Garcia.

"Can you give us boats with cabins large enough to hide a torture chamber?" asked Morgan.

"Torture chamber? 'Cause that would, yeah, totally be listed in the manufacturer's specs of amenities," said Garcia.

"Try cabin dimensions. Start at 10 by 10 feet and cap it at 30," said Spencer.

"That is totally gonna take forever 'cause I gotta go record by record. You are lucky I love you. Bye," said Garcia before hanging up.

"We need to go back to the families and see who else got a postcard," said Hotch as Spencer started to do a quick linguistic profile on the handwriting, "This might finally be a link to victimology," said Hotch.

"Sending goodbye postcards as a ruse is a gamble. Even if written under duress, the victim could sneak their own message into it," said Ashley.

Spencer who had finished his quick linguistic profile looked at his teammates.

"I don't think this was written under duress," said Spencer before looking at Morgan, "You said Dr. Cormick wasn't taking medication for Parkinson's, right?" asked Spencer.

Morgan nodded causing Spencer to pass the postcard to Rossi.

"Look at her handwriting," said Spencer.

Rossi quickly noticed the condition of Samantha's handwriting.

"No indication of tremors or shaking," said Rossi.

"There's a drug called trilamide. In minute doses it treats Parkinson's, but its main use is for seasickness," said Spencer.

Rossi nodded.

"Something a fisherman would have access to," said Rossi.

"And criminals in South America. Intel reports say they figured out a high dose makes the victim totally compliant," said Morgan.

"Yeah, they slip it in your drink or blow the powder in your face and nasodermal absorption's almost immediate. You're instantaneously susceptible to any suggestion. There have been reports of locals letting thugs into their apartments to rob them, even helping them load the getaway trucks," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxx

The next morning Spencer was working on a geographical profile when Morgan came over with some postcards.

"We got four more postcards. Samantha makes five," said Morgan as he pinned up a postcard.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Any patterns geographically?" asked Hotch.

Spencer stuck a tab onto the map of the Eastern United States.

"Geographically each victim was from a different state," said Spencer.

"But they all went missing from Charleston?" asked Hotch.

Spencer turned around and nodded.

"Two of them did. The other three were mailed from Miami," said Morgan.

"He's bouncing between two cities?" asked Hotch.

"You know, Miami makes a lot of sense. It's a coastal town with a lot of tourists," said Spencer.

"And by alternating hunting grounds, he ensures that neither city pays too much attention to people going missing," said Morgan.

"But why these five? What connects them?" asked Hotch.

"Right now it's just the postcards. They may be the Rosetta Stone that we need," said Morgan.

"You know, the victims write the postcards, but the unsub dictates the message. He might have revealed something about himself through them," said Spencer.

"Start a linguistic profile," said Hotch while Spencer turned around and looked at the board again, "We need to sit down with the people who got these postcards," said Hotch.

xxxxxxxxxx

Spencer was looking at all the entire task-force that gathered to hear the profile when Morgan started giving the profile.

"The unsub we're looking for is a 30- to 40-year-old fisherman currently chartering his boat to tourists trying to find a victim of medium risk," started Morgan.

"What's the medium risk?" asked Detective Foreman.

"Say your car breaks down in a bad neighborhood. Once you're outside your normal routine, there's a greater chance for victimization. Hence, medium risk," said Ashley.

"Each of these victims was trying to start over. They were out of a relationship or starting a new job, but to this unsub, they were abandoning their responsibilities," said Hotch.

"We can tell this in the messages that he forces them to write," said Spencer as he pointed at one of the postcards that he photocopied and blown up, ""It's too much." "There's nothing for me here." "It's better if I leave."," read Spencer before thinking back to how his migraines, his mother's dementia, and Emily dying caused him to tell Hotch that he's so close to resigning from the B.A.U. and accept a desk job.

"We believe this anger stems from his first victim-his father," said Ashley.

"Most likely a local fisherman, definitely an alcoholic, and based on this unsub's level of sadism, violently abusive," said Spencer.

"He's also the first person to abandon the unsub. Walked out on his family, maybe, even wrote a postcard like this," said Rossi.

"So the unsub picked a site of significance to them both, a spot is known to the local fisherman that he turned into his prison," said Hotch.

"But that's gone now, so where will he head next?" asked Detective Foreman.

"Well, he can't go back to that spot, but he won't leave Jacksonville either. That prison was his responsibility, and without it, he'll cling to what he knows," said Morgan as he noticed his aunt Yvonne in the background.

"He'll change his M.O., and that'll make him erratic," said Hotch while Morgan walked away, "He'll escalate his sadism and he'll kill uncontrollably until he finds another spot in the ocean to replace this one. Thank you very much," finished Hotch.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The next day Spencer was looking at the board while feeling saddened at the thought of being away from Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette for the third day in a row now.

"You know, if the unsub's abducting in transit, how can he cover it up?" asked Spencer.

"I felt like we were close with the charter idea. Maybe he doesn't abduct them off a boat. The details of his ruse were right," said Rossi.

"What means of transportation doesn't issue a ticket in advance?" asked Spencer.

Rossi's eyes went wide.

"Passenger trains. A conductor can hand-write a ticket once you're already on board," said Rossi.

"Actually, most of the smaller stations aren't even manned. You have to buy tickets on board," said Ashley.

"You know, the train is a concept that attracts people who are trying to start over. The appeal of escape, of romance. If he's a conductor, he's in a target-rich environment," said Spencer just as Detective Foreman joined them.

"My men pulled a body out of the water. Agent Morgan's at the autopsy now," said Detective Foreman.

xxxxxx

Spencer lifted up the sheet as he looked at the latest victim.

"The wounds on the thigh show hesitation marks. An unsub this experienced wouldn't display that," said Spencer.

Morgan who was reading the report looked at Spencer.

"I don't think the unsub did. The angle indicates left-handed dominance. The file says this guy was left-handed, too," said Morgan.

"You know, if he'd been given trilamide, the unsub could have forced him to cut himself. It makes sense for a sadist with abandonment issues, but why didn't he finish the job?" asked Spencer.

"The victim must have gotten a chance to escape and took it," said Morgan.

"But how? The trilamide kept him compliant enough to hurt himself. It overcame his self-preservation instinct," said Spencer.

"Well, then another instinct must have been stronger," said Morgan.

"Like what?" asked Spencer.

"A protective one. This guy was mentally and physically compromised, but he still went after the unsub with everything he had," said Morgan.

"Who would he fight that hard for?" asked Spencer.

"Aside from Maeve and your mother, who would you fight for?" asked Morgan.

"Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, Lynette, and Stephanie," said Spencer quickly.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting on the edge of a table as he listened to Garcia talk to him and his teammates on the phone.

"James took the train three summers in a row during his parents' divorce. His aunt from South Carolina bought the tickets, filled out the unaccompanied minor paperwork, which is why it didn't show up in my search," said Garcia.

"What's the train line?" asked Spencer.

"Surf Rider. It makes stops in Jacksonville, Charleston, and Miami," said Garcia.

"Cross-reference your list of boat owners with railroad employees," said Hotch.

Garcia quickly did some typing before finding a name.

"I got a hit on a last name. Chuck Wells, local fisherman, son Blake, conductor on the line. And there it is. He didn't show up for work this week," said Garcia.

"Is there a current address?" asked Rossi.

"No. Only a boat in the dad's name, which moved to Norfolk in 2000 when the mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died a few months later," said Garcia.

"Dad walked out and the unsub had to punish him for that," said Morgan.

"James doesn't fit the victimology. It doesn't make sense the unsub would take him," said Spencer.

"He picked up on a father-son relationship that reminded him of his own. What he didn't count on was Gary fighting for James' life," said Rossi.

"How do we know the unsub hasn't already killed James?" asked Ashley.

"So far he's only punished people who've abandoned their responsibilities," said Hotch.

"But that's exactly what James is to him now, a responsibility. The unsub's gonna get angrier and angrier at that kid, and when he does, he's gonna become more like his father," said Morgan.

xxxxxxx

James rubbed his eyes and looked at Spencer and Ashley.

"My Aunt Barbara should be here by now," said James.

Ashley looked at James.

"She said that she'll get here as soon as she could," said Ashley.

Spencer thought about the math he did and looked at James.

"You know, it's 393 kilometers from Mount Pleasant to here. Assuming that she traveled the speed limit," said Spencer.

James noticed his aunt come into the room with an officer causing him to shoot up from his chair.

"Aunt Barbara," said James as he ran towards his aunt and hugged her.

Spencer turned his head from the reunion and looked at Ashley.

"She didn't travel the speed limit," said Spencer before turning his head to watch the reunion, "Speaking of reunions, I'm looking forward to having my own reunion with Maeve, the kids, and my sister because I really missed them the past three days," said Spencer.

"Then let's finish packing up everything so we can get you home to your kids faster," said Ashley.

xxxxxxx

A few hours later Spencer entered Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette's nursery and shook his head when he noticed that Arthur and Joseph were both awake and standing in their cribs while Lynette peacefully slept in her crib.

"What are you two boys doing up?" asked Spencer quietly.

Arthur and Joseph both grinned at their daddy causing Spencer to scoop both boys out of their cribs and carry them downstairs to the living room and sat down in his recliner with the boys on his lap.

"I can't believe that you two boys and your sister are turning a year old next week Tuesday," said Spencer sadly before looking at his sons, "I might not be the type of father who will play sports and take you two fishing like my own father wanted to do, but I'll teach you two and your siblings everything I know about basketball, how to play chess, teach you two magic to win girls hearts, make sure that you two are chivalrous to all females, and science experiments," said Spencer as he started to tell his sons about King Arthur and Dr. Joseph Bell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: When it comes to referencing the April of 2011 super tornado outbreak in this chapter, here's a heads up that I'll be including the August of 2011 Virginia earthquake and Hurricane Irene in this story too because Washington D.C. was affected by both events.
> 
> Supply & Demand is next which means that I hope that you readers approve my idea of Spencer leaving the B.A.U. because of Hotch announcing budget cuts.


	89. Supply & Demand

Spencer and Maeve entered their house to find Maeve's parents sitting on the couch holding hands.

"How was your follow up on your migraines?" asked Joe.

"My doctor told me that its time to leave the B.A.U. and work a less stressful job," said Spencer.

Joe and Mary exchanged sad looks as they thought about how much Spencer loves his job.

"I'm sorry to hear that, son," said Joe.

Spencer shook his head.

"I'm not too upset about my doctor ordering me to leave the B.A.U. because there are a lot of places in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area that will jump to hire me and most likely pay me more than my current salary while I get to come home every day instead of traveling for work," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her mother and noticed the dried tear stains.

"Is everything OK, mom?" asked Maeve.

"Please sit down you two," said Mary.

As soon as Spencer and Maeve were sitting on the couch, Mary looked at her daughter and son-in-law.

"You two know that I haven't been feeling well lately and lost a quite a bit of weight?" asked Mary.

Maeve nodded.

"You went to the doctor?" asked Maeve.

Mary nodded.

"I had some tests done and it turns out that I have leukemia," said Mary.

Maeve started to tear up causing Spencer to hug his wife as he looked at his mother-in-law.

"What's the prognosis?" asked Spencer.

"They've caught it early so there's a good chance that I'll survive with the help of chemotherapy and possibly radiation therapy," said Mary.

Spencer looked at Maeve.

"When it comes to you starting your new job next week Wednesday, I'll see if Georgetown University has a teaching position that would allow me to teach a few days a week," said Spencer.

"What about working for another unit in the F.B.I.? You told me that they don't want to lose an agent like you," said Maeve.

"Knowing the Director, he'll jump to have me be a non-traveling consultant instead of picking a unit to work for," said Spencer just as Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette started summoning them through the two baby monitors.  
"We can talk more after the kids are in bed tonight," said Joe as he, Mary, Spencer, and Maeve got up to tend to the kids.

xxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Spencer was sitting at the conference room table reading a book from his messenger bag when Garcia entered the conference room and noticed the lack of Hotch causing Garcia to look at him, Ashley, Morgan, and Rossi.

"Where's Hotch?" asked Garcia.

Rossi who was looking at something on his tablet spoke up.

"Any minute," said Rossi.

Garcia sat down.

"I didn't get a file sent to me. Did a case go directly to him?" asked Garcia.

"Don't know," said Rossi.

Ashley looked at her teammates.

"When's the last time he called a meeting this early?" asked Ashley.

Spencer looked at Ashley.

"Three years, eight months ago," answered Spencer.

"And what happened?" asked Ashley.

"Gideon left," said Spencer softly.

Garcia instantly became worried as she looked at her teammates.

"Who's leaving?" asked Garcia worriedly.

"Nobody's leaving," said Morgan.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer was reading another book when Hotch came into the conference room as he read something on his phone.

"I appreciate everyone coming in early," said Hotch as he sat down.

"What's going on?" asked Rossi.

Hotch looked at his teammates.

"The Director called a meeting last night to discuss budgets," said Hotch.

A shocked Rossi looked at Hotch.

"They skipped over Strauss?" asked Rossi.

"She's away. The Bureau is facing a lot of changes and this unit is no exception. Over the next few weeks, each of you is going to be asked if you'd like to stay with the unit," said Hotch.

Spencer stayed silent as he thought about the letter of resignation he already wrote and was supposed to give it to Hotch at the end of the day.

"There are other options for you out there. And while I want the unit to stay together, I understand completely if you want to see what the alternatives are," said Hotch before looking at Morgan, "Morgan, there's renewed interest in you from the New York office," said Hotch.

"Nobody's called me," said Morgan.

"They will," said Hotch.

"That doesn't mean I'm gonna go," said Morgan.

"Oh, I know," said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "You already know that you have a lot of options because of the job offers you receive," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"I know," said Spencer softly.

Ashley looked at Hotch.

"Are you staying here?" asked Ashley.

"It's my intention. All I ask is if you are contacted by another division that you let me know," said Hotch as his cell phone rang causing him to answer his phone, "Hotchner. Yes. Right. We can be there in 20 minutes," said Hotch as he hung up and looked at his teammates, "Virginia State police believe they've uncovered a serial killer. They need us at Zacha Road and Route 7 as soon as possible. Morgan, you and Dave get out there," said Hotch.

"What about this?" asked Rossi.

"We can talk about it later," said Hotch.

xxxxxxxxxxx

10 minutes later Spencer was knocking on Hotch's open door causing Hotch to look at him.

"If you're wondering about the changes that are being made, we can talk about it later," said Hotch.

Spencer shook his head.

"You told me to let you know if the doctor I'm seeing for my migraines orders me to leave the B.A.U.," said Spencer.  
Hotch quickly remembered Spencer leaving work an hour early the day before because of a doctor appointment.

"And you saw Dr. Barnes yesterday," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded as he handed Hotch his letter of resignation.

"My migraines have gotten worse since Emily died, and Dr. Barnes told me that it was time to change careers. And on top of my mom's health getting worse, my mother-in-law got diagnosed with leukemia and is starting chemotherapy as soon as further testing is done. So I'm hoping that this can be my last case because I can't handle leaving Maeve and the kids for a few days a week anymore," said Spencer.

"This will be your last case because your health is more important, and have you accepted one of your job offers and set up an interview yet?" asked Hotch.

"I already had an interview at Georgetown University over the phone yesterday and starting after Memorial Day, I'll be teaching chemistry three times a week at Georgetown," said Spencer.

Hotch smiled a bit.

"At least you'll be using your Ph.D. in chemistry while getting to spend more time with your family," said Hotch.

"Maeve also told me that I should see if I could be a non-traveling consultant for the FBI. If its possible I'm hoping that I can either work on cases from home or the Hoover Building because I enjoyed consulting for various units last year," said Spencer.

Hotch smiled a bit.

"I'll talk to the Director after this case and see what he says, but knowing him he'll accept your offer to become a consultant because you're too valuable for the F.B.I. to lose completely," said Hotch before looking at Spencer, "Even though I'm sad that this will be your last case working under me, I'm proud of you for making the decision to leave the B.A.U. because your health and your family are more important than this job," said Hotch.

"Do you think that we can keep the news about this case being my last case a secret until after this case?" asked Spencer.

"I was already going to tell you that we won't tell anyone yet because we can't distract the rest of the team about the news of you resigning from the B.A.U. until after this case," said Hotch.

xxxxxxxxxx

Ashley was pinning a note card onto the clear board as she looked at Spencer who was working on his geographical profile.

"The only reason we have this case is because of an accident," said Ashley.

Spencer looked at Ashley as he made a mark on his geographical profile.

"You know the odds of that?" asked Spencer.

"Is that rhetorical?" asked Ashley.

"Combined with the chance that this is his first time dumping bodies," said Spencer.

A shocked Ashley looked at Spencer.

"You think he's working alone?" asked Ashley.

Spencer looked at the rookie agent on the team.

"What do you think?" asked Spencer.

"Unlikely. It's high-risk to move one body out of state, but two?" asked Ashley.

"Paige was abducted months after having Jake in captivity, and he traveled with both, which means he's criminally sophisticated. It seems more like an organized operation as opposed to an individual offender," said Spencer.

Ashley realized what Spencer was saying.

"Then he's probably done this before. You think there are more victims out there," said Ashley.

"Impossible to say until we figure out how those two were targeted," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Spencer and Ashley turned their heads when Hotch came into the room causing Spencer to smile when he saw Andi Swann with Hotch.

"Hi Andi," said Spencer.

"How are you, your sister, and your family doing?" asked Andi.

Spencer held his tongue as he thought about not wanting to mention about this case being his last case in the B.A.U., his mother getting worse, and his mother-in-law being diagnosed with cancer.

"We're busy preparing the triplet's first birthday party for next week Saturday," said Spencer.

"And then you'll have to throw two more birthday parties because of your second child will be turning two in July and your oldest turning three in August?" asked Andi.

Spencer nodded.

"Maeve and I are just going to focus on the triplets' party before we focus on Gabby's and Josie's birthday parties," said Spencer before Andi introduced herself to Ashley before she brought up the case to them.

After Andi was done talking, Ashley looked at Andi.

"Do you know who did this?" asked Ashley.

Andi turned around to look at Spencer, Ashley, and Hotch.

"I've been two steps behind an organization that abducts college kids throughout the U.S.," said Andi.

"How long have you been tracking them?" asked Ashley.

"Three years. But this is the first time there's been an identifiable body," said Andi.

"Do you think this is their work?" asked Spencer.

"It's definitely their type. Stressed-out, vulnerable kids," said Andi.

"They're all from good families, making them low-risk for abduction," said Ashley.

Spencer turned his head and looked at Ashley and Hotch.

"Young innocents are worth more money," said Spencer.

"And they're harder to lure, so they hold on to them for a longer period of time," said Hotch.

"How many victims are they holding at once?" asked Ashley.

"That's hard to say. But from what I can tell, there's a lot of turnovers," said Andi.

Hotch nodded.

"Customers don't want to see the same faces twice," said Hotch.

"We don't think they travel with more than a handful of victims at one time," said Andi.

"They hunt all over the country. All they need is a car," said Ashley.

"They might be low-tech, but they're organized," said Hotch.

"And profitable," said Spencer.

"The rumor is that they hold events for two days in metropolitan areas and then they disappear," said Andi.

Spencer thought about his sister's safety.

"What kind of events?" asked Spencer.

"Where top-paying customers can do things like this and worse to the victims," said Andi.

Spencer squinted.

"It seems impossible to trace," said Spencer.

"We study their behavior. They're not a good breed, but they're still human. They make a few mistakes. We've also recently established an undercover unit," said Andi.

Spencer squinted again.

"Wait, how can you infiltrate them? Wouldn't your agents have to commit a crime to be accepted as a customer?" asked Spencer.

Andi nodded.

"Exactly. That's why we can't pose as buyers. The entire system is set up to protect the customers, but there's no way we can trace them from that end," said Andi.

Ashley realized what Andi's agents do.

"Your agents go in as targets," said Ashley.

"Do you have anybody under now?" asked Hotch.

"Locally a few. They're still establishing the back stories," said Andi.

Hotch nodded.

"They might be able to help," said Hotch.

Andi picked up her phone.

"I'll call," said Andi as she walked away.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hotch paced in the conference room as he looked at Spencer, Ashley, and Andi.

"This group needs space and solitude, especially if they're holding multiple victims," said Hotch.

"These two lived thousands of miles apart but were somehow both targeted," said Ashley.

"They send scouts to campuses, malls, clubs," said Hotch.

Andi nodded.

"Yeah, they go with a shopping list, but rarely do they take more than one victim from a city," said Andi.

"The victims are assets. Why would the unsubs kill their profit?" asked Spencer.

"Maybe the victims are escaping, or their clients are adapting," said Hotch.

A confused Ashley looked at her teammates and Andi.

"Adapting?" asked Ashley.

"These clients are extremely deprived. When the act of sex isn't enough for them anymore, they may be demanding more extreme forms of release," said Hotch.

"Which was my fear. And these two just proved it," said Andi as she looked at the board before her cell phone rang causing her to answer her phone, "Swann," said Andi as she walked to a corner

A minute later Andi got off the phone and looked at it in shock causing Hotch to look at Andi.

"What is it?" asked Hotch.

"One of my U.C.s missed her last two check-ins," said Andi grimly.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer entered the conference room and looked at Ashley and Garcia.

"What are Morgan and Rossi finding?" asked Spencer.

"Uh, a lot of mud on the car and the victims," answered Garcia.

"Mud? Did it rain here?" asked Spencer.

Garcia shook her head.

"No, not here. South. Morgan has a theory that based on the gas mileage, they must have filled up within 70 miles of the accident," said Garcia.

"Gotcha. How many gas stations you find?" asked Spencer.

"42," answered Garcia.

"How'd you narrow that down?" asked Spencer.

"I didn't," said Garcia quickly.

"Why not?" asked Spencer.

"I didn't have any more parameters," said Garcia.

Spencer thought about how ruthless Garcia was on finding parameters on computers while he's ruthless of finding parameters on his geographical profiles.

"Never stopped you before," said Spencer.

Garcia noticed Spencer and Ashley both giving her looks.

"I'll be right back," said Garcia before hurrying away.

Ashley quickly stopped the files that Garcia set down from falling before she grabbed half of them and passed them to Spencer.

"Thanks, Reid," said Ashley.

Spencer accepted the files from Ashley.

"Hopefully she'll be back to her normal self because of the reminder I gave her," said Spencer as he sat down and started to quickly go through the files.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer was quickly going through the pictures of the missing victims as he looked at Hotch, Ashley, and Andi.

"Renee's done a lot of homework. These people have all been to clubs over the weekend and vanished within three days, including this morning's victims," said Spencer.

"So why didn't she share her theory?" asked Ashley.

Andi sighed as she thought about how her agent is.

"She's a perfectionist. I'm sure she wanted to gather enough intel to prove it," said Andi.

"Using the club as a template, there are potentially 63 others who were taken by the same offenders," said Spencer.

"There's no way to know which ones are still alive," said Andi just as Morgan and Rossi entered the room.

"Andi Swann. How you been?" asked Rossi.

Andi shook hands with Rossi.

"Better. Thanks for helping out," said Andi.

Morgan shook hands with Andi.

"Nice to see you again, Andi," said Morgan.

"What'd you find?" asked Hotch.

"We tracked the driver to a gas station outside Culpepper," said Rossi.

"He used a pay phone to call another one in the same town," said Morgan.

"So they're close," said Andi.

"And careful. What's their budget on location?" asked Morgan.

"Not much. They pay cash, no questions asked. Security's top priority," said Andi.

"So this guy's found a place to hold, what, a dozen victims?" asked Morgan.

Rossi walked towards Spencer's geographical profile.

"So we're looking for a secluded spot in rural Virginia. Well, that shouldn't be hard to find," said Rossi sarcastically.

xxxxxxxxxx

After everyone took the time to eat pizza and salad for dinner, Rossi looked at his teammates and Andi Swann.

"I thought traffickers concentrated in port cities?" asked Rossi.

"International ones do. Unfortunately, domestic traffickers abduct all over the country," said Andi.

Spencer looked at the files in his hand.

"It doesn't seem like they stay in one location long after an abduction," said Spencer.

"They move quickly and efficiently. My guess was in a nondescript car, and until this morning that was just a theory," said Andi.

"They've lost their driver now, so they're in jeopardy," said Spencer.

"It's all about survival for them. They'll move out tonight," said Rossi.

"But they've got customers and victims lined up. They don't want to lose the money," said Hotch.

"And their location hasn't been compromised yet," said Ashley.

Andi rested her hands on her hips.

"Who knows where they're gonna end up?" asked Andi.

"Based on Reid's theory, we need to see if Renee had been to any clubs before she disappeared," said Morgan.

Andi nodded.

"She went to the local clubs. She'd report back if anyone suspicious approached her. We followed the leads, nothing panned out," said Andi.

"What was the last club?" asked Morgan.

"Scotty's in Georgetown. If they find out she's an agent, she's dead," said Andi.

xxxxx

Hotch and Andi walked into the conference room.

"We need to look at this from the leader's point of view. A group like this requires a strong leader," said Hotch.

"Yeah, this guy's in charge of some unstable personalities," said Andi.

"Do you have any theories?" asked Rossi.

"I have always thought he led through fear. This guy can blackmail his whole team," said Andi.

"Look at the progression of this network. They started abducting victims for sex and then adapted to killing," said Spencer.

"Because he saw the growth potential in his assets. Instead of just disposing of them, he made it into a show," said Morgan.

"And that's why the victims are so young. The customers will pay top dollar to see them tortured," said Ashley.

"The average guy doesn't have that kind of money laying around. So they're successful," said Rossi.

"And incredibly deviant. That's their big secret. If it was revealed, they'd be ruined," said Morgan.

"Wouldn't they have to criminally prove themselves to join the club? If they're upstanding citizens, how do they do that?" asked Spencer.

"It could be a white-collar crime, like money laundering," said Morgan.

"That's often done through real estate," said Andi.

"Garcia, who owned the clubs where the victims went missing?" asked Hotch.

Garcia quickly did some typing.

"Bruce Harmon owns the club in Arizona," said Garcia.

"And in Ohio?" asked Hotch.

Garcia started typing again.

"Bob Moore," said Garcia.

"And Scotty's in Georgetown?" asked Andi.

A few seconds later Garcia spoke up.

"Bob Moore is a partner in that," said Garcia.

"Do any of them own property in Virginia?" asked Hotch.

"Moore also is a partner in the development of a private facility," said Garcia.

"What happened to it?" asked Hotch.

Garcia pulled up a news article.

"It looks like bad guys go through hardship, too. Financiers pulled all the money out in 2009, so it's not anything," said Garcia.

"What was it?" asked Andi.

"It was supposed to be a tough-love rehab center," said Garcia as she pulled up a picture of an abandoned building, "but now- now it's just an abandoned factory in the middle of nowhere," said Garcia.

Rossi looked at the picture that Garcia pulled up.

"With a lot of acreage and mud," said Rossi.

"How close to the gas station?" asked Morgan.

"Eight miles west of it," said Garcia.

"Let's go," said Hotch.

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Spencer was taking everything down from the clear board when he saw his teammates come into the conference room before he took in the sight of Morgan rubbing his arm and wrist.

"What happened to you?" asked Spencer.

"That guy was huge. Seriously," said Morgan.

"You should start working out," said Spencer.

Garcia laughed.

"You got jokes now?" asked Morgan.

Spencer laughed as he nodded while Rossi noticed the down look on Ashley's face.

What is it, kid?" asked Rossi.

"We only rescued seven victims today," said Ashley as she looked down at the files in her hands, "What about the rest of these?" asked Ashley sadly.

"It never ends," said Rossi.

Morgan nodded.

"But today I think we did good," said Morgan.

"Yeah, we did," said Rossi.

"Yeah, if we weren't so exhausted I would toast us," said Garcia tiredly as Hotch entered the conference room.

"Good work, everybody. Go home and get some rest. Nobody needs to come in till 9:00," said Hotch before thinking about having an extra half hour with Jack and Haley, "9:30," said Hotch before walking away.

"We were supposed to talk ab-," said Garcia before realizing that Hotch left, "has he ever left before us?" asked Garcia.

"Baby girl, I don't blame him. It's been a long-ass day," said Morgan.

"Well, you heard the man. Go home," said Rossi.

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Morgan.

Spencer heard his stomach growl causing him to look at Ashley, Garcia, and Morgan as he slung his messenger bag around his shoulders.

"Hey, is anyone hungry?" asked Spencer.

"Starving," said Ashley.

"There's this super good Indian restaurant. It's a little ways away, but it's open 24 hours and they have amazing chicken tandoori," said Spencer.

"All right," said Ashley.

xxxxxxx

Over an hour later Spencer was sitting across from Ashley Seaver when Ashley looked at him.

"With how interesting it was to work with Andi Swan and being shocked at the number of missing victims, I might see if I can transfer to her team," said Ashley.

Spencer nodded as he thought about all the questions that Ashley asked Andi Swann.

"You'll get good experience in that unit," said Spencer.

Ashley looked at Spencer.

"When it comes to you being married and having five kids with your wife, are you thinking about working a nine to five job that doesn't require any traveling?" asked Ashley.

"Because of how hectic my personal life is right now, I already handed Hotch my resignation after he sent Morgan and Rossi to the first crime scene and this Friday will be my last day in the B.A.U.," said Spencer.

"Your kids make your life hectic?" asked Ashley.

Spencer laughed.

"They do," said Spencer before becoming serious, "but my mom was diagnosed with Dementia over two months ago and my mother-in-law was diagnosed with leukemia yesterday. I need to work a job that allows me to visit my mom more often while I can support Maeve as she watches her mother battle cancer," said Spencer.

"You're making the right choice because your family needs you, but have you decided what to do for a job?" asked Ashley.

Spencer nodded.

"After Memorial Day I'll be teaching three chemistry classes a week at Georgetown University and tomorrow morning Hotch will be talking to the director about me being a consultant who either works from home or at the Hoover Building," said Spencer.

"Those two jobs will entitle you more time with your family," said Ashley.

"I know," said Spencer just as their food arrived.

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The next day at 1 P.M., Spencer was nearly 75% done with his consults when Hotch came over to his desk and leaned over.

"The Assistant Director John Bennett at the Hoover Building wants to meet with us ASAP," said Hotch quietly.

A few minutes later Spencer and Hotch were entering the elevator while not noticing Garcia and Morgan talking in the hallway.

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Over an hour later Spencer and Hotch were sitting across from John in the Hoover Building when John looked at Spencer who was fiddling with his watch.

"When Agent Hotchner told me that you decided to semi-retire from the F.B.I to become a college professor at Georgetown and be a non-traveling consultant because of how your personal life is right now, I decided that I needed to tell you in person that I approve your decision," said John.

"I've been told that it would be a shame for the F.B.I. to lose me to academia or another government agency," said Spencer.

John inwardly smiled as he thought back to his conversation with Spencer nearly four months ago as he nodded in agreement before taking the contract he drew up out of the file in front of him and handed a copy to Spencer and Hotch.

"I already wrote up your new contract and I hope you agree with everything," said John.

Spencer took the papers from John and started to read them causing him to smile when he read that aside from being allowed to work from home, he'll have an office to himself in the Hoover Building before his eyes went wide as he noticed his new salary.

"Am I really seeing the mention of my salary going up $50,000 for being a consultant or am I starting to become like my mom?" asked Spencer.

Hotch rested a hand on Spencer's arm.

"You're not becoming like your mother, Dr. Reid," said John.

Spencer let out a sigh in relief.

"Even though Georgetown University insisted on paying me $90,000 to teach Chemistry to students who are earning their Masters or PhD in chemistry, why is the F.B.I giving me a $50,000 pay raise for being a consultant?" asked Spencer.

"When the Director and I read your exit interview, we decided that you deserve this raise to thank you for your years of service. You'll get to choose your own hours to work when your not at Georgetown University so you can spend more time with your family despite the few requirements the F.B.I. will have for you," said John.

"Is one of my requirements to do the consults that are sent to me as quickly as I can?" asked Spencer.  
John nodded.

"That's one of the few conditions we have for you, but I know that you always get your work done quickly," said John before he decided to continue, "You're still required to continue to publish as many articles you can in various police journals and academic journals," said John.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"I already have an article in progress," smiled Spencer.

"Once a month you'll be required to travel to another state give a recruitment seminar to college students and we'll pay for your travel expenses and hotel room," said John.

Spencer nodded.

"Even though I'm not a huge fan of speaking at recruitment seminars, I can do that," said Spencer.

"The last condition is you'll teach seminars on geographical profiling and profiling twice a month to cadets anyone else who wants to learn how to profile and do geographical profiles," said John.

Spencer nodded as he thought back to Ashley asking him questions about his geographical profile.

"I can definitely do that," said Spencer before looking at Hotch who had finished reading the new contract, "Do you think that this contract is good enough or should I ask for more?" asked Spencer.

Hotch shook his head.

"If I was you, I would say yes to everything in this contract because this is a good step up for you personally while you're still doing a lot of good for this country," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at John.

"I approve my new contract and I'm willing to start my new job as a consultant here next Monday," said Spencer as he shook hands with John before he signed his new contract.

xxxxxxxxxx

15 minutes later Spencer and Hotch were in Hotch's car when Spencer looked at Hotch.

"I should call Maeve and tell her that my proposal to be a consultant got approved," said Spencer.

"Go ahead and are you going to tell her about your raise?" asked Hotch.

"I'm not going to keep this raise a secret from her," said Spencer as he pulled out his phone and dialed Maeve's number.

A few seconds later Maeve answered the phone.

"Everything OK, Spencer?" asked Maeve.

"Hotch and I just left Assistant Director John Bennett's office and my offer to consult on cases from various units and field offices from at home and the Hoover Building has been granted," said Spencer.

"I knew that the F.B.I. would accept your offer," said Maeve.

"I know and I received shocking news too, so I highly suggest that you sit down," said Spencer.

Spencer heard some rustling before Maeve spoke up.

"What were you told?" asked Maeve.

"As long as I continue publishing articles in various journals, get the work that's sent to me done as quickly as possible, go on one overnight trip a month to give a recruitment seminar to college students all over this country, and give monthly seminars on profiling and geographical profiling; I'll be receiving a $50,000 raise in my current salary for being a consultant," said Spencer.

Spencer heard some glass break on the floor before hearing Maeve's voice 10 seconds later.

"What broke, Maeve?" asked Spencer.

"When you told me about your raise, I dropped my empty tea mug," said Maeve.

"I should have warned you to put down anything that's breakable in your hands," said Spencer.

"Its OK, but let's get back to the point," said Maeve as she took a deep breath before speaking up, "Are you really serious about the F.B.I. giving you a $50,000 raise in your salary?" asked Maeve.

"It's mentioned in my new contract and Hotch said that this would be a good step up for me because I'm allowed to choose my own hours so I can focus on you, the kids, Stephanie, and my mom more often," said Spencer.

"Even though Georgetown University will be paying you $90,000 a year to teach chemistry three times a week, did you accept everything on your new contract before signing it?" asked Maeve.

"I did because I know that everyone would call me crazy if they find out that I was offered a $50,000 raise to be a consultant and refused it," said Spencer.

"Your right because if I was offered a raise like that I would accept it too," said Maeve.

"So you don't have a problem with me having to occasionally spend one night a month in a different state to give a recruitment seminar?" asked Spencer.

"Not at all because its only one night instead of being gone for a couple of days every month and my parents, Stephanie, and I will be fine with the kids," said Maeve.

At that moment Spencer heard crying through the baby monitor causing Maeve to speak up.

"I have to get going because our nearly one-year-old triplets are awake from their naps," said Maeve.

"I'll see you when I get home this evening," said Spencer.

"I love you," said Maeve.

"I love you too," said Spencer before hanging up and looked at Hotch, "Now what am I going to tell the rest of the team about me practically semi-retiring from the F.B.I.?" asked Spencer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yes I'm leaving this chapter here, but Spencer telling his teammates that he's leaving the B.A.U. will happen in the next chapter.


	90. Saying Goodbye & the Triplets Turn 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts a half hour after the last chapter.

A half-hour later Spencer and Hotch entered the bullpen to find Garcia, JJ, Ashley, Morgan, and Rossi talking around Ashley's desk and the desk that JJ took to work at when she's not taking profiling classes causing Hotch to look at his teammates.

"Why aren't you all working?" asked Hotch.

Garcia looked at Spencer and Hotch.

"Morgan and I saw you two enter the elevators over three hours ago together and I got worried because of the announcement that was given yesterday," said Garcia.

Spencer sighed as he looked at Garcia.

"Assistant Director John Bennett needed to meet with Hotch and me to talk about my future in the F.B.I.," said Spencer.

Garcia whipped her head at Spencer.

"Are you being forced to leave? If you are, I'll be glad to stop your transfer or reassignment from happening," said Garcia.

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about Garcia's actions around the time of Gideon being MIA and his own suspension.

"I'm warning you not to do anything on your computers to make Reid's transfer not happen or I will write you up, suspend you, or fire you because I gave you a warning after the last time you prevented a transfer from going through," said Hotch sternly.

Garcia looked at Spencer.

"So you're really leaving?" asked Garcia.

Spencer nodded.

"I've been dealing with migraines since the beginning of the year. I went to a neurologist and I was diagnosed with stress-related migraines. I've made changes like wearing my glasses full time, quitting coffee, eating healthier, and exercising more," said Spencer before taking a breath, "Temporarily the changes I made help, but after Emily died my migraines got worse because of our increased workload. So my doctor put his foot down and told me that I should consider changing careers. I chose not to argue because aside from Jocelyn starting preschool in August and I want to be there for her when she and eventually her siblings eventually start school, my mom's not doing well right now and her doctor told me that I should consider spending as much time as I can with my mom because my mom's memory has been declining and she'll eventually forget Maeve, the kids, and me," said Spencer.

Rossi tilted his head.

"Are you finally admitting to us that your mom has Dementia?" asked Rossi.

Spencer's eyes went wide.

"How did you know?" asked Spencer.

"I saw you reading books about Dementia on the jet and here in the bullpen while I heard you mentioning Dementia a couple of times to Aaron," said Rossi.

"Is Rossi right about your mom?" asked Morgan.

Spencer sighed.

"My mom was officially diagnosed the same day Gabriella was diagnosed with Autism right before the Sammy Sparks case," said Spencer.

"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Garcia.

Spencer looked at JJ, Garcia, and Morgan.

"Aside from telling Hotch so I can take time off to deal with my mom's health, you guys don't always need to know about everything that's going on in my life unless I choose to tell you guys," said Spencer firmly.

"What are you going to do for work?" asked Rossi.

"Are you, Maeve, the kids, and your sister going to move away?" asked Garcia quickly.

"I'm not going to be moving away because Maeve's starting her new job as a genetic counselor next week Wednesday and I refuse to uproot Stephanie from her home again. So starting after Memorial Day, I'll be teaching chemistry at Georgetown University and when I'm not teaching, holding office hours, and spending time with my family I'm going to be a consultant who either works from home and at the Hoover Building," said Spencer.

"Why are you choosing to work at home and the Hoover Building and not here?" asked JJ.

"The Hoover Building is about a 20-minute drive from my house, so I like the idea of getting home from work in 20 minutes instead of 50 minutes. I'll also be working at home quite a bit over the next year too because my mother-in-law got diagnosed with leukemia two days ago so my in-laws are going to be dealing with a lot of doctor appointments and trips to the hospital for chemotherapy," said Spencer.

"How's Maeve handling the news of her mother having cancer?" asked Morgan.

"She's in shock and trying to stay strong in front of her parents and the kids, but I know that having me home every night will help her because she's been holding me up when we're dealing with my mom," said Spencer.

Rossi looked at Spencer.

"Even though I'm sad to see you leave the team, I believe that you're making a right choice because your beautiful Bambini are getting older and Maeve and your mother both need you more than we do right now," said Rossi.

Morgan nodded in agreement.

"Your health is more important and if my mom was dealing with an illness like Dementia or cancer right now I would choose to leave because my mom's the only parent I have left right now and I would want to spend as much time as I can with her," said Morgan.

Spencer looked at his small stack of consults that he had yet to do and all of his personal belongings on his desk.

"I might as well finish up my consults before I start packing up my desk so I can take some of my personal belongings home this evening," said Spencer as he sat down at his desk.

xxxxxxxx

An hour later Spencer heard someone calling his name causing him to look at JJ.

"Yes, JJ?" asked Spencer.

"As someone who doesn't like change, are you sure that you're making the right choice to leave the B.A.U. to teach at Georgetown and be a consultant who works from home and the Hoover Building?" asked JJ.

"Didn't you hear me explain about my migraines, my mom having Dementia, and my mother-in-law having leukemia? I have some very good reasons about why I'm leaving the B.A.U. and no higher up is asking me to reconsider my decision," said Spencer.

"Because of Rossi being able to get me back in the B.A.U., you could still work in this building instead of working a job that won't let me see you every day," said JJ.

Spencer tilted his head at JJ and studied for a moment and saw that the usual warmth in her blue eyes was gone causing him to wonder what happened to the JJ he knew before her forced transfer to the State Department before Rossi was able to get JJ to come back.

"Even though you and Garcia aren't happy about me choosing to leave the B.A.U., I'm still not changing my mind because I'm an adult who can make his own decisions and my family needs me more right now than you guys," said Spencer before he took a breath and made eye contact with JJ, "When Maeve was pregnant with Jocelyn, Hotch told me that if the time comes that I need to pick my family over this job, that I should pick my family because there's anything I can do with my intelligence and still help a lot of people," said Spencer as he stood up and grabbed his empty mug of tea before walking away.

xxxxxxxxxx

Later on that evening, Maeve looked at Spencer as they cuddled on the couch.

"How did your teammates take the news about tomorrow being your last day in the B.A.U.?" asked Maeve.

"Rossi, Morgan, and Ashley were very supportive while Garcia got upset about me leaving and JJ wishes that I would be stationed at Quantico instead of the Hoover Building," said Spencer.

Maeve shook her head as she thought about not really liking Garcia and JJ because of Garcia nosy with hers and Spencer's relationship, always stopping by without being invited to see the kids, and spoiling the kids way too much with toys and clothes while JJ looks like the girl who always bullied her in school and how she uses Henry to make sure that Spencer is still part of her life despite having a boyfriend of her own.

"Did you explain why you were leaving?" asked Maeve.

"I did and I told Garcia and JJ that they'll have to accept my decision whether they like it or not because Hotch told me that if the time comes that I have to pick my family over the B.A.U. that I should pick my family," said Spencer before looking into his wife's eyes, "Speaking of my family how are you dealing with everything when it comes to your mother getting diagnosed with Leukemia, you starting your new job next Wednesday, me leaving the B.A.U. tomorrow so I can become a chemistry professor at Georgetown and a consultant in the Hoover building?" asked Spencer gently.

"When it comes to your new jobs, I'm excited about having you home every night while your getting offered to be paid more than you earned in the B.A.U. to be a college professor and a consultant," said Maeve before sighing, "But when it comes to my mom getting diagnosed with leukemia and having to go through treatment so she can watch our children grow up, I'm not sure if I want to start my new job as a laboratory genetic counselor because I want to help take care of my mom," said Maeve.

Spencer shook his head.

"Please don't quit your new job before you start it because you were very excited when you were told that got hired," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "And your mom asked me to talk you into sense if you decided that you don't want to start your new job because of her," said Spencer.

"Why would my mom ask me to talk some sense into me?" asked Maeve.

Spencer grinned.

"Your mom knows that you can't say no to my famous puppy dog eye look and pout when I ask you for something," said Spencer as he started to use his eyes while pouting at his wife.

Maeve groaned as she shook her head.

"I won't quit my new job before I start it, but we need to celebrate your new job and raise," said Maeve as she got off the couch and pulled her husband off the couch.

After checking that windows and doors were locked and that their home security system was armed, checking on their sleeping babies and toddlers; Spencer and Maeve entered their bedroom and locked their bedroom door before they started to quickly undress each other before Spencer groaned at the new lingerie that he never saw before.  
Maeve smirked.

"I thought that you would like the lingerie that I bought today to celebrate your new job and raise," said Maeve as she leads her husband over to their bed.

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The next day at 4 P.M., Spencer was emptying his last desk drawer before smiling when he saw his materials for physics magic causing Ashley to look at him.

"What got you smiling over there?" asked Ashley.

Spencer held up his film canister and a medicine syringe.

"I haven't done physics magic in the bullpen in ages," said Spencer before laughing at a memory, "The last time I did physics magic in here, the film canister hit Emily right in the forehead. I thought that she would be angry, but she told me to do it again out of curiosity," said Spencer.

"Emily really asked you to do it again?" asked Ashley.

Spencer nodded.

"She did only for the film canister to land by Hotch's feet," said Spencer before chuckling, "After he lightly scolded me about doing physics magic in here, he commented about the distance I've been gaining before giving me a rare at work smile before walking away," said Spencer.

"Rossi did mention that Hotch and Gideon both mentored you in the academy and during your first couple of years here," said Ashley.

"They did, but Hotch did a better job than Gideon," said Spencer before looking at JJ who was focusing on her work, "Hey JJ," said Spencer as he held up his film canister.

JJ looked up from her desk and smiled when she saw the film canister in his hands.

"What do you think of me doing physics magic one last time as a send-off for me?" asked Spencer.

"Do you think Hotch would allow it?" asked JJ quietly.

"You know that Hotch has a hard time saying no when it comes to my eyes and there's not much he can do because I'm done working for him in about an hour," said Spencer.

"Let me get Garcia and Morgan in here," said JJ as she quickly sent Garcia and Morgan a text message.

Five minutes later Spencer looked at Ashley, JJ, Garcia, and Morgan.

"I need you guys to turn around and close your eyes," said Spencer.

JJ, Garcia, and Morgan followed Spencer's orders while Ashley looked at Spencer.

"Turn around?" asked Ashley.

JJ turned around to look at Ashley.

"Yeah, he's not gonna show you... how it's done," said JJ as she turned around.

"A magician doesn't reveal his secrets," said Spencer.

"But I thought you said it was physics?" asked Ashley.

Spencer grinned.

"Physics...magic," said Spencer as he made quotation marks with his fingers.

"Trust me." said Garcia as she turned Ashley around herself, "It will not do you any good to argue with him," said Garcia before she turned around.

Spencer quickly made sure that his three female teammates weren't watching before he started to prepare his bottle rocket, and as soon as he was done, he looked at his three female teammates.

"All right, all right, turn back and observe," said Spencer.

JJ, Ashley, Garcia, and Morgan all quickly turned around, and five seconds later his little bottle rocket shot into the air causing all three women to scream while Morgan laughed.

"Oh," exclaimed Ashley, JJ, and Garcia.

A few seconds later the little bottle rocket flew towards Hotch and Rossi who were walking towards them only for the film canister to hit Rossi in th forehead causing Spencer's, Ashley's, JJ's, Garcia's, and Morgan's smiles to go away as Hotch picked up Spencer's film canister and looked at Spencer while JJ, Ashley, Garcia, and Morgan all either went to their desk or grab one of Spencer's files.

Hotch walked over to Spencer with a slightly stern look on his face as he placed the film canister on Spencer's pretty much empty desk.

"Physics magic?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded a bit.

"Yes, sir." said Spencer before looking at Rossi, "I'm so sorry," said Spencer.

"Its OK," said Rossi.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Reid, we've talked about this," said Hotch.

Spencer inwardly grinned as he thought about Hotch saying the same words over three and a half years ago.

"I'm sorry, sir," said Spencer.

Hotch gave Spencer a rare smile.

"I'm going to miss scolding you for doing physics magic in the bullpen, but I'll let this slide because it's your last day and you deserve to do physics magic here as a send-off for yourself," said Hotch.

Spencer gave Hotch the same grin he gave Hotch over three and a half years ago.

"Would you mind me doing physics magic one more time?" asked Spencer as he worked his eyes on Hotch.

Hotch shook his head before smiling.

"Go ahead and you can leave right after because your desk is all packed up and Rossi and I already loaded up your packed boxes into your car," said Hotch as he passed Spencer his keys.

Spencer looked at his soon to be former teammates.

"How about you guys get to watch and find out how I do physics magic because I'll be teaching my kids how to do this," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Spencer was filling his film canister with what it needed before everyone watched the film canister fly across the room before Spencer reluctantly accepted hugs or handshakes from everyone in the bullpen.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The next afternoon Spencer knocked on the open door in his mom's room and a second later Diana smiled at her son.

"I'm glad that you were able to visit me today, Spencer, but where are Maeve and the kids?" asked Diana.

Spencer inwardly smiled as he realized that his mother remembered him before becoming serious.

"I needed to tell you a few things before we head out to the garden where Maeve's with the kids setting up a picnic lunch for us," said Spencer.

"Is everything OK?" asked Diana.

Spencer sat down and took hold of his mother's hands.

"I ended up handing Hotch my letter of resignation on Wednesday so I could become a chemistry professor at Georgetown University and a non-traveling consultant who works from home or the Hoover Building," said Spencer.

"Why would you quit the job that you worked so hard to get?" asked Diana.

"My stress-related migraines haven't gotten any better, so my doctor made the suggestion to work a less stressful job. I don't feel guilty about handing my resignation because the B.A.U. is downsizing due to budget cuts," said Spencer.

"Then those are good reasons why you are quitting your job, but aside from being happy about you becoming a college professor, I wish that you wouldn't be a consultant for the FBI," said Diana.

"I'm too valuable for the FBI to loose completely, so that's why I'm going to be a consultant," said Spencer.

"Would you be paid to consult?" asked Diana.

Spencer nodded.

"The FBI decided to pay me an extra $50,000 a year to be a consultant as long as I continue publishing articles, travel to a different state once a month to give a recruitment seminar to college students, and teach profiling and geographical profiling seminars at the academy once a month," said Spencer.

"What did you say about that raise?" asked Diana.

"I accepted that raise because a lot of people would call me crazy for not accepting the raise I'm offered," said Spencer.

"What does Maeve say about you accepting the raise?" asked Diana.

"She's glad that I accepted the raise because we have five babies and toddlers and one teenager to feed while she's OK with me being gone one night a month to speak at recruitment seminars," said Spencer.

"Speaking of Maeve how is she?" asked Diana.

"She's excited about starting her new job as a laboratory genetics counselor on Wednesday, but I had to talk her out of quitting her new job before she started it because of Mary getting diagnosed with leukemia on Tuesday," said Spencer.

Diana started to tear up at the thought of the mother of her daughter-in-law having to battle cancer while her own son has to watch her deteriorate from Dementia.

"How is Mary handling her diagnosis?" asked Diana.

"She has cried a couple of times and is trying to stay strong in front of the kids because of not wanting to scare them, but her doctor has caught her illness early so there's a really good chance that Mary will survive with chemotherapy so she's staying positive," said Spencer.

"Staying positive is the best idea right now and how is Maeve handling her mother getting diagnosed with leukemia?" asked Diana.

"Even though I had to work for nearly 24 hours because of a local case on Tuesday, Maeve's trying to stay strong around her parents and the kids while she's only choosing to cry in my arm when the kids are asleep," said Spencer.

"Even though I'm slightly upset about you quitting the job you love, I'm proud of you for making the decision to leave because your health's more important, Maeve needs you more than ever, and I'll be getting to spend more time with you," said Diana before thinking about her beautiful grandchildren, "Let's head outside to eat lunch with Maeve and my grandchildren because I want to go give my daughter-in-law and grandchildren some hugs," said Diana.

A few minutes later Spencer was smiling at Maeve as they watched Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette make their way to their paternal grandma and give her hugs and kisses.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Two days later Spencer was putting his books onto the bookshelf in his new office when there was a knock on his open office door causing him to turn around and grin when he saw Alex Blake.

"Hi Alex," said Spencer.

"So rumors are correct about you now working on the same floor as me in this building," said Alex.

"I handed Hotch my resignation last week Wednesday and last week Friday was my last day in the B.A.U.," said Spencer.

"Aside from knowing that you'll be teaching chemistry three mornings a week at Georgetown University, what will you be doing here that caused you to earn an office of your own?" asked Alex.

"I'm a non-traveling consultant," said Spencer.

"Which means that anyone can send you case files that they're struggling on and you help find what they're missing from here," said Alex.

Spencer nodded.

"I'll occasionally working from home too because Mary got diagnosed with leukemia last week Tuesday," said Spencer sadly.

Alex pulled Spencer into a hug.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your mother-in-law," said Alex.

"Mary has a good outcome, but I'm glad that I left the B.A.U. because I'll be able to support Maeve and the kids through this latest obstacle," said Spencer.

"Speaking of obstacles, how's your mom doing?" asked Alex.

"When it comes to her Dementia and schizophrenia, she has good days and bad days, but Maeve, the kids, and I had a really good visit with her on Saturday," said Spencer.

"That's great," said Alex before looking at the clock in Spencer's office, "Should we go get something to drink before we both get started with our work?" asked Alex.

"Sure and I hope that you'll introduce me to everyone in this bullpen," said Spencer.

"I was planning on introducing you to everyone and there are a bunch of agents who have kids Jocelyn's, Gabriella's, Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette's ages," said Alex.

A few minutes later Alex was fixing herself a cup of coffee and Spencer was fixing himself a cup of tea before Alex started to introduce everyone while mentioning which agents have kids the same ages as his own kids.

xxxxxxxx

Later on that evening during dinner, Mary looked at her son-in-law.

"How was your first day as a consultant in the Hoover Building?" asked Mary.

Spencer smiled.

"It turns out that AD Bennett made sure to put me on the same floor as Dr. Blake and everyone very nice to me," said Spencer.

"That's great and do any of the agents or consultants have kids the same age as our own?" asked Maeve as she gestured to their five babies or toddlers that were all self-feeding themselves despite Gabriella's, Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette's faces getting covered in food.

Spencer nodded.

"There are five agents who have kids the same ages as ours. One of the agents has a daughter that will be starting preschool at Georgetown Day School in August and is hoping that his daughter could have a play date with Jocelyn before both girls start preschool," said Spencer.

"Just let the agents who have kids the same age as ours know that if they want to have any play dates arranged for our kids, we would be glad to arrange those play dates," said Maeve.

xxxxxxxx

The next morning Spencer, Maeve, Mary, Joe, and Stephanie were standing in Arthur's, Joseph's, and Lynette's nursery with Jocelyn on Spencer's hip and Gabriella on Maeve's hip as they watched the triplets wake up. As soon as Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were sitting up in their cribs and smiling at their parents, grandparents, and aunt; Spencer, Maeve, Mary, Joe, and Stephanie smiled at the three youngest Reid children.

"Happy birthday Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette," said Spencer, Maeve, Mary, Joe, and Stephanie in unison.

"Happy birthday," said Jocelyn.

"Appy birfday," said Gabriella.

xxxxxx

Later on that morning, Spencer was fixing himself a cup of tea when Alex joined him and fixed herself a cup of coffee.

"Didn't the triplets turn one today?" asked Alex.

Spencer nodded.

"They did, but their birthday party isn't until Saturday and I hope that you can make it," said Spencer.

Alex smiled.

"I already bought birthday presents for your three youngest children, so you and your family will be seeing me at the triplet's birthday party," said Alex just as Anderson approached them.

"Dr. Reid," said Anderson.

Spencer smiled at Anderson.

"Even though I told you on Friday that I'll miss talking to you about "Star Trek", "Star Wars", and "Dr. Who" at Quantico, what brings you here?" asked Spencer.

Anderson handed Spencer the files that he was holding.

"Agent Morgan was hoping that you could do these," said Anderson.

Spencer quickly noticed that Anderson gave him 10 consults from the B.A.U. and thought about how much time Morgan and Garcia were spending together after their grief assessments causing him to wonder if Morgan's trying to track down Doyle instead of doing the work he's given to do on paperwork days.

"I just wonder if I should regret telling my former teammates that I'll be working here as a freelance on-traveling consultant because Morgan always took my reading speed and being able to do work faster for his advantage so he can leave at a decent hour," said Spencer.

Alex looked at Spencer.

"With how you told me that your former teammates would make you do their work for them, maybe you should send these back and call Hotch and ask him to tell everyone that you don't expect to do the work that they're supposed to do yourself as a consultant," said Alex.

Anderson nodded in agreement.

"I agree with Agent Blake because I always hated how your former teammates except for Agents Hotchner, Rossi, and Gideon treated you," said Anderson.

"So you don't mind taking these files back?" asked Spencer.

"Not at all and I'll make sure to give them to Agent Hotchner without Agent Morgan seeing me give them to him," said Anderson as he took the files back before smiling at Spencer, "Because of you no longer traveling for work, I hope that we can get together sometime for a "Star Trek" marathon," said Anderson.

Spencer smiled as he looked at one of the first friends he made when he joined the B.A.U.

"I'll call you after I get some time to settle into my new job here and my new job at Georgetown University, Anderson," said Spencer before Anderson walked away.

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting at his desk dialing Hotch's office land-line on his own land-line and a few seconds later he heard Hotch's voice.

"Agent Hotchner," said Hotch.

"Hi Hotch," said Spencer.

"How's it going, Spencer?" asked Hotch.

Spencer smiled as he thought about Hotch deciding to call him by his first name because of no longer being his boss.

"I think I'll like working in the Hoover Building because I'm working on the same floor as Agent Blake and everyone has been nice to me so far and I bonded with a few agents who have kids the same age as my own," said Spencer.

"That's great, but I assume that you have a reason why you're calling me?" asked Hotch.

"Did you know that Morgan sent Anderson here to give me 10 of his consults?" asked Spencer.

"I didn't," said Hotch.

"Alex and Anderson both convinced me to not accept the consults because of them both knowing how Morgan would always slip a bunch of his consults onto my desk to do," said Spencer.

"Did you accept those consults?" asked Hotch.

"I refused to take them and Anderson is planning on handing them to you instead of giving them back to Morgan," said Spencer.

"I'm glad that you refused those consults and if the team ever sends you more than one consult please don't look at them and send them back," said Hotch.

"I promise because I've gotten tired of doing everyone else's work. Are you going to be talking to the team about what you just told me?" asked Spencer.

"I'm already planning on ordering Morgan, JJ, and Rossi not to send you any of their consults unless they're really struggling on one of them because you're already going to be helping other units with their cases and doing your former teammates work will hinder you from helping other units," said Hotch.

"Thank you," said Spencer before realizing that Hotch didn't mention Ashley, "Are you going to talk to Ashley too?" asked Spencer.

"I'm not because she decided to transfer to Andi Swann's team yesterday," said Hotch.

"She mentioned to me that she was thinking about transferring to Andi's team and I told her that she would get good experience in that unit," said Spencer.

"I agree, but I have to get to a meeting and you should get back to work so you can get home to your family at a reasonable hour," said Hotch.

"Hopefully I'll see you at the triplets' birthday party this Saturday," said Spencer before exchanging goodbyes and hung up.

xxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later at the B.A.U., Hotch entered the conference room with the 10 files that Anderson brought back and looked at Morgan, Garcia, JJ, and Rossi.

"We don't have a case right now, but something was brought to my attention," said Hotch as he placed the 10 consults in front of Morgan, "Even though you guys are already missing having Spencer on this team, I won't tolerate you guys sending most of your work to Spencer to do himself. When Spencer called me to tell me about the 10 consults that were sent to him, I told Spencer on the phone that if you guys send him more than one consult to do, that he shouldn't look at them and send them right back to me," said Hotch firmly.

"What if we want his help as a consultant?" asked Morgan.

"Ask another teammate or me for help first, but I'll be the one to decide if one of the consults we're asked to go through should be sent to Spencer to look at or not. Aside from teaching at Georgetown three days a week, he'll be busy with the consults that he'll be sent to look at from various units and field offices that are struggling on cases and case files of their own," said Hotch.

xxxxxxxx

Four days later Spencer, Maeve, Joe, Mary, Stephanie, Diana, Hotch, Haley, Jack, JJ, Will, Morgan, Ashley, Garcia, Kevin, Alex, James, Aunt Ethel, Uncle Gordon, and Spencer's and Maeve's cousins who were able to come to the triplets birthday party were gathered around Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette singing "Happy Birthday". After everyone was done singing; Spencer and his mother took their places place by Lynette, Maeve and Stephanie took their places by Arthur, and Joe and Mary took their place by Joseph before all five adults and one teenager helped the one-year-old triplets blow out their birthday candles before all three triplets dug into their small birthday cakes.


	91. First Day of Class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay on this chapter because aside from celebrating Christmas with my family, I ended up dealing with intense writer's block and going on a knitting frenzy. I hope that everyone had a great Christmas.
> 
> This chapter starts on June 1st of 2011 and Spencer will be teaching chemistry on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.
> 
> I hope you readers like what I did to a certain season 13 b**** in this chapter. Please don't get upset about how I'm treating JJ in this story now because things are going to change with Spencer's and JJ's relationship during the next couple of chapters for this story. I didn't like how JJ treated Spencer during the first few minutes I watched of the episode Ashley before I had to give up watching that episode because of being reminded of similar events that happened in my home state over two months ago even though the 13-year-old teenager is still missing

Spencer nervously looked at his plate of pancakes, scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage, and his bowl of mixed fruit causing Maeve to look at her husband.

"Are you nervous about teaching your first chemistry class today, Spencer?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"Teaching an actual class three days a week is much different than guest lecturing for Alex," said Spencer.

"I understand. I was so nervous before teaching my first genetics class when I was pregnant with Jocelyn, but I realized that I'm a natural at teaching," said Maeve.

"Do you regret no longer working for academia?" asked Spencer.

"Even though I miss working in a university setting, I feel like I'm making a difference by helping expecting mothers with prenatal genetic testing," said Maeve.

Stephanie looked at her brother.

"How many consults have you done as a consultant over the past two weeks, Spencer?" asked Stephanie.

Spencer used his eidetic memory to figure out how many consults he completed during the 11 days he's been consulting at the Hoover Building.

"I consulted on over 300 cases from various units during the 11 days I worked in the Hoover Building," said Spencer.

"More than you did at the B.A.U. a week when your not on a case?" asked Stephanie.

"I completed about 100 long distance consults a week at the B.A.U. when there wasn't a case," said Spencer.

"Even though working as a freelance consultant might make you think that your not making a difference, I believe that you're making a difference as a consultant without having to deal with the dangers of being in the field," said Maeve.

Xxxxxxxx 

Spencer entered his classroom and looked at the 20 students that signed up for Professor Wilkinson's class.

"My name is Dr. Spencer Reid and I'll be filling in for Professor Wilkinson indefinitely," said Spencer.

"Aren't you suppose to be a profiler for the FBI?" asked a male student.

Spencer nodded.

"I was a profiler, but I left the B.A.U. on May 13th because of budget cuts and my family currently needs me more than the B.A.U. does right now," said Spencer.

"Are you still an FBI agent?" asked the same student.

"I'll be consulting for the FBI when I'm not guiding you students to earning your degree in chemistry," said Spencer before looking at his students, "Aside from going through the files that Professor Wilkinson gave me and knowing that you are all either working on your Masters or Ph.D. in chemistry, I'm going to tell you guys a bit about myself," said Spencer as he mentioned his hometown, that he's a child prodigy, where he went to college, how long he has lived in Washington D.C., and that he's married with five children.

When Spencer was finished talking, a blue-eyed and brown haired girl raised her hand causing Spencer to nod at her.

"My name is Andrea, and what do you mean by child prodigy?" asked Andrea.

"I have an IQ of 187, an eidetic memory that causes me to never forget anything, and I read a total of 20,000 words per a minute that helped me graduate from high school when I was 12 and earn degrees so quickly, Andrea," said Spencer.

"Impressive," said Andrea.

Another student raised her hand.

"Yes?" asked Spencer.

"My name is Natasha, and I read your wife's published work and I think she's brilliant," said Natasha.

"I'll tell my wife that your a fan of her work and maybe I'll introduce you to her sometime, Natasha," said Spencer.

Another student raised her hand causing Spencer to nod at her.

"My name is Anna. If you and your wife have five kids under the age of three, are any of them multiples?" asked Anna.

Spencer nodded.

"My oldest daughter Jocelyn will be turning three on August 3rd. My second child Gabriella will be turning two on July 15th. And my three youngest children are triplets Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette and they just turned one over two weeks ago," said Spencer.

A male student raised his hand.

"I'm Jordan and my sister is one of your sister's best friends," said Jordan.

Spencer tilted his head and realize who Jordan looks like.

"Your Erica's brother," said Spencer.

Jordan nodded.

"In the flesh and I'm excited to work under you," said Jordan.

Spencer looked at Natasha.

"Why don't you start and tell me a bit about yourself," said Spencer.

Natasha nodded as she gave the information that Spencer told her to tell him before another student took their turn.

Xxxxxxxx 

Later on that day at 1 PM, Spencer entered the bullpen and headed to the coffee machine where Alex was fixing herself a cup of coffee and handed him a mug of tea.

"I already fixed you a mug of tea, but I haven't added anything yet," said Alex.

Spencer smiled as he thought about how Alex would always make sure he eats lunch every day while staying hydrated ever since his transfer two weeks ago.

"Thank you," said Spencer as he started to add a bit of sugar.

"How was your first day teaching at Georgetown?" asked Alex.

"It went well and during the first half of the class I told everyone a bit about myself before all my students told me about themselves," said Spencer.

"I always do that during my first class of a new semester too," said Alex.

"It turns out that a bunch of my students are either a fan of Maeve's or my work and are excited to work under me," said Spencer.

"That's great to hear," said Alex.

Spencer nodded.

"I know," said Spencer.

"Even though you've been here for two weeks and started teaching your first class at Georgetown today, do you think that you're going to miss working in the B.A.U.?" asked Alex.

"I do miss working in the B.A.U. a bit, but I'm glad that I no longer dealing with the dangers of being a field agent while I get to spend more time with my family especially since the next couple of weeks will be hard on Maeve, the kids, and Joe," said Spencer.

"Mary's finally able to start treatment?" asked Alex softly.

"She's going to the hospital on Monday for induction therapy, but everyone is sad that Mary will have to stay in the hospital for a month," said Spencer.

"When it comes to James being out of the country for the next couple of months, I'll be glad to help you, Maeve, Stephanie, and Joe with the kids," said Alex

"I'll talk to Maeve about your offer," said Spencer before he headed to his office so he could get started on the consults that were delivered to him.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next day at lunch, Spencer and Alex were sitting at a table together talking about Spencer's next guest lecture when a woman around Alex's age approached them with her own lunch.

"Mind if I join you two?" asked the woman.

"Sure, Linda," said Alex before looking at Spencer "Not a lot of people like her because she criticizes academics like us who choose to be agents. She's considered the Erin Strauss of D.C.," signed Alex.

Spencer nodded at his mother figure's warning as Linda sat down and looked at Spencer.

"Aren't you Dr. Spencer Reid?" asked Linda.

Spencer nodded.

"Yes," said Spencer.

"Weren't you working for the B.A.U.?" asked Linda.

Spencer nodded.

"I did, but I left two and a half weeks ago because of the unit downsizing and wanting to spend more time with my family," said Spencer.

"What do you do here?" asked Linda.

Alex looked at Linda.

"Spencer is a consultant here on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons while he's here all days on Tuesdays and Thursdays consulting for various units all over this country from his office here or his office at his house. On the mornings he's not here, he's teaching chemistry at Georgetown University," said Alex proudly.

"Why not work for academia every day?" asked Linda.

Spencer stiffened a bit while Alex glared at Linda just as John approached them with a man that Spencer recognized as his former NSA handler.

"Agent Barnes, you were warned to stop criticizing agents like Reid and Blake for choosing to work here instead of working for academia full time. A lot of rules were bent so the FBI could hire Dr. Reid before another government agency could hire him. Ever since transferring here as a consultant, Dr. Reid has helped solve nearly 300 cases that landed on his desk from various units around the country, so I'm glad that we didn't lose an asset like Dr. Reid completely to academia," said John sternly before looking at Spencer and saw that he was almost done with his lunch, "As soon as your done eating, can you please meet with your former NSA handler and me in the S.C.I.F. room?" asked John.

"Yes, sir," said Spencer.

John looked at Linda.

"Since I already warned you two times to stop criticizing academics for becoming agents, you can forget about climbing up the ladder because you're fired," said John.

Linda looked at Spencer.

"It's your fault that I got fired," said Linda.

Spencer shook his head.

"If you didn't join Alex and me at this table, you wouldn't have criticized me for working here when I'm better suited for academia and you would still have your job. As a former profiler, I can tell that you are a lot like my former section chief. Luckily Chief Strauss always had a soft spot for me because I helped make her look good by helping my former teammates finish cases faster," said Spencer before deciding to finish his lunch.

Xxxxxxxx 

The next evening Maeve looked at her husband as they ate dinner as she thought about her husband teaching chemistry on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings before he heads to the Hoover Building after lunch while he works in the Hoover Building all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

"How was day two of teaching chemistry?" asked Maeve.

"I found out that 10 students audited my class," said Spencer.

Maeve, Mary, and Stephanie all exchanged smirks.

"All girls?" asked Maeve.

"Yes," said Spencer.

"Seems like a bunch of your female students told their friends that there's a hot 29-year-old triple Ph.D. college professor on campus," teased Maeve.

Spencer turned beet red while Maeve, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary burst out laughing while Jocelyn got concerned about her daddy's red face.

"You OK, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer coughed a bit as he looked at his oldest daughter.

"Why do you ask, Josie?" asked Spencer.

"Your face is red and maybe mommy should see if you have a fever," said Jocelyn causing Maeve, Stephanie, Joe, and Mary to roar with laughter.

Maeve smiled as she thought about how much Jocelyn's language skills have grown since Spencer left the B.A.U. and how Jocelyn is insisting on reading picture books on her own at bedtime every night to Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette.

"I'll check daddy's temperature, Jocelyn," said Maeve before looking at her husband, "If these students don't have a BA or Masters in chemistry, are you going to kick those students out of your class?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"I already talked to the Dean after class today, and he said that I can kick those students out if they don't have the required degrees and he'll be glad to have campus security escort those students out if needed," said Spencer.

Xxxxxxx 

The next day Spencer smiled as he let Hotch and Jack into his house.

"Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are currently in the backyard with Maeve and Stephanie right now," said Spencer.

"OK, uncle Spencer," said Jack as he headed to the back door and headed outside.

Hotch looked at his former teammate.

"Sorry that it's been two weeks since the triplets birthday party for me to be able to accompany Jack on a play date," said Hotch.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"As a former profiler I understand the demands of the job," said Spencer.

Hotch took in the sight of his former youngest agent and noticed that there were no more dark circles underneath Spencer's eyes, Spencer's eyes contained the sparkle that has been lacking since holding the triplets for the first time while realizing that Spencer looked like he gained a couple of much-needed pounds.

"Aside from seeing that you got your haircut again, I see that leaving the B.A.U. three weeks ago has done some positive changes with your appearance. You look well rested, you look happier, and you gained some of the weight you lost from your migraines back," said Hotch.

Spencer smiled.

"Maeve said the same thing the other day because she's glad that I get an extra hour of sleep five days a week now," said Spencer.

"How are your migraines?" asked Hotch.

"I haven't had one since my last day in the B.A.U.," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about the teaching job Spencer had to start three days ago.

"How was teaching your first two classes at Georgetown?" asked Hotch.

"My first two classes went pretty well and 10 students audited my class yesterday and I'll be confronting them on Monday and politely ask them to leave," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Hotch.

"Before I headed home to eat lunch with my in-laws, Stephanie, and the kids; I looked into their files and saw that they don't have a BA or Masters in chemistry and this class is aimed for students who want to earn their Masters or PhD," said Spencer before shaking his head, "Maeve told me that those girls audited my class because they heard that there's a 29-year-old professor on campus," said Spencer.

Hotch smiled a bit.

"I'm not surprised that a lot of young women are starting to notice you more because your definitely not the same 21-year-old cadet that I met eight years ago," said Hotch before becoming serious, "Before we join your wife, sister, and our children outside, can we please go talk somewhere private?" asked Hotch.

"Sure," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer and Hotch were sitting in the Reid-Donovan family's home library when Hotch looked at Spencer.

"There's another change happening in the B.A.U., and I decided that you had a right to know," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"Did anyone else aside from Ashley left?" asked Spencer.

"I've been seconded to teach hostage negotiation training to our troops in Pakistan for the next couple of months and I leave next week. Morgan's going to be acting unit chief while I'm away and I already warned him that Rossi will be making the final decision before he sends any consults to you to work on or Strauss will be involved," said Hotch.

"Chief Strauss is back?" asked Spencer.

Hotch nodded.

"She is," said Hotch.

"How did she handle the news about me leaving the B.A.U.?" asked Spencer.

"When I told her that you left because of your stress-related migraines, your mother's Dementia, and your mother-in-law having leukemia and the new career choices you decided on, she told me to tell you that you made the right choice because your health and family are more important than the B.A.U. right now and that you should let her know if Morgan sends you any consults without Rossi's permission," said Hotch.

Spencer nodded and a few seconds later he looked at his former boss.

"If you're wondering how I'm going to handle you leaving, I'll be fine because I have Maeve, the kids, my mom, my sister, my in-laws while I have Alex to look after me at work," said Spencer.

Hotch smiled as he thought about the few interactions he had with Agent Alex Blake and how Alex became another mother figure for Spencer when Spencer started to guest lecture in Alex's forensic linguistics class at Georgetown University.

"I heard that Agent Blake has been keeping a close eye on you," said Hotch.

Spencer chuckled.

"When it comes to AD Bennett knowing that I guest lecture for Alex, he thought that I would adjust to my new job as a consultant easier if I was working on the same floor as her," said Spencer.

"Speaking of Agent Blake and AD Bennett, I heard about what happened between you, Agent Blake, and Agent Barnes and that AD Bennett fired Agent Barnes on the spot for treating you the way she did. At least I know that AD Bennett will do a good job watching out for you too because he admitted to me about being your sponsor when he told me that I'm being seconded to Pakistan," said Hotch.

Spencer's eyes went wide.

"I'm not that shocked that he's your sponsor because he always asks me about you whenever I have a meeting with him, but I'm glad that you have someone like AD Bennett watching out for you," said Hotch before both men decided to join Maeve, Stephanie, and the kids outside.

Xxxxxxxx 

Two days later Spencer accepted a hug from his mother-in-law as he thought about his mother-in-law starting induction therapy in two hours.

"Good luck and I know that you are going to get through this," said Spencer.

"You, Maeve, my grandchildren, Joe, and Stephanie are the reasons why I'm going to beat leukemia," said Mary.

"I know," said Spencer.

Mary stood on her tiptoes and whispered into Spencer's ear.

"Please make sure that Maeve and Joe take care of themselves while you take care of yourself too," said Mary.

"I promise and Maeve and I will bring the kids to visit you if you're up for visitors on Saturday," said Spencer.

"Good and I'm always a phone call away if you need to talk," said Mary as she knelt down and hugged and kissed her five grandchildren before having a moment with her daughter and left for the hospital with Joe.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were heading to their separate vehicles while Stephanie, Holly, and Erica worked on comforting Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette as the five Reid toddlers watched their parents leave for work.

Xxxxxxxx 

Nearly an hour later, Spencer looked at the 30 students in his classroom.

"I hate having to be harsh on you guys on our third day of class, but I need to tell the 10 students who audited my class that you ladies have to leave if you don't have a BA or Masters in chemistry. This class is aimed for students who are seriously working for their Masters or Ph.D.," said Spencer with authority lacing through his voice.

Andrea looked at her friend Charlotte.

"I warned you that Professor Reid would kick you out because you don't have a degree in chemistry at all," said Andrea.

A few seconds later Charlotte and the nine other girls who ghosted or audited Spencer's class got up and left the room so Spencer could start teaching his class.

Xxxxxxxx 

Six days later Spencer, Maeve, Joe, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette entered Mary's hospital room and Jocelyn gasped when she saw that her maternal grandmother's auburn hair was all gone.

"Your hair is gone, grandma," said Jocelyn.

Mary smiled sadly at her oldest granddaughter.

"I decided to get my head shaved right away because of a high risk of losing my hair to the medicine that my doctor is giving me right now. When I'm finished with treatment and start to feel better, my hair will grow back," said Mary.

Jocelyn looked at her parents.

"Can I pwease get my head shaved so I can look like grandma Mary?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer and Maeve exchanged glances before Maeve shook her head.

"As much as I like the idea of you wanting to support your grandma by getting your beautiful long curly brown hair shaved off, daddy and I will have to say no," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at Jocelyn.

"If mommy's OK with it, you can always get your hair cut short," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked at her daddy's hair that recently got buzzed around the sides and back while there were short brown curls laying on top when Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette got their first haircuts the day after their first birthday party.

"Can I get my hair cut like your hair, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer smiled as he shook his head

"Not as short as mine or grandma Diana's hair, but you can always get your hair cut into a style like a chin length bob like Lynette's hair is currently styled like," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked at her youngest sister's curly blonde hair.

"OK, daddy," said Jocelyn.

Gabriella who had her red curly shoulder length hair pulled into pigtails looked at her father.

"Me too?" asked Gabriella.

Maeve smiled at her nearly 23-month-old daughter.

"You can get your hair cut into a chin length bob too," said Maeve.

Jocelyn took in the sight of her mother's auburn hair that reached the middle of her back.

"What about your hair, mommy?" asked Jocelyn.

"I'll be getting my hair cut too," said Maeve as she passed her father's namesake to her mother to hold.

Xxxxxxxx 

An hour later Spencer's cell phone rang causing Spencer's eyebrows to furrow when he saw that it was JJ as he stood up from where he was sitting.

"Yes, JJ?" asked Spencer as he left his mother-in-law's hospital room.

"I just got back from Salt Lake City last night and I thought that we could have brunch so Henry could spend some time with you, so I stopped at your house with Henry only to find no one home," said JJ.

Spencer sighed.

"I'm not home right now because I'm visiting my mother-in-law at the hospital with Maeve, Joe, and the kids right now," said Spencer.

"Can you go out for lunch with Henry and me after you leave the hospital?" asked JJ.

"I can't," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked JJ.

"My mom's currently having a good day today. So as soon as we're done visiting my mother-in-law; Maeve, the kids, and I will be having lunch with my mom before the kids have their afternoon nap. After naptime we're going to the park," said Spencer.

"Why didn't you visit your mom and mother-in-law yesterday before I got back from my latest case?" asked JJ.

"My mom and mother-in-law weren't well enough for visitors yesterday and Maeve and I promised the kids that they would see both of their grandmothers as soon as they were up for visitors," said Spencer before looking at his watch, "I have to hang up because Maeve, the kids, Joe, and I will be leaving the hospital in five minutes to pick up the food that Maeve ordered so we could have a picnic at my mom's hospital," said Spencer.

"What about spending time with your godson and me?" asked JJ.

Spencer sighed as he thought about Will telling him that he and JJ broke up because of the argument they had about JJ returning to the B.A.U. and he found an apartment near the house that he and JJ bought together while JJ's mom moved into JJ's townhouse.

"After Maeve, the kids, and I spend time with my mom and the kids have their nap, why don't you and Henry meet Maeve, the kids, Stephanie, Joe, and me at the park?" asked Spencer.

"Can't you leave your wife, kids, sister, and father-in-law at home?" asked JJ.

Spencer raised his eyebrows as he heard the jealousy in JJ's voice and started to wonder about what happened to JJ during her forced transfer because of her not acting like the JJ he knew before JJ's forced transfer.

"Maeve and I already promised Jocelyn and Gabriella that we would take them to the park today. If you don't like it that my family will be there, then you and Henry shouldn't join us at all," said Spencer before hanging up and pinched the bridge of his nose just as Maeve approached him in the hallway.

"JJ giving you a hard time again?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded as he relayed the phone call he had with JJ to Maeve before Maeve looked at him.

"I just wonder if JJ developed a crush on you because of Will breaking up with her for picking the B.A.U. over him and Henry? I know that the date that Jason arranged for you and JJ over five years ago backfired because of JJ bringing Penelope along causing you and JJ to just be friends," said Maeve.

Spencer nodded in agreement.

"I still don't regret that date with JJ failing because I eventually met you," said Spencer before thinking of the confession he had to make to Maeve, "When Dr. Barnes told me that I should consider leaving the B.A.U. because of my migraines, I actually thought about accepting a teaching position at Cal-tech, but I decided against that idea because of refusing to uproot Stephanie from her home again, your mom getting treatment for leukemia, and my mom is getting the best care where she is right now and moving her would make her condition worse," said Spencer.

Maeve squeezed her husband's hand.

"Even though we have some good reasons why you couldn't accept a job at your Alma-mater right now, I wouldn't be upset if you want to teach at Cal-tech in a couple of years because Stephanie will be going to college, my mom would hopefully be in remission," said Maeve before Spencer interrupted her.

"And my mom would most likely be gone," said Spencer sadly.

Maeve nodded.

"Just don't think about your mom dying yet because she still has a couple of years, but let's go say goodbye to my mom so we can grab our food from Paddy's and go eat lunch with your mom," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were saying goodbye to Mary before Spencer and Maeve told their five upset children that they were going to see their grandma Diana next.

Xxxxxxxx 

A half-hour later Spencer, Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were having a picnic with Diana at Diana's hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I decided to have JJ and Will break up because of JJ telling Emily that she and Will fought over her returning to the B.A.U. in It Takes A Village and the argument that JJ and Will had in There's No Place Like Home.
> 
> If I don't update this chapter before January 1st of 2019, I hope that everyone has a happy new year and celebrate the new year safely!


	92. A Vacation and Back From the Dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about the delay for my first chapter for this story in 2019. I had my second post OP appointment that allowed me to be cleared to go back to my daily routine even though I'll be stuck at home for six weeks again next month recovering from the second attempt of the surgery I'm scheduled to have next month.
> 
> Because of a guest review I got about needing to figure out how to end this story because of the length and having surgery on February 4th, I decided to have Emily return from the dead in this chapter because of wanting to finish this story before I have surgery on February 4th. To make up this big time jump, I promise you guys that I will write a story that takes place between chapters 91 and this chapter because I planned on writing about Gabriella turning two, Jocelyn turning 3, and the Reid family dealing with August of 2011 earthquake and Hurricane Irene before I got to this chapter.
> 
> When it comes to the vacation that Spencer, Maeve, Diana, and Gordon go on in this chapter, I'm not going to write about everything that Spencer, Maeve, Diana, and Gordon did during their vacation but just imagine Spencer, Maeve, Diana, and Gordon visiting tourist attractions that deals with King Arthur, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and a bunch of other locations.
> 
> Jocelyn is now three-years-old, Gabriella is now two-years-old, and Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are almost 16-months-old in this chapter.
> 
> I found out this morning that Autism Society of Wisconsin wants me to be on their panel of experts again during this year's annual Autism Society of Wisconsin Spring Conference at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells this April and I said yes!

Spencer was walking down the stairs just as his doorbell rang and a few seconds later he gasped when he saw his aunt Ethel and uncle Gordon through the peephole causing him to quickly let his aunt and uncle into the house.

"Aunt Ethel, uncle Gordon, what are you guys doing here?" asked Spencer as he accepted hugs from his aunt and uncle.

"I'm catching a flight to London tomorrow from Dulles for a week-long vacation and I wanted to see my sister, my grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and you before we catch our flight to London at midnight," said uncle Gordon.

Spencer looked at his aunt.

"Are you going too?" asked Spencer.

Ethel shook her head.

"I'm staying here to help Joe, Mary, and Stephanie with my grand-nieces and grand-nephews while you, Maeve, your mother, and Gordon are in London," said Ethel.

Spencer's eyes went wide just as Joe, Mary, and Maeve joined them.

"Spencer?" asked Maeve.

Mary looked at her daughter.

"You, Spencer, Diana, and Gordon are leaving for London at midnight tonight," said Mary.

"And you guys decided to wait until the last minute to tell us so we can have time to pack?" asked Maeve.

"This second honeymoon is my early birthday present for my favorite nephew even though your mother and I are coming along," said Gordon.

"My 30th birthday isn't until next month, uncle Gordon," said Spencer.

"I know, but I won four round-trip plane tickets and two hotel rooms through a radio contest last month and I thought that you should go to London before you turn 30," said Gordon before smiling a bit, "I already got the OK from Dr. Reynolds to take your mother on this vacation because Dr. Reynolds was already planning on talking to you about taking your mom on a big vacation before her health gets worse," said Gordon.

"What about our jobs?" asked Maeve.

Joe looked at his daughter and son-in-law.

"I already talked to your bosses and got the OK for you two to take the next eight days off of work," said Joe.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"We might as well go on this vacation with your mom and uncle because we both wanted to go to London someday and this vacation will be good for you and your mom," said Maeve.

"I'll go on this vacation because AD Bennett has been pressuring me on going for a vacation," said Spencer before he pulled out his phone, "I'll probably need to let AD Bennett know that I'm leaving for London tonight because its protocol to let the Bureau know when I'm traveling overseas," said Spencer as he pulled out his phone and dialed John's personal number.

A few seconds later Spencer heard John's voice.

"Is everything OK, Spencer?" asked John.

Spencer smiled a bit.

"My aunt and uncle just showed up and told me that I'm going to London with my mom, Maeve, and uncle Gordon as an early birthday present from uncle Gordon and I assume that my father-in-law got ahold of you," said Spencer.

"Mr. Donovan already contacted me and told me about the surprise vacation. I already did the paperwork to let you have the next eight days off, and I'm currently in my office in the Hoover Building. So why don't you hurry to the Hoover Building so you can sign your paperwork and catch your flight tonight," said John.

"I'll be there in a half hour, sir," said Spencer before hanging up just as he heard Jocelyn's and Gabriella's voices from the top of the stairs.

"Daddy," said Jocelyn.

"Mommy," said Gabriella.

A few seconds later Spencer was hurrying up the stairs to find three-year-old Jocelyn and two-year-old Gabriella standing by the baby gate.

"Did you two have a good nap?" asked Spencer as he unlocked the gate.

"Yes," said Jocelyn.

"Yes," said Gabriella.

"Daddy has to go to headquarters to do some paperwork for a surprise vacation that your great-uncle Gordon decided to take mommy, grandma Diana, and I on tonight to London," said Spencer.

"You are going to the United Kingdom, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

"Yes, but I just have to sign some paperwork that will tell the FBI that I'm going overseas and why," said Spencer.

"Can I please come with?" asked Jocelyn.

"Me too?" asked Gabriella.

Spencer smiled as he noticed that his three-year-old daughter and two-year-old daughter were both giving him the puppy dog eyes while pouting.

"With it being Saturday, I think I can let you two go to the Hoover Building with me as long as you two promise to behave," said Spencer.

"I promise to behave, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"I pomise to behave, daddy," said Gabriella.

A few minutes later Spencer was loading Jocelyn and Gabriella up into their car seats before he drove them to the Hoover Building.

xxxxxxxxx

After scanning his ID and getting Jocelyn and Gabriella signed in as visitors, Spencer scooped up Gabriella and settled her onto his hip while he grabbed Jocelyn's hand with his free hand.

"Where will we go so you can sign that paperwork, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

"We're going to meet with my immediate boss Assistant Director John Bennett because he's in charge of me when I'm a consultant here," said Spencer.

"How long will you and mommy be in London, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

"We'll be back next week Saturday and your great-aunt Ethel will be staying at our house to help grandma Mary, Grandpa Joe, and auntie Stephanie with you two girls and Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette. So I hope that you two girls behave and be such good helpers for grandma, grandpa, Auntie Stephanie, and Great-aunt Ethel while mommy and I are away," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked up at her father and took in the sight of his hair that grew a bit since Arthur, Joseph's, and Lynette's birthday party nearly four months ago despite the regular trims he got to keep his hair as short as it is.

"Its funny that aunt Ethel's favorite topic to talk to you about is your hair, daddy," said Jocelyn as they reached the elevators.

"I know, but do you like my hair long or short, Jocelyn?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn pressed the up button for the elevator.

"I like your hair short, daddy," said Jocelyn.

Spencer looked at his wife's curly-haired mini-me.

"What do you think, Gabriella?" asked Spencer.

"Short," said Gabriella.

"Then I'll keep my hair short for you two young ladies," said Spencer as he entered the elevator with his daughters.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Spencer reached outside of John's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," called John through the door.

Jocelyn looked at her father.

"Can I please open the door, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

"Go ahead," said Spencer.

Jocelyn opened the door and a few seconds later Spencer entered his superior's office with his two daughters.

"I hope it wasn't a problem for me to bring Jocelyn and Gabriella with me, sir. They asked to come with and with it being Saturday, I thought that it wouldn't be a problem to bring my two oldest daughters to work," said Spencer.

John smiled a bit.

"When it comes to having some grandchildren that are the same age as Jocelyn and Gabriella, I don't mind you bringing them with you, Dr. Reid," said John before smiling at Jocelyn, "I heard that you started attending Georgetown Day School a couple of weeks ago," said John.

Jocelyn grinned.

"I like school and Mrs. Swanson is making sure to challenge me because of me being able to read, count, and do math problems," said Jocelyn.

John winked at Spencer before looking at Jocelyn.

"If you're turning out to be a genius like your daddy, what's five times five?" asked John.

"25," said Jocelyn.

Spencer gave Jocelyn a high five while Gabriella looked at her father.

"Two plus two is four," said Gabriella.

"Good job, Gabriella," said Spencer before looking at the small coffee table that was in John's office, "Can I please set you two up with some markers and paper so you two can do some coloring while I talk to my boss?" asked Spencer.

"Yes daddy," said Jocelyn and Gabriella in unison.

A few seconds later Spencer was setting up Jocelyn and Gabriella with Color Wonder paper and markers before he sat down in front of John's desk and started to do the paperwork that John drew up for him.

xxxxxxxxx

The next day Spencer's and Maeve's eyes went wide when they exited the airport and took in the sights.

"After we drop off our belongings at the hotel, what should we do first?" asked Spencer.

Diana looked at her son.

"I'm hoping that it would be OK if I go and lay down at the hotel," said Diana.

"Do you want me to stay with you, mom?" asked Spencer.

Gordon shook his head.

"Why don't you and Maeve go sightseeing while I watch my sister," said Gordon.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"What do you think of going to the science museum first?" asked Maeve.

Spencer grinned while he kissed Maeve causing a few passers-by to let out some wolf whistles while Diana and Gordon laughed.

xxxxxxxxx

The next morning, Spencer and his mother were sitting on a bench in a park near their hotel when Diana looked at her son.

"I hope you know that I'm proud of the man you became," said Diana.

Spencer smiled.

"I always thought that joining the FBI would make you consider me a modern day night even though I'm no longer a profiler for the B.A.U.," said Spencer.

"Even though I'm sad that you left the job you worked so hard to get, I can tell that you look happier and healthier ever since you left the B.A.U.," said Diana.

Spencer chuckled a bit.

"I like getting to go home to Maeve, the kids, and Stephanie every night while Professor Blake makes sure that I'm taking care of myself when I'm working in the Hoover Building," said Spencer.

Diana smiled as she thought about getting to meet Alex Blake at Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette's birthday party and getting to talk to her again during Jocelyn's, and Gabriella's birthday parties.

"I really like Professor Blake," said Diana.

"Because of her being a linguist?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded.

"Yes and she proved to you that you can be both a college professor and work for the FBI at the same time," said Diana before taking in the sights of London, "I hope that you and Maeve can take my beautiful grandchildren here someday," said Diana.

"Maeve and I already talked about bringing the kids here someday, so we're going to start to put money aside each month when we get home," said Spencer.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't do trips like this before you committed me," said Diana.

"Its OK, mom," said Spencer before smiling a bit, "London was one of the places that I wanted to travel to before I turn 30," said Spencer.

"Speaking of turning 30, are you looking forward to your 30th birthday next month?" asked Diana.

"Yes, but turning 30 reminds me that my kids are getting older since we celebrated Jocelyn turning three last month," said Spencer.

"I can't believe that my oldest granddaughter is already three and going to preschool," said Diana.

"Me too, but I'm glad that I made the decision to leave the B.A.U. because I'm able to see you more often," said Spencer as he hugged his mom.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Two days later Spencer and Maeve were sitting in a coffee shop that was also a bookstore when a waiter looked at them.

"May I take your order, sir?" asked the waiter.

"Um, I'll have a double espresso," said Spencer.

The waiter looked at Maeve.

"What about you, ma'am?" asked the waiter.

"And I'll have a nonfat latte," said Maeve.

"Your beverages will be here shortly," said the waiter before walking away.

Maeve smiled at her husband as she squeezed his hand.

"Did you know Sir Arthur Conan Doyle probably sat right here drinking his coffee about 130 years ago?" asked Maeve.

"I think he probably drank tea. You know, given his comment that the tea fields of Ceylon are as true a monument to courage as is the lion at Waterloo," rambled Spencer.

Maeve smiled.

"Spencer…," said Maeve as she leaned forward and pulled her husband into a kiss.

A few seconds later Spencer and Maeve broke out of their kiss before Spencer looked around the room.

"And this is Oxford. Didn't Sir Arthur Conan Doyle go to school at the University of Edinburgh?" asked Spencer.

Maeve laughed.

"Are you gonna argue with everything I say?" asked Maeve.

Spencer chuckled before giving his wife a cheeky grin.

"No, of course not," said Spencer.

"You know, there is such a thing as too much logic," said Maeve just as the song "Sleepwalk" by Santo and Johnny started to play causing her to become a bit bold as she looked at her husband and thought about how the four year anniversary of them meeting was coming up in about a month, "Dance with me," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled as he stood up and a few seconds later he and Maeve were slow dancing in each other's arms while not realizing that Diana and Gordon were watching them from a distance.

"When it comes to watching my son and daughter-in-law spend time together the past couple of days, at least I know that Maeve will be there for Spencer while my memory continues to go away," said Diana.

Gordon gave his sister a side hug.

"I know, Diana," said Gordon.

"Thank you for taking Spencer, Maeve, and me on this vacation, Gordon," said Diana.

"Your welcome," said Gordon.

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Later on that night at 2 AM, Spencer woke up to his cell phone ringing causing him to reach over for his phone and quickly answered it.

"Dr. Reid," answered Spencer groggily.

"Why are you asleep when its still daylight here?" asked Rossi.

"I'm currently in the United Kingdom with my mom, Maeve, and uncle Gordon because of my uncle surprising my mom, Maeve, and me with plane tickets five days ago and we'll be home in two days," said Spencer.

"I was going to see if you would want to help bring Ian Doyle down because Morgan and Garcia spent the last seven months finding Doyle without our knowledge, but your where you should be. Enjoy the rest of your vacation," said Rossi before hanging up.

Maeve woke up and looked at her husband.

"Everything OK?" asked Maeve.

"Rossi wanted to let me know that Morgan and Garcia have been searching for Ian Doyle on their own for the past seven months and they finally found him. Rossi was going to ask me for help, but when it comes to having two days of our vacation left he said I should stay here," said Spencer.

"How are you feeling about finding out that Derek and Penelope have been searching for Doyle and didn't ask for your help?" asked Maeve.

"I'm upset that they didn't ask me for help and I'm planning on talking to them when we get home," said Spencer before looking at the clock and realized that it was 8 PM in D.C. before looking at Maeve, "Since I'm too wired to go back to sleep, we might as well do something else," said Spencer as he pulled Maeve into a deep kiss as he removed his wife's t-shirt.

xxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, at the BAU, Rossi entered the conference room and JJ looked at him.

"Spence couldn't come and help us?" asked JJ.

"He's currently in London with his mom, uncle Gordon, and Maeve," said Rossi.

"Why didn't you order him to get on the next flight home so he could help us?" asked JJ.

Rossi gave JJ a look.

"I didn't order him to get on the next flight home because I'm not going to ruin his last two days of his vacation. We have been able to work on 17 cases over the past 14 weeks without Spencer, so we can handle working another case without him again," said Rossi firmly before he got everyone to go back to work.

xxxxxxxxx

Over two days later; Spencer, Maeve, Diana, and Gordon were grabbing their bags just as Spencer's phone rang causing Spencer to quickly answer his phone.

"Dr. Spencer Reid," answered Spencer.

"Dr. Reid, I know that your flight from London landed a couple of minutes ago, but I need your presence at the Hoover Building as soon as possible. There's an agent on her way to the airport to pick you up right now and should be there in five minutes," said John seriously.

"I'll see you in a bit, Sir," said Spencer before hanging up.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"Everything OK?" asked Maeve.

"Assistant Director John Bennett needs to meet with me ASAP," said Spencer.

Maeve thought about the occasional cases from other agencies that John calls him about causing Spencer to drop everything and head to the Hoover Building.

"Do you think that there's a case that someone brought to him and requested your help?" asked Maeve.

"Most likely," said Spencer before looking at his mother who had her arms looped with her brother, "I'm sorry that I won't be able to take you back to the hospital, but my presence has been requested at the Hoover Building," said Spencer.

"Its OK, Spencer," said Diana.

Spencer kissed his mother's cheek.

"I'll come and visit you tomorrow," said Spencer before pecking Maeve on the lips, "I'll see you when I'm finished with whatever AD Bennett needs me for," said Spencer.

A few minutes later Spencer's eyes went wide when he saw Ashley Seaver leaning against an SUV.

"What are you doing here, Ashley?" asked Spencer.

"I'm your ride to the Hoover Building because AD Bennett asked for me to meet with him too," said Ashley.

"Whatever is going on, I doubt its good news," said Spencer.

Ashley nodded in agreement.

"We should get going," said Ashley.

A minute later Ashley was driving Spencer and herself to the Hoover Building.

xxxxxxxxx

20 minutes later Spencer's and Ashley's eyes went wide when they saw Hotch sitting in John's office.

"When did you get back, Hotch?" asked Spencer.

"I got back yesterday and found out from Rossi that you were in London," said Hotch.

"Uncle Gordon surprised Maeve, my mom, and me with a trip to London as an early birthday present. Maeve, mom, uncle Gordon, and I were on day five of our trip when Rossi called me," said Spencer.

"Did you have a good vacation?" asked Hotch.

"Aside from getting a voicemail from JJ about brunch this weekend and getting a lot of calls from JJ, Morgan, and Garcia the past three days before I told Rossi that I was on vacation, I had a great time," said Spencer.

"Good," said Hotch as he gestured to Spencer and Ashley to sit down.

As soon as Spencer and Ashley were both sitting down, Hotch looked at Spencer.

"What I'm about to tell you and show you, I need you to know that you're not hallucinating or having a schizophrenic break," said Hotch.

Spencer's brows furrowed as he realized what Hotch was about to tell him and Ashley wasn't good.

"What's going on?" asked Spencer.

"Seven months ago JJ and I made a decision that affected your former teammates and you two. As you all know, Emily had lost a lot of blood after her fight with Doyle. But the doctors were able to stabilize her," said Hotch as he watched Spencer and Ashley grip the arms of their chairs as their faces paled, "And she was airlifted from Boston to Bethesda under a covert ex-filtration. Her identity was strictly need-to-know. And she stayed there until she was well enough to travel. She was reassigned to Paris where she was given several identities, none of which we had access to for her security." said Hotch.

Spencer and Ashley exchanged shocked glances.

"She's alive?" asked Ashley.

"But we buried her," said Reid in a quiet voice.

"As I said, I take full responsibility for the decision. If anyone has any issues, they should be directed toward me," said Hotch just as Emily slowly entered the room.

Spencer slowly got up from his chair and walked over to Emily who pulled him into a hug that he returned.

"I am so sorry." said Emily while resting a hand on Spencer's shoulder and then she grabbed Ashley's hands "I really am. Not a day went by that I didn't want to... Really, you guys didn't deserve that. And I'm so sorry." said Emily as she hugged Ashley, "There's so much I want to tell you guys, and I will. I promise," said Emily.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"I'm not that mad at you because I can understand that someone like you would fake someone's death, but I'm more furious at JJ because of how she's been since she became a profiler and I left the B.A.U.," said Spencer before giving Hotch a serious look, "If Haley and Jack believed that Emily was dead too and Haley is furious at you for lying, I hope that you told Jack that lying is wrong and that lying can hurt a lot of people," said Spencer just as John entered the room and looked at Spencer.

"You can take the next couple of days off to recover from jet lag and deal with what you were just told," said John.

"Are you sure?" asked Spencer.

"You were just given shocking news and I want you to talk to your therapist," said John.

"I'll make an appointment with Dr. Moss," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at Spencer and Ashley.

"You two didn't get suspended, but Reid your presence is requested at the Senate hearing that the rest of your former teammates and I are being forced to attend on September 23rd. You're going to need to let Georgetown University know that you can't teach that day," said Hotch.

"I already gave you that afternoon off too," said John.

"Why do I have to show up?" asked Spencer.

"Why isn't my presence requested?" asked Ashley.

Hotch looked at Ashley.

"You haven't known Prentiss as long as everyone else did," said Hotch.

Spencer quickly connected the dots.

"And because of how long I knew Emily and naming her Jocelyn's godmother, the Senate committee is going to want to know if I tried doing any investigating of my own the past seven months," said Spencer.

Hotch nodded.

"Luckily Georgetown University made sure to give me an assistant professor to help me out when I have to testify for a past case I worked or there's an urgent case that I'm asked to consult on," said Spencer before looking at Emily, "I want you to stay away from my house for now because I need to tell Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Stephanie, my mom, and my in-laws that you are alive and talk to Jocelyn and Gabriella about lying before I let Jocelyn make the decision if she wants to see you or not," said Spencer.

"What about being Jocelyn's godmother again?" asked Emily.

"Its Jocelyn's choice on deciding if she wants you to be her godmother again or let your mother continue being her godmother," said Spencer.

"My mom's Jocelyn's godmother now?" asked Emily.

"Elizabeth asked if she could be Jocelyn's godmother and Jocelyn said yes," said Spencer before leaving the room.

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Over an hour later, Spencer stormed into his house and rushed upstairs and as soon as he was in his home library Maeve entered the room and noticed her husband taking books with the titles "The Berenstain Bears and The Truth" and "David Gets in Trouble" out of a shopping bag.

"What are you so angry about, Spencer? Why do you have those children's books about lying?" asked Maeve.

Spencer locked the door and looked at his wife and started to tell Maeve about the investigation that Garcia and Morgan were doing, his former teammates getting suspended, and finding out that Hotch and JJ faked Emily's death.

After he was finished, a shocked Maeve looked at her husband.

"Are you serious?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"Emily came into the room after Hotch finished telling Ashley and me what happened while we were in London," said Spencer.

"How furious are you at Aaron and Jennifer?" asked Maeve.

"I'm not that furious at Hotch because he's my former boss and I'm not surprised that he would fake someone's death, but I'm more furious at JJ because she lied to our faces, put Jocelyn through a lot of unnecessary tantrums, while she's trying to ruin our marriage by convincing me to spend time with her and Henry and not include you and the kids," said Spencer.

"I'm more furious at JJ too," said Maeve before thinking about her husband's consulting job, "Are you suspended from your consulting job at all?" asked Maeve.

"Ashley and I were told that we aren't suspended from our jobs in the FBI at all because we didn't go rogue as the rest of the team did, but my presence is requested at the same Senate hearing that my former teammates are required to attend," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Maeve.

"I worked with Emily for over four and a half years and its mentioned in Emily's personnel file that Jocelyn is her goddaughter," said Spencer.

Maeve quickly connected the dots.

"So the Senate committee will need to know if you did any searching for Ian Doyle on your own?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded.

"Yes, and I didn't do any searching at all because I focused on you, the kids, Stephanie, and my mom when I wasn't working," said Spencer before pointing at the two books he bought, "I'm planning on reading those books to Jocelyn and Gabriella before I tell them that Emily is actually alive while telling them that you and I were lied to too," said Spencer.

Maeve nodded.

"If you didn't get those books, I would have suggested that you buy books like these and read them to Jocelyn and Gabriella because Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were only nine-months-old when we were told that Emily died and they're almost 16-months-old and won't understand what lying is and how much lying hurts people," said Maeve.

"Where are the kids?" asked Spencer.

"My parents and Stephanie took them to the park, and I'm hoping that they could sleep with us because I really missed them while we were away," said Maeve.

"They can sleep with us," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxxxx

A half-hour later Spencer was hugging and kissing Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette before looking at Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"Daddy has bought some new books to read to you two, so why don't we go to the library and read them," said Spencer.

Jocelyn tilted her head and looked at her daddy.

"You look angry, daddy," said Jocelyn.

Spencer nodded.

"I'm currently angry about something, but let me read the two books I bought for you girls before I tell you two what I'm angry about," said Spencer before looking at Maeve, "Will you tell your parents and Stephanie what's going on?" asked Spencer.

"I can," said Maeve.

A few minutes later Spencer was sitting on the couch in his home library with Jocelyn and Gabriella on his lap as Jocelyn helped him read "The Berenstain Bears and the Truth" and "David Gets in Trouble" out loud.

xxxxxxxxx

After Spencer, Jocelyn, and Gabriella were done reading their two new books, Spencer looked at his two oldest daughters.

"Can either of you figure out why I bought you these two new books?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn quickly thought about the two books she just read.

"Did someone lie to you and you wanted to teach us a lesson about lying, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

"Your uncle Aaron and aunt Jennifer lied to everyone by telling everyone that your godmother is dead when she's actually alive, Jocelyn," said Spencer.

"My first godmother is actually alive?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer nodded.

"That's why I didn't come home with mommy and uncle Gordon because Assistant Director John Bennett called me and Ashley to his office where uncle Aaron told Ashley and me the truth about Emily because of your aunt Penelope and your godfather deciding to get revenge by catching the man that killed your godmother," said Spencer.

"Is it OK that I'm angry at uncle Aaron and aunt JJ about lying to us about my godmother?" asked Jocelyn.

"Its OK that your angry because your mother and I are both angry at them for lying to us while you went through all of those unnecessary tantrums during the first month after your godmother's death," said Spencer before pointing at the two books, "With what happened to your godmother, your mother and I decided that now was the perfect time to tell you two about lying is wrong and lying can hurt a lot of people," said Spencer.

"I'm glad that you decided to teach Gabby and me a lesson about lying, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"Speaking of your godmother, you will need to make a choice about who you want to be your godmother because Ambassador Prentiss called me when I was on my way home and told me that she didn't know that her daughter was alive and you can let Emily be your godmother again if you want to," said Spencer.

"I want Elizabeth to still be my godmother because I'm too mad at Aunt Emily to let her be my godmother," said Jocelyn seriously.

"I will let Emily and Ambassador Prentiss know," said Spencer.

"Is it OK if I don't want to see Aunt Emily yet?" asked Jocelyn.

"Its OK if you don't want to see her yet because I told her to stay away from here until you are ready to see her again," said Spencer just as Maeve's knock sounded on the closed door.

"Is it OK to come in now?" asked Maeve.

"Come in," said Spencer.

A few seconds later Maeve, Stephanie, Mary, and Joe entered the room and Stephanie looked at her brother.

"I can't believe that we were lied to about Emily," said Stephanie.

"I know and I'm planning on going to your school tomorrow morning and talk to your teachers so they know that you're not lying when you tell your teachers and friends that my former coworker's death was faked," said Spencer.

"Thank you, Spencer," said Stephanie before looking at the two books on Jocelyn's and Gabriella's laps, "My mom read me those books to teach me a lesson about lying when I was a kid," said Stephanie.

Mary looked at the books.

"Reading those two books to Jocelyn and Gabriella was a smart idea, Spencer," said Mary.

Spencer nodded while Joe looked at his son-in-law.

"How are you handling everything?" asked Joe.

"I'm furious about being lied to by Hotch and JJ, but at least working my two jobs will keep me away from my former teammates until the Senate hearing on the 23rd," said Spencer.

"Senate hearing?" asked Joe.

"Due to how long I knew Emily, my presence is requested at the hearing," said Spencer before everyone decided to go out for pizza for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The aftermath and senate hearing will happen in the next chapter.


	93. Every Lie Has its Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts a few hours after the last chapter and this chapter is pretty full of angst than fluff.

Spencer was fixing himself a cup of coffee at a Beltway Clean Cops meeting when John joined him.

"How did this afternoon go?" asked John quietly.

"Maeve and I talked about our feelings about being lied to and I read Jocelyn and Gabriella two children's books about lying before I told them about the truth about Emily and told them that lying can hurt people," said Spencer.

John nodded in approval.

"Good parenting technique," said John.

"Did you know the truth or no?" asked Spencer.

"I didn't. When I found out the truth while you were in London, I called out your former unit chief for doing the grief assessments himself and for making such a high-risk decision that could have caused you to relapse. I told your former chief that if you end up relapsing, his and Jennifer's careers would be on the line because of not thinking about how your past would affect their lie," said John.

"Even though this whole deception made me think about relapsing a couple of times the past seven months; Maeve, the kids, my sister, and my mom are the reasons why I didn't relapse," said Spencer.

xxxxxxx

The next morning at breakfast, Spencer looked at Jocelyn and Stephanie.

"Are you two sure that you two want to go to school today? I don't mind letting you two stay home because of yesterday's events," said Spencer.

"I have a test in Advanced Algebra and Trigonometry today, so I don't want to miss it," said Stephanie.

"OK," said Spencer before looking at Jocelyn, "What about you, Jocelyn?" asked Spencer.

"I want to go to preschool today because I like school," said Jocelyn.

"Because of you going to preschool today, I'll be meeting with Mrs. Swanson, Mrs. Charles, and Mr. Dixon about your former godmother actually being alive so they know that your not lying," said Spencer before looking at his watch, "We have 10 minutes before we need to meet with Stephanie's teachers about yesterday's events," said Spencer.

"OK, Spencer," said Stephanie.

"OK, daddy," said Jocelyn.

xxxxxxxx

Two hours later, Jocelyn looked at her classmates Molly, Sally, and Tabitha as they worked on writing their letters from the alphabet.

"I found out that two of my daddy's former coworkers faked my former godmother's death and hid her in Paris until my godfather found the bad man that sent my former godmother to Heaven. So my godmother is home in D.C. right now," said Jocelyn.

"Your lying," said Molly.

Jocelyn glared at the red-headed and blue-eyed four-year-old girl.

"I'm not lying because daddy showed me a picture of Emily and also talked to Mrs. Swanson and told her what happened," said Diana.

Sally and Tabitha looked at Jocelyn.

"I believe you, Josie," said Sally and Tabitha in unison.

Molly looked at Jocelyn.

"I don't believe you because my mommy said that your grandma Diana is really crazy and she should have never had your daddy. You and your siblings are going to end up in a crazy home like your grandma Diana someday," said Molly.

Jocelyn took a few deep breaths as she mentally told herself not to hit Molly because of being told the rule "hands are for helping, not hurting" from the "I Care Rules" on the first day of preschool.

"I am not crazy like my grandma Diana, but I'm a genius like my daddy, mommy, grandma Mary, and grandma Diana are," said Jocelyn before she started crying just as Mrs. Swanson came over to them and looked at Molly as she lifted up Jocelyn and hugged her.

"Molly, you are going to the principal's office for saying what you said to Jocelyn. Jocelyn isn't lying about her former godmother actually being alive instead of dead because Jocelyn's father brought Jocelyn here a half hour early and talked to Mrs. Charles, Principal Dixon, and me about what happened yesterday just in case Jocelyn talked about what happened yesterday," said Mrs. Swanson before looking at her aid, "I'm going to take Molly to the principal's office and Jocelyn to the guidance counselor's office, so I'll be back shortly," said Mrs. Swanson.

A few seconds later Mrs. Swanson was escorting Jocelyn to the guidance counselor's office and Molly to the principal's office.

 

Meanwhile, at Diana's hospital, Spencer smiled a bit as he entered his mother's room.

"How have you been since Maeve and uncle Gordon dropped you off?" asked Spencer.

"I went to bed right after I came back here," said Diana before looking into her son's eyes, "You look angry about something, baby," said Diana.

"Remember when I told you that Jocelyn's godmother Emily Prentiss died?" asked Spencer.

Diana nodded.

"My heart dropped for Ambassador Prentiss having to bury her only child, you were devastated, and Jocelyn threw a lot of tantrums during the first five weeks after Emily died," said Diana.

"I was called to the Hoover Building because Hotch needed to tell me that Emily's actually alive because of him and JJ faking her death," said Spencer.

"Sometimes I really wish that you didn't work for the government because of all of these secrets and lies," said Diana.

"I'm way too valuable for the FBI to lose, so that's why I chose to be a consultant instead of leaving the FBI altogether, mom," said Spencer.

"How are you feeling about being lied to?" asked Diana.

"I'm more angry at Jennifer than at Hotch," said Spencer.

"Aaron was your boss, so I'm not surprised that you're not that angry at him. When it comes to Jennifer, I'm not surprised how furious you are at her because of her trying to steal you from Maeve," said Diana.

"Even though the date that Gideon set us up on backfired because of JJ bringing Garcia along, I'm glad that I eventually met Maeve," said Spencer.

"I prefer Maeve over Jennifer too, Spencer," said Diana just as Spencer's personal phone rang.

Spencer checked his phone and frowned when he saw that it was Georgetown Day School causing Spencer to quickly answer his phone.

"Dr. Spencer Reid," answered Spencer.

"Dr. Reid, its Georgetown Day School's guidance counselor Mrs. Charles. Even though you talked to Mrs. Swanson, Mr. Dixon, and me about the events of Jocelyn's first godmother's death being faked and to keep an eye on her today, Jocelyn is in my office crying because of a classmate bullying her about what you told us this morning," said Mrs. Charles.

"I'll be there as soon as possible," said Spencer before hanging up and looked at his mom, "Jocelyn is currently in the guidance counselor's office crying," said Spencer.

"Is this about Emily?" asked Diana.

Spencer nodded.

"I'm just glad that I warned Stephanie's and Jocelyn's schools about Emily being alive instead of being dead so they know that Jocelyn and Stephanie aren't lying," said Spencer.

"I'm glad you did that, Spencer. Now go be with Jocelyn," said Diana firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," said Spencer as he gave his mother a quick hug and kiss before leaving his mother's hospital room.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer rushed into Mrs. Charles office and found a crying Jocelyn sitting on the couch causing him to sit down on the couch and pull Jocelyn onto his lap and started to search for bumps and bruises.

"Are you OK, Jocelyn?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn looked up at her father.

"One of my classmates called me crazy for lying about Emily when Mrs. Swanson and Mrs. Charles knew that I'm not lying, daddy," said Jocelyn.

Spencer grabbed a nearby tissue and wiped Jocelyn's tears before Jocelyn decided to continue.

"You know my classmate Molly Santos?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer nodded as he thought about Nurse Ellen Santos.

"Her mother works at the same hospital that your grandma Diana lives in," said Spencer.

"Molly said that her mom said that grandma Diana is crazy and that grandma Diana should have never had you and that Gabby, Artie, Joey, Nettie, and I will be locked up in the same hospital as grandma Diana someday," said Diana.

Spencer took a few breaths to calm himself down.

"I'm going to be talking to the hospital about Nurse Ellen breaking the HIPPA Laws that she's required to follow and she'll most likely be fired for disrespecting the mentally ill," said Spencer to himself before looking at Jocelyn, "You are not crazy at all, and your grandma Diana is the only one in the family who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and Alzheimer's," said Spencer firmly.

"I know," said Jocelyn.

"Your grandma Diana has told me countless of times that she doesn't regret having me despite her schizophrenia," said Spencer before lifting Jocelyn's chin up, "Even though you and your siblings have a small chance of developing schizophrenia and possibly Alzheimer's someday, I do not regret having you and your siblings with your mother because I always dreamed about having smart and beautiful children like you and your siblings," said Spencer.

"And I love having a daddy like you, daddy," said Jocelyn just as Mrs. Charles entered the room.

"Mrs. Santos just arrived and the principal wants to meet with you two right now and I'll keep Jocelyn and Molly separated," said Mrs. Charles.

"Before I meet with Mr. Dixon and Mrs. Santos, I need to call my mother's hospital and report Mrs. Santos for breaking HIPPA laws," said Spencer.

"Go ahead," said Mrs. Charles.

A few seconds later Spencer got the head of his mother's hospital on the phone and told him about Nurse Ellen Santos talking about his mother at home. A few minutes after talking to the head of the hospital that told him that Nurse Ellen will be dealt with appropriately, Spencer was sitting in front of Mr. Dixon while Mrs. Santos sat next to him when Mr. Dixon looked at Spencer.

"I appreciate you warning me about what happened in yours and your family's life yesterday in advance so Jocelyn's teacher, Mrs. Charles, and myself knew that Jocelyn wasn't lying about her former godmother actually being alive instead of dead," said Mr. Dixon.

Spencer nodded.

"I talked to Jocelyn and her two-year-old sister about lying yesterday, so I knew that it was important to warn you guys and my half-sister's teachers at school just in case Jocelyn and Stephanie told their classmates about what they were told yesterday," said Spencer.

Mr. Dixon looked at Ellen Santos.

"I'm sorry to say that Molly broke her last chance to be able to stay in this school because I told you countless of times since the last school year that you need to get Molly help and control what you say in front of Molly after I suspended her two times last school year. So as of today Molly is no longer welcome in this school and I doubt that any other private school would accept Molly," said Mr. Dixon.

"I was already planning on pulling Molly out of this school at the end of this semester because my husband is being transferred from the Marine Corps Base in Quantico to Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California at Christmas," said Mrs. Santos.

Spencer looked at Nurse Ellen Santos.

"Knowing Lieutenant Santos, he's most likely not going to be happy with you and Molly when he finds out that you disrespected my mother and your daughter called my daughter crazy," said Spencer before looking at Mr. Dixon, "Mind if I pull my daughter out of school for the rest of the morning?" asked Spencer.

"I was going to suggest that Jocelyn goes home for the day, and I'll make sure that Jocelyn talks to Mrs. Charles about how she's feeling about everything that happened," said Mr. Dixon.

A few minutes later Spencer was collecting Jocelyn before he settled her into her car seat.

"What do you say about going to the zoo for a while before we surprise mommy by taking her out for lunch?" asked Spencer.

"Good idea, daddy," said Jocelyn.

xxxxxxxx

Two hours later Spencer, Maeve, and Jocelyn were sitting in a diner near Georgetown University Hospital when Maeve looked at Jocelyn.

"I heard that you had a rough morning at preschool causing daddy to pick you up from school, Jocelyn," said Maeve.

Jocelyn nodded as she used her eidetic memory to retell her mother the conversation she had with Molly and when Jocelyn was finished, Maeve looked at her oldest daughter.

"Do you remember Taylor Swift's song "Mean"?" asked Maeve.

Jocelyn nodded as she thought about how her parents were both famous in the academic community for being geniuses while her father's also famous in the law enforcement community.

"With how smart and nice I am, I'll do big things with my life like you two have while Molly might end up working a job that won't make her famous," said Jocelyn.

"Exactly," said Spencer.

"Would you two be mad if I don't want to go back to school because of Molly?" asked Jocelyn.

"Molly isn't going to be going to school with you anymore because she got expelled and she'll be moving away at the end of this year," said Spencer.

"Really?" asked Jocelyn.

"Mrs. Santos said that her husband just got transferred to Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California and that they're joining her husband at the end of the year," said Spencer.

"Nurse Ellen was still very mean about grandma Diana, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"I know, but the hospital will be dealing with her for breaking HIPPA laws," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at her oldest daughter.

"Even though you told us that you don't want to go back to school because of Molly, do you think you can handle going back because of Molly being expelled?" asked Maeve.

"I can go back because all my other classmates are nice to me," said Jocelyn.

"Good," said Spencer.

Jocelyn tilted her head and looked at her father.

"Even though you are angry at most of your teammates about not being included and being lied to, would you go back to the B.A.U.?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer shook his head.

"I won't be returning to the B.A.U. at all because I consider being a chemistry professor at Georgetown University and a consultant in the Hoover Building a step up for me because I'm making more money than I did when I was in the B.A.U. while I get to spend more time with you, mommy, your siblings, Auntie Stephanie, and my mom," said Spencer.

"I like having you home every day too, daddy," said Jocelyn just as the waitress arrived with their food.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Two weeks later Spencer was sitting on a bench thinking about how he, Maeve, Stephanie, and his in-laws were able to stay away from JJ, Emily, Morgan, and Garcia by keeping busy with their jobs, school, and being out and about when he and Maeve weren't working when his former section chief sat down next to him and held out a tin of mints to him.

"No thank you," said Spencer and he noticed that Emily arrived and was talking to a guard.

Strauss looked at Reid who was staring at Emily and thought about AD Bennett telling her how Spencer has been handling the deception of Emily's faked death pretty well while he made him talk to a psychologist about what happened.

"At least you've got her back," said Strauss.  
Spencer turned his head and looked at his former section chief as he realized that his former section chief must have been drinking.

"Did we?" asked Spencer and then he turned around to look at Strauss, "Even though we got Emily back, I'm not going to return to the B.A.U. because of how happy I am with teaching at Georgetown while being a consultant in the Hoover Building," said Spencer just as his personal phone vibrated causing Spencer to smile as he looked at a picture of Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette together.

"A picture of the kids?" asked Strauss.

"Yes," said Spencer.

"How old are the kids now?" asked Strauss.

"Jocelyn is three, Gabriella is two, and Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are 16-months-old," said Spencer.

"I remember how my three kids were as young as your kids, so please cherish them being as young as they are before they become teenagers or go to college like my own," said Strauss.

xxxxxxxxx  
A half hour later, Spencer was sitting in front of the Senate committee when Senator Cramer looked at Spencer.

"Even though you weren't suspended like your former teammates, we're all sorry that we had to pull you away from your students at Georgetown University today," said Senator Cramer.

"It's OK. Georgetown University knows that there might be days that I would be called in to testify from a past case I worked causing them to hire an assistant professor to take over my classes when I have to put my FBI duties first," said Spencer.

"Good," said Senator Cramer before becoming serious, "Why did you leave the B.A.U. and become a professor at Georgetown and a consultant in the Hoover Building when budget cuts were announced?" asked Senator Cramer.

"I've been dealing with stress-related migraines since January and the doctor I've been seeing for my migraines suggested that I leave the B.A.U. and work a less stressful job to see if my migraines would go away. I didn't protest my doctor's suggestion because my mom got diagnosed with Dementia on February 21st, my mother-in-law got diagnosed with leukemia the day before budget cuts were announced, my 16-year-old half sister that I have custody of is now in her junior year of high school and needs me home more, and my oldest daughter is now a preschooler," said Spencer.

"Those are some good reasons why you left the B.A.U.," said Senator Cramer.

Spencer nodded.

"I don't regret the decision I made because I haven't had a migraine since I left the B.A.U. and my mom's health improved a bit since I'm able to visit her more now," said Spencer.

"When it comes to knowing that you consult for the NSA and CIA before and after you left the B.A.U., did you help Agent Morgan and Technical Analyst Garcia search for Doyle before and after you decided to be a non-traveling consultant?" asked Senator Cramer.

"I didn't because they didn't even ask me to help them and I didn't do any investigating on my own because I chose to focus on my wife, five kids, my 16-year-old half-sister, and my mother when I wasn't working," said Spencer.

"While you were on vacation in London and your former teammates went rogue, did any of your former teammates call you and ask for your help?" asked Senator Cramer.

"They did, but I told Agent Rossi that I was in London with my wife, mother, and uncle and explained why. He ended up telling me to stay where I was and not catch the next flight home. When I got back to D.C., I was summoned to AD Bennett's office where I was told the truth about everything before I went home and told my family that Agent Prentiss is actually alive and not dead," said Spencer.

Senator Cramer looked at the file in front of himself.

"How did Jocelyn Reid feel about being lied to about her godmother?" asked Senator Cramer.

Spencer glared at Senator Cramer.

"Please leave my children out of this," snapped Spencer.

"Calm down, Agent," said Senator Cramer.

Spencer leaned forward towards his microphone.

"This is calm, and its doctor," said Spencer firmly.

"Even though your personal life is the reason why you left the B.A.U., would you like to be reinstated to the B.A.U? You didn't break any protocols, so if you want your old job back it's yours," said Senator Cramer.

Spencer shook his head.

"I don't want to be reinstated to the B.A.U. because I can't trust my former teammates anymore. Agent Morgan didn't ask for my help to find Doyle and I was lied to by my former unit chief and Agent Jareau. Even if my former teammates do get reinstated, I doubt that any agent that wanted to join the B.A.U. in the past would trust Agents Hotchner and Jareau to have their backs because I don't trust Agent Jareau to have my back anymore," said Spencer.

Senator Cramer nodded.

"I agree with your assessment, but what about working with the other B.A.U. teams even though you and your family are still going through a rough time right now?" asked Senator Cramer.

"I still wouldn't want to work for any other B.A.U. teams because I'm happy with the two jobs I'm working right now," said Spencer.

"Do you think that Agent Hotchner and Agent Jareau made the right choice to lie to you and your former teammates?" asked Senator Cramer.

"They didn't make the right choice because my former teammates and I all had the clearance to know the truth because we have all worked with other government agencies in the past. They ended up setting a bad example to their children and my children about lying and luckily I talked to my two oldest children about lying. Their choice also made my oldest daughter get called crazy by a classmate who knows that my mother is mentally ill and resides in a sanitarium in Alexandria. Luckily Jocelyn didn't get in trouble at school because I warned her teacher, the principal, and guidance counselor about Jocelyn's former godmother actually being alive instead of dead so they knew that Jocelyn wasn't lying at all," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxxx

A few hours later Spencer was standing in the conference room at the B.A.U. for the first time since working with Andi Swann when Chief Strauss looked at everyone.

"The committee made it clear they will not support a rogue team. Agent Prentiss convinced them you were not that. They will be watching you closely. So I suggest you play by their rules." said Strauss.

A nervous Garcia looked at Strauss.

"So we're OK?" asked Garcia nervously.

"Suspension is lifted for everyone," said Strauss.

JJ sighed in relief as she looked at Strauss.

"Thank you, ma'am," said JJ.

Strauss looked at Emily.

"There may be more paperwork, considering your... situation, but the team is lucky to have you if you're interested," said Strauss.

"May I think about it?" asked Emily.

"Of course," said Strauss.

A few seconds later Emily looked at Strauss.

"I'm in," said Emily before she smiled causing everyone else but Spencer to smile.

Strauss looked at Hotch.

"I have a stack of cases on my desk. I'm happy to pass them along." said a smiling Strauss.

Hotch looked at Strauss.

"I'll pick them up in the morning," said Hotch

A second later, Morgan looked at Emily.

"Emily, what did you say in there?" asked Morgan

Emily told them what she said and after she was finished, JJ looked at Spencer.

"Since everyone has been reinstated and you weren't suspended, are you going to be coming back to the B.A.U. and be a profiler again too?" asked JJ.

Strauss shook her head as she looked at Hotch, JJ, Morgan, and Rossi.

"If Dr. Reid wants to come back, one of you four would have to leave as punishment for going rogue," said Strauss.

JJ, Emily, Garcia, and Morgan looked at Strauss in shock while Spencer, Hotch, and Rossi stayed silent.

"What!" chorused JJ, Garcia, and Morgan.

Garcia looked at Strauss.

"Why would you force someone to leave when we just got Emily back?" asked Garcia.

"Due to how much the government had to spend on Agent Prentiss's medical bills and funeral, this team will have to work with five profilers and a technical analyst instead of six profilers and a technical analyst as punishment for going rogue," said Strauss.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"If you want to return to the B.A.U., I won't accept my old job back," said Emily.

Spencer shook his head.

"I'm not coming back," said Spencer.

"Why?" asked Garcia.

Spencer looked at Morgan and Garcia.

"You two didn't even ask for my help to find Doyle, so that told me that you two didn't trust me to help you guys despite knowing that I gained connections through my consulting work," said Spencer before giving JJ a hard look, "When it comes to you wanting me as your rebound while I'm happily married to Maeve, causing Jocelyn to go through all of those unnecessary tantrums by lying about Emily being dead, and Jocelyn getting called crazy and that she'll end up in a sanitarium like her grandma Diana someday by one of her classmates because of just wanting to tell her friends the truth about her former godmother; I don't ever want to see you or talk to you again unless Hotch asks me to consult with you guys. I'll still see Henry through your mom and Will when you are on a case and the weekends that Will has Henry," said Spencer before leaving the conference room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I know that this was a lot of angst in this chapter, but I'm not lying about Spencer's and JJ's friendship being over in this universe. I promise that there will be some family fluff in the next chapter especially since I'm covering Spencer's 30th birthday in the next chapter.


	94. Spencer Turns 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but I promise you readers that the next chapter will be longer. This chapter happens over two weeks after the last chapter so Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette are still 16-months-old.
> 
> Aside from being sad about season 15 being be the last season of Criminal Minds (I started watching the show between seasons 9 and 10), the news about Jayme Closs escaping her abductor and getting reunited with her family softened up the blow about Criminal Minds getting canceled after the 15th season. Even though I've never been to Barron, Wisconsin (The farthest west I've ever been in Wisconsin is Madison and Wisconsin Dells and the farthest north in Wisconsin I've ever been is Marinate County, WI whenever I went up to my paternal grandparent's trailer in the woods near Iron Mountain, Michigan) because of living in Northeast Wisconsin causing me to travel to Green Bay, Sheboygan, and Appleton more often while I gone camping a couple of times in Sturgeon Bay; welcome home, Jayme.

Spencer walked into his classroom and shook his head when he saw his students wearing party hats and blowing noisemakers.

"Happy birthday, Professor Reid," chorused all 25 students.

Spencer smiled as he saw a cake and stack of presents on his desk while a banner saying HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY PROFESSOR REID hung across his whiteboard.

"My birthday isn't for another two days, guys," said Spencer.

"We know, but we wanted to celebrate your birthday in class today so you can get a good kick start to your birthday weekend," said Natasha.

Spencer looked at the cake and grinned when he saw that it was chocolate while chemistry equations were written all over the cake with icing.

"I guess we can spend the next 30 minutes enjoying my birthday cake before we get started on our lesson for today," said Spencer.

"First we need to take a picture of you with your cake and presents so you can show your wife," said Anna.

A few seconds later Anna was taking a picture of Spencer with his cake before he blushed as his students sang "Happy Birthday" to him before he blew out the two candles that spelled 30.

 

Xxxxxxxx

10 minutes later at Georgetown University Hospital, Maeve was fixing herself a cup of tea when her phone vibrated causing her to see a picture of her husband standing by banner, cake, and presents.

I HAVE SUCH WONDERFUL STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY ACKNOWLEDGED MY BIG 3-0!~ SR

Maeve smiled as she typed a reply.

EVEN THOUGH YOUR STUDENTS SPOILED YOU TODAY, JUST WAIT UNTIL SUNDAY! ~ MR

xxxxxxxxxx

Later on that day after lunch Spencer was fixing himself a cup of tea when Alex joined him.

"Excited about Sunday?" asked Alex.

Spencer nodded.

"Are you still coming to my birthday barbecue on Sunday?" asked Spencer.

Alex nodded as she thought about the email she and a bunch of other agents on their floor got from Maeve about throwing Spencer a surprise birthday party.

"I'll be there," said Alex.

xxxxxxxxx

Two days later Spencer woke up to being peppered with kisses by Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette and as soon as he had his glasses on he smiled at his five beautiful children.

"What's with the wake-up call?" asked Spencer.

"Did you forget what today is?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer scratched his head as he playfully looked at Jocelyn.

"Is it Father's Day today?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn shook her head as her eyes moved back and forth behind the glasses she got a few days ago before looking at her father.

"Father's Day was 112 days ago, daddy," said Jocelyn seriously.

"OK, but why would I be woken up with kisses from you guys?" asked Spencer.

Jocelyn and Gabriella smiled at each other before looking at their father.

"Happy birthday, daddy," chorused Jocelyn and Gabriella.

"Dada," chorused Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette all at once.

Spencer smiled.

"Thank you," said Spencer before noticing the lack of Maeve, "Where's mommy?" asked Spencer.

"Right here," said Maeve as she entered the bedroom with a cup of coffee and kissed her husband, "Happy birthday, Spencer," said Maeve.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Maeve scooped up Joseph and Lynette and settled them onto her hips as she looked at her husband.

"Please get dressed because we have reservations at IHOP for breakfast," said Maeve.

"Yay!" cheered Jocelyn and Gabriella.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

A few hours later Spencer smiled as he hugged his mom.

"I'm glad that you're well enough to join us today," said Spencer.

"I can't believe that my baby boy is finally 30 today," said Diana.

"Me too, mom," said Spencer before looking in the blue eyes that matched Lynette's eyes, "Are you sad about your little boy turning 30 today?" asked Spencer.

"Yes, but I'm proud of you for accomplishing so much in your life before your 30th birthday today," said Diana.

"I always hoped about curing schizophrenia by the time I turned 25," said Spencer before thinking of Maeve, Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette who were all at home for their early afternoon nap, "But I'm glad that I decided to accomplish my dream of getting married and having kids before I turn 30," said Spencer.

"Even though you couldn't find a cure for schizophrenia because of you choosing on focusing on saving lives and starting a family of your own, maybe Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette might decide to spend their adult lives finding a cure for schizophrenia," said Diana.

"Speaking of your grandchildren, are you ready to go see them?" asked Spencer.

"Let's get going, Spencer," said Diana.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer and Diana entered the backyard at the Reid family home causing Spencer's eyes to go wide when he saw Hotch, Haley, Jack, Henry, Rossi, Morgan, Garcia, Emily, JJ, Anderson, Kevin, Gina Sharp, Ashley Seaver, Alex Blake, Elle, Gideon, Jordan Todd, Parker Dunley with his wife and son, his friend Ethan from New Orleans, a few of his friends and former professors from his Cal-tech days, a few professors from Georgetown University, his uncle Gordon, aunt Ethel, his cousin Justin with his own wife and two children, a few of his neighbors and their children, and a few agents from the Hoover Building with their spouses and children standing with Maeve, his children, Stephanie, and his in-laws.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPENCER!" chorused everyone while he heard daddy and Dada from his children.

Spencer walked over to Maeve who had Arthur on her hip.

"What happened to doing something small like we did in the past?" asked Spencer.

Maeve passed Arthur to her mother-in-law who eagerly accepted one of her two grandsons.

"I thought that you deserved a bigger birthday celebration because of it being your 30th birthday today," said Maeve just as she gave Spencer another kiss.

"That's 15," said Spencer.

"Except 15 more kisses from me today, Spencer," said Maeve just as Hotch approached them and pulled Spencer into a rare hug.

"Do you feel like 30?" asked a joking Hotch.

"I don't feel anything different," said Spencer.

Hotch released Spencer just as Rossi came up to them and cupped his face with his hands while kissing both of his cheeks, causing everyone to laugh while Spencer blushed.

"Happy birthday, Figlio," said Rossi.

"Happy birthday, boy wonder," said Garcia.

"Thanks," said Spencer before he released himself from Garcia.

Morgan came over and pulled him into a hug.

"Ohh!" said Spencer as Morgan hugged him.

"Happy Birthday, old man. Happy Birthday. Almost 40 now," teased Morgan.

"I still have 10 years before I turn 40, but you turn 40 in about one year and five months," shot back Spencer causing everyone who was nearby to laugh when Emily walked over to him.

"Happy birthday," said Emily as she pulled Spencer into a hug.

"Happy early birthday to you," said Spencer.

"Maeve offered to host a joint birthday party for us, but I told her that today should be all about you," said Emily.

"I wouldn't mind if it was a joint birthday party for us," said Spencer just as JJ nervously approached him.

"Even though you told me that you never wanted to see me again unless we are working together, I hope that your not upset about me showing up because Henry already had your gift that Will helped him pick up and my mom went home to Pennsylvania for the weekend while Will got called in for work," said JJ.

Maeve looked at her husband and squeezed his hand.

"I told Jennifer that it's your choice if she can stay for the party or she goes straight home," said Maeve.

Spencer looked at JJ.

"You can stay today as long as your nice to Maeve, don't touch me at all, you apologize to Jocelyn for your lie causing her to be bullied in school because Aaron has already apologized to Jocelyn, and stay away from my mom because she wants to scratch your eyes out for the way you've been treating Maeve, lying to me, and putting Jocelyn through all that unnecessary pain," said Spencer.

JJ looked over where Spencer's mom was glaring at her while Jocelyn was also glaring at her too.

"I promise," said JJ before walking away to apologize to Jocelyn while Elle decided to approach Spencer.

"Happy birthday, Spencer," said Elle.

Spencer pulled Elle into a hug.

"Thanks and I'm glad you decided to come down to D.C. and celebrate my birthday today," said Spencer.

"I promised myself that I wouldn't miss celebrating your 30th birthday with you," said Elle before groaning a bit.

Spencer looked at the baby bump that Elle was already sporting and smiled as he thought about the phone call he got from Elle telling him that she's going to be a mother again.

"The baby kicked?" asked Spencer.

Elle nodded as she rested a hand on her stomach.

"My daughter kicked me right in the ribs," said Elle.

Spencer gently hugged Elle.

"Congratulations on expecting a baby girl," said Spencer.

Elle smiled as she watched Jocelyn run around with her own three-year-old son.

"Your daughters are the reason why I want a little girl of my own," said Elle before feeling another kick, "Excuse me, but my daughter is kicking my bladder," said Elle as she hurried away.

At that moment Gideon approached Spencer and looked at him.

"Even though we haven't seen each other since Emily's funeral and we Skyped after you found out that Emily's alive, I have to admit that leaving the B.A.U. looks good on you," said Gideon.

"Are you sure that you aren't disappointed in me for leaving the unit you pulled a lot of strings to get me into when I was 22?" asked Spencer.

Gideon looked around the backyard to find Jocelyn and Gabriella running around with Jack, Henry, Elle's son Robert, and a few other children that he assumed were neighbors or children of agents that Spencer made friends with while working in the Hoover Building while Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette were on Diana's, Mary's, and Haley's hips before looking at Maeve who was standing with her mother and mother-in-law.

"I'm not upset at all because you were strong enough to choose your family over the B.A.U. while I lost my ex-wife and son to the B.A.U., Dave lost two of his wives to the B.A.U., and you know what happened to Aaron before he worked everything out with Haley," said Gideon before smiling a bit, "I heard about how many cases you solved since becoming a consultant at the Hoover Building, how many college students have applied to the academy after the three recruitment seminars you've done so far, and I heard that your a natural at teaching chemistry at Georgetown," said Gideon.

"Being a consultant in the Hoover Building and a chemistry professor at Georgetown University makes me happy because I get to go home to Maeve, the kids, and my sister every night," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

After everyone took the chance to enjoy the potluck dinner, Spencer was sitting down at the patio table with Lynette on his lap when Maeve brought over a birthday cake with two candles that told everyone his age and looked at Jocelyn.

"Can you start singing "Happy Birthday" to daddy like we practiced?" asked Maeve.

"Yes, mommy," said Jocelyn as she took a breath and started to sing in an on-key and childlike voice, "Happy birthday to you," sang Jocelyn causing everyone to join in.

After everyone was done singing, Maeve looked at her husband.

"Close your eyes and make a wish, Spencer," said Maeve.

Spencer closed his eyes and blew out the candles causing everyone to cheer and clap just as Lynette reached and grabbed a chunk of cake and stuffed it into her mouth causing everyone to laugh.

"She's definitely her father's daughter when it comes to her sweet tooth," laughed Maeve.

Spencer gave Maeve a mock-glare.

"You are so getting it later," said Spencer.

Maeve stuck out her tongue at her husband while Lynette grabbed another chunk of cake and stuffed it into her daddy's mouth causing everyone to roar with laughter at the 16-month-old toddler's antics.

xxxxxxxxxx

Spencer grinned as he pulled out a first edition of "Complete Tales & Poems" by Edgar Allen Poe and a brand new photo album and opened it and saw pictures from his trip to London.

"Do you like your gifts, Spencer?" asked Maeve.

Spencer nodded as he examined the book.

"Where and when did you find this?" asked Spencer.

"I found this while you were spending time with your mom in London," said Maeve.

"I've always wanted a first edition copy of this book, so I'm glad that you found this copy while we were in London," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked at her father.

"What's so special about this book, daddy?" asked Jocelyn.

"This book contains all the short stories and poems written by Edgar Allen Poe who is one of my favorite authors aside from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle," said Spencer.

Jocelyn perked up.

"Could you please read me some of his stories at bedtime tonight?" asked Jocelyn.

Spencer and Maeve exchanged glances before Spencer looked at his three-year-old daughter.

"You're a bit too young to read these stories because these type of stories are too dark for children to read, but eventually you'll learn about Edgar Allen Poe and read his stories or poems when you get to high school," said Spencer.

"OK, daddy," sighed Jocelyn.

Diana looked at her oldest granddaughter.

"Even though your daddy and I already introduced you to books written by Proust, Chaucer, Margery Kemp, and Sir Thomas Mallory; there are many more authors for you to enjoy before your father decides that you're mature enough to enjoy works written by Edgar Allen Poe," said Diana.

"OK," said Jocelyn before she pointed out which present that her daddy should open next.

xxxxxxx

 

Later on that evening, Spencer entered his and Maeve's bedroom and he froze when he saw Maeve wearing a purple silk teddy.

"Even though you already opened up your birthday presents from me this afternoon, you still have one more present to open," said Maeve.

Spencer turned around and locked the door just as Maeve walked over to him and started to lead him towards their bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm sad to say that the next chapter will be his last chapter.


	95. True Genius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sad to say that this is the last chapter, but I decided that I needed to do the episode True Genius to finish this story. I'm sorry for the lack of Jocelyn, Gabriella, Joseph, and Lynette in this chapter, but I promise you readers that I'll write a short story that takes place between chapters 91 and 92 in this story after I spend the rest of this month focusing on The Profiler and the Nurse before I have surgery on February 4th.

Spencer and Maeve were in their hotel room in Chicago, Illinois as they smiled at the sight of Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, Lynette on Maeve's laptop.

"Happy birthday, Stephanie," said Spencer and Maeve in unison.

"Thank you," said Stephanie.

"I'm sorry that we couldn't be home to celebrate your 17th birthday today, but Patricia Cornwell wanted me to speak at her Violent Crimes Seminar today and you know how conferences I'm invited to can be," said Spencer.

Stephanie nodded as she thought about her big brother taking advantage of speaking at more conferences about his published work ever since he left the B.A.U. eight months while understanding that her sister-in-law would join her husband when she's able to.

"Its OK as long as you get me an autographed copy of her book," said Stephanie.

Spencer chuckled.

"I'll get you one," said Spencer.

"When we get home, we'll take you out to eat for your birthday," said Maeve.

"I just prefer having a family dinner with you guys," said Stephanie before looking at her brother, "I know that your nervous about having to speak about one of the latest articles you published, but you'll do great because you do a great job," said Stephanie.

"Thank you," said Spencer.

Jocelyn looked at her father.

"I hope to write a lot of articles like you about you someday, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"You want to be famous in the academic community like mommy, grandma Mary, grandma Diana, and me?" asked Spencer.

"I want to make the Reid and Donovan family proud someday cause you are my hero, daddy," said Jocelyn.

"You are my hero too, daddy," said Gabriella.

"Dada hero," said Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette in unison as they all made the sign 'hero'.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting between Emily and the podium as he listened to Patricia Cornwell talk about her book as he glanced at Maeve who was sitting at one of the tables closest to the stage who gave him a reassuring smile as she tapped "Y-O-U W-I-L-L D-O- G-R-E-A-T A-N-D I L-O-V-E Y-O-U" on the table in Morse Code.

Spencer quickly decoded what his wife tapped out to him before he smiled at the memory of Maeve telling him to speak with enthusiasm like he does when he teaches chemistry at Georgetown and when he read to Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette as he tapped his reply.

T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U A-N-D I L-O-V-E Y-O-U T-O-O

Maeve winked at her husband before she and Spencer both continued listening to Patricia Cornwell speak.

"In the end, I just write about violent crime. The real heroes are the people here beside me," said Patricia as she gestured to Spencer, Emily, and another man, "Now give a warm welcome to our next speaker, Dr. Spencer Reid who used to be a profiler in the B.A.U. like Agent Prentiss here, but he now works as a freelance consultant in the Hoover Building and a chemistry professor at Georgetown University in Washington D.C.," said Patricia as everyone in the audience started clapping.

Spencer took his place in front of the podium and made eye contact with the audience.

"Thank you. Thanks. Patricia Cornwell, ladies and gentlemen. Ms. Cornwell will be signing books at the end of the session," said Spencer as his microphone started to squeak, "Sorry. Um... Hi. I am here today to talk to you about paraphilias and their relation to violent crime," said Spencer as he started to give his lecture as he spoke with the same enthusiasm lacing through his voice like he uses when he teaches chemistry at Georgetown and when he read books to the kids while he smiled to himself as he realized that everyone was listening to him talk with interest showing on their faces.

 

When Spencer was done giving his lecture, Maeve started clapping enthusiastically while everyone else started to clap enthusiastically too while Patricia stood up and shook hands with Spencer.

xxxxxx

After the conference was over, Spencer and Maeve walked away from the men and women who came to ask him questions about his research before they stopped and watched Emily talk to the small audience that came to talk to her about her lecture.

"Thank you so much for coming out, you guys, and as for your question earlier, the case that we were following at the time was the David Parker ray case. We actually believed that the victim count, in that case, was close to 60. Unfortunately, we were only able to unearth 45 bodies, but SSA Buffalino, um, has been diligent…," said Emily before Maeve looked at him.

"Ready to go back to our hotel room so we can get ready to catch our flight home?" asked Maeve.

"Definitely and I'm looking forward to tucking the kids in bed tonight," said Spencer.

"I missed the kids too, but I'm glad that I chose to come to this conference with you, Spencer," said Maeve as they exited the ballroom only to hear someone approach them.

"Dr. Reid?" asked a boy.

Spencer and Maeve both turned around and Spencer looked at the young man that was standing in front of them.

"Yes?" asked Spencer.

"Hey, you were fantastic up there," said Dan.

"Thank you. Yeah. I love the names of those paraphilias. I have a new list to memorize," said Dan.

Spencer and Maeve smiled at each other before Spencer smiled at Dan.

"You like memorizing lists?" asked Spencer.

"I'm weird that way," said Dan nervously.

"That's not weird at all. I do it all the time," said Spencer.

Maeve looked at Dan.

"Our three-year-old daughter has already started memorizing lists while she teaches her little brothers and sisters the alphabet and how to count," said Maeve.

Spencer tilted his head and realized how young the young man looked.

"You know, we don't usually get people your age here. You're in school, I assume?" asked Spencer.

"Yeah, I'm a senior at Michigan," said Dan.

"You know what? You might like the FBI's internship program," said Spencer as he reached into the inner pocket of his tailored suit jacket and grabbed a business card, "Unfortunately, we're already past the deadline, but if you write me a letter, I might be able to pull some strings," said Spencer as he passed Dan the card.

Dan accepted the card from Spencer.

"Uh... Thanks. But I don't think my Board of Directors would allow it. I have a company. Have you heard of Nanovex?" asked Dan.

Spencer and Maeve exchanged shocked glances before Spencer looked at Dan.

"Nanovex, as in the company Landis Pharmaceuticals investing 100 million dollars in, Nanovex?" asked Spencer.

"It's not a done deal yet. Uh, but, hey, you were awesome up there. You saved me from a company party downstairs that was a total snoozefest. Keep up the good work," said Dan as he turned around to walk away.

"You, too," said Spencer as he watched Dan walk away while Emily approached him and Maeve.

"Who was that?" asked Emily.

"That was the founder of Nanovex," said Spencer and Maeve in unison.

Emily looked at the two scientists.

"I've never heard of it," said Emily.

"They make magnetically responsive nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery to tumor cells," said Spencer and Maeve in unison.

"I've still never heard of it," said Emily. 

"You will. It's gonna change the world," said Spencer before he took hold of Maeve's hand and led her towards the elevators.

xxxxxx

Spencer and Maeve were packing up their suitcases when Spencer's work phone rang causing Spencer to quickly grab his phone and saw that it was Hotch calling him.

"Is everything OK, Aaron?" asked Spencer.

"We have a case in San Francisco," said Hotch as he started to explain the case.

When Hotch was finished he glanced at Maeve who had a curious look on her face.

"I assume that your telling me about this case because of me being one of the best code breakers in the FBI and you're hoping that I can help you?" asked Spencer.

"Yes. I already talked to AD Bennett who told me that you're on winter break from Georgetown until next week Monday and he gave me his blessing to borrow you as long as your OK with working with your former teammates and me again," said Hotch.

"Can you please hold on for a second so I can talk with Maeve?" asked Spencer.

"Maeve's in Chicago with you?" asked Hotch.

"She came as my moral support," said Spencer as he pressed his finger over the mic on his phone and looked at Maeve, "The Zodiac killer is back or there's a possible Zodiac copycat killer murdering couples in San Francisco right now. Due to me being the best code breaker in the FBI, Aaron's hoping that I can help my former teammates and him on this case," said Spencer.

Maeve smiled as she thought about her husband enjoying cases that required his codebreaking skills.

"Do you want to?" asked Maeve.

"I don't start teaching at Georgetown again until next week Monday, I kept up with my qualifications to be a field agent when agents ask for my help in the field at the Hoover Building, and I like the idea of getting my hands on those ciphers," said Spencer.

"If you want to go, you have my blessing. Just stay safe and come home uninjured so we can properly celebrate Stephanie's 17th birthday this Saturday," said Maeve.

Spencer smiled as he thought about the phone call he had with his little sister wishing her a happy 17th birthday earlier before she left for school and how his children told him that he's their hero.

"Yes, ma'am," said Spencer as he pressed his phone back against his ear, "Maeve said that I can help you guys if I want to, so I'll catch a commercial flight with Emily," said Spencer.

"Thank you and I'll warn Morgan, JJ, and Garcia that they need to be professional with you," said Hotch.

"I'll see you in a couple of hours," said Spencer before hanging up.

A few minutes later Spencer and Maeve were leaving their hotel room to find Emily leaving hers.

"Ready for me to keep you company during the flight to San Francisco?" asked Spencer.

"What's going on?" asked Emily.

"Aaron called me asking for my help on this case," said Spencer.

"Even though cases have taken a bit longer without you, I'm glad to be working with you again, Spencer," said Emily.

xxxxxxx

A couple of hours later, Spencer briskly walked towards Hotch, JJ, and a female agent that he talked with on Skype before.

"Have any letters or ciphers been received?" asked Spencer.

Hotch looked at Agent Lin.

"Agent Lin, this is Dr. Reid, Agent Prentiss. Dr. Reid use to work with us until last May, but he's now a consultant in the Hoover Building," said Hotch as he started to show Spencer the pictures he had in the file in his hands.

JJ looked at Spencer.

"How was the conference?" asked JJ.

"Enlightening," said Spencer as he quickly looked through the file.

Emily looked at Agent Lin.

"Has the unsub made any contact?" asked Emily.

"The "Chronicle's" website manager received two phone calls this morning. There was just heavy breathing on the other end. Like the phone calls Zodiac used to make," said Agent Lin.

Spencer looked at Agent Lin.

"Can I get a physical copy of the online version of today's paper?" asked Spencer.

"You want a printout of the online version?" asked Agent Lin.

"Yeah. With all the comments printed out as well, if possible, thanks," said Spencer before seeing a confused look on Agent Lin's face, "I prefer paper over electronics even though I've been getting used to technology while working as a consultant," said Spencer before looking at the file again and looked at Hotch, JJ, and Emily, "It's not the real Zodiac," said Spencer before he started to walk towards the victim's car.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Emily.

"I just know it," said Spencer as he leaned forward and looked into the car, "Sometimes I can't really explain it," said Spencer.

Agent Lin looked at Spencer.

"I'm glad that your able to assist me this time in person," said Agent Lin.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"You've already consulted with Agent Lin from the Hoover Building?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"Five times already," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer led his former teammates and Agent Lin up the stairs that led to the San Francisco Field office as he noticed a man talking to a reporter at the entrance of the field office.

"Oh. The dates match. When Zodiac stopped killing, my cousin was put in a mental hospital in Mexico. He was released two months ago," said Mr. Smith while Spencer stopped walking and took his place by the cameraman.

"Do you have anything more specific?" asked the reporter.

"He was working on a production of "The Mikado" in '68. The Zodiac talked about "The Mikado" in a letter," said Mr. Smith.

Spencer scowled as he walked closer to the man and the reporter while not caring that he was about to be on TV.

"Excuse me. I'm Dr. Reid from the Hoover Building," said Spencer as the reporter moved the microphone closer to him, "Was your cousin by chance a fan of Wagner? Because a CD of the "Tragic Overture" was sent to the police this morning," said Spencer as he inwardly smirked at the thought of giving the mystery man enough rope to hang himself with.

"He loved Wagner, especially the "Tragic Overture." It's him," said Mr. Smith.

"Oh, yeah," said Spencer as he pivoted himself and looked at the camera, "Well, for the record, a CD was not sent to the police this morning, and the "Tragic Overture" was written by Brahms, not Wagner, so luckily, I guess it's not your cousin," said Spencer as he inwardly smirked at the disappointed look on the man's face before he looked seriously at the camera, "The FBI would greatly appreciate it if people would stop making false claims to get their 15 minutes of fame. Thank you. Thank you very much," said Spencer before he walked into the building.

xxxxxx

Spencer was going through all the emails searching for a cipher when Hotch joined him.

"Reid, how's it going?" asked Hotch.

"Computers slow me down, so I prefer paper, but I wasn't expecting all these comments. Where do people find the time?" asked Spencer to himself before he circled an email and looked at Hotch, "I think I just found a cipher from the unsub. The symbols buried in the spam are the same ones the Zodiac used in his first message back in 1969," said Spencer as he made eye contact with his former boss.

"What does it say?" asked Hotch.

Spencer used his mind to decode the cipher as he looked at Hotch.

""Killing is the most fun you can have 98 minutes below the horizon in magic city with President Garfield. Happy hunting."," recited Spencer before looking at Hotch who was about to dial Garcia, "Magic city refers to Birmingham, Alabama, sunset should be at 6:22 PM here tonight meaning that 98 minutes there will be 8 PM, and there's a statue of President Garfield in Golden Gate Park," said Spencer quickly.

"Are you positive?" asked Hotch.

Spencer nodded.

"Aside from checking the weather on the way to the crime scene; Jocelyn has been interested in learning about the 50 states and the presidents since my birthday. So we've been reading a lot of books about the 50 states and the presidents together," said Spencer.

xxxxxx

Two hours later, Spencer was hiding behind a tree with another officer as he watched two undercover agents sit on a bench and pretend that they're on a date as he heard an officer's voice through his earpiece.

"No one at the south entrance yet," said an officer.

"Copy that," said JJ through Spencer's earpiece.

A few seconds later Spencer saw some headlights before he heard Hotch's voice in his ear.

"We've got a vehicle," said Hotch as he used a small telescope and looked into the vehicle, "It's a lone driver," said Hotch.

A few seconds later the man got out of the vehicle causing Hotch to speak to everyone.

"Move in," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at the agent that was serving as his backup as they started to lightly jog towards the two undercover agents despite Hotch reaching their undercover agents and their suspect first.

"FBI. Show me your hands," said Hotch as their backup arrived and he and the undercover agents pointed their guns at the messenger, "Drop it," ordered Hotch.

The messenger dropped the envelope that he was holding and looked at everyone who were pointing their guns at him while his hands were handcuffed behind his back.

"I'm just the messenger. I'm supposed to deliver a letter," said the messenger.

JJ picked up the envelope and saw Spencer's name on it.

"It's for Reid," said JJ.

Spencer holstered his revolver and accepted the envelope from JJ. A second later, Spencer slowly started to slowly open up the envelope and pulled out a note card and started to read the message out loud.

""You're not as smart as you think you are."" read Spencer.

Hotch who didn't like the sound of Spencer's voice, looked at the messenger.

"Who sent it?" demanded Hotch.

"I don't know. I just deliver it to the address when I'm supposed to," said the messenger.

"If the unsub's not here, where is he?" asked JJ.

xxxxxxx

An hour later Hotch was taking a shower while Spencer was checking his email on his laptop when he got a Skype call from Maeve that he quickly accepted.

"What are you still doing up?" asked Spencer.

"I figured that you were wanting to talk before you went to bed like old times," said Maeve.

"I was just planning on seeing if you were available to Skype," said Spencer.

"Speaking of seeing your face on a screen, I hope you know that Emily sent me a link of you putting that man into his place for lying to the press on National television," said Maeve.

"What did you think?" asked Spencer.

Maeve smirked.

"I believed that putting that man into his place was very hilarious and very sexy," said Maeve.

Spencer shifted in his bed a bit as he tried to keep his body from reacting.

"Really?" squeaked Spencer.

"Yes, and I hope that you can start speaking to the press more when you assist agents from the Hoover Building with their cases so I can see you on TV again," said Maeve.

Spencer blushed a bit.

"I already got an email from AD Bennett telling me that he's planning on having me assist agents from the Hoover Building more on their cases while I'm the agent that would speak to the press," said Spencer.

"That's great," said Maeve.

"I know," said Spencer softly.

Maeve tilted her head.

"Are you OK?" asked Maeve.

"I am, why?" asked Spencer.

"You just seemed a bit down after the founder of Nanovex approached you and we didn't get a chance to talk because of Aaron calling you about consulting with him and the rest of his former teammates," said Maeve.

Spencer opened his mouth to speak just as he saw Arthur climbing next to Maeve in bed.

"What are you doing up, Arthur?" asked Spencer.

"I go potty," said Arthur.

Spencer smiled as he thought about how he, Maeve, his in-laws, and Stephanie have been working on potty training Arthur, Joseph, and Lynette since they turned 18-months-old while Maeve looked at Arthur.

"Did you just climb out of your crib so you can use your potty?" asked Maeve.

"Yes," said Arthur before looking at his daddy, "I go pee pee and poo poo in my potty," said Arthur.

"Great job, buddy. And when it comes to you escaping your crib for the third time, I'm planning on buying you a big boy bed and putting it together when I get back from San Francisco," said Spencer.

Arthur clapped his hands.

"Yay," cheered Arthur before yawning.

Maeve looked at her husband.

"I need to get Arthur back to sleep and I need to get some sleep because of going back to work tomorrow," said Maeve.

"I need to get some sleep too," said Spencer.

"I love you, Spencer," said Maeve.

"I love you too, Maeve," said Spencer before looking at his 19-month-old mini-me, "Daddy loves you, Arthur," said Spencer.

"I wuv you too, daddy," said Arthur before Maeve signed off.

xxxxxxx

Spencer was walking in step with Emily as they took a look at their surroundings when Emily looked at him.

"It's a high vantage point. The victims chose it for the view, the unsub so he could see if anyone was coming," said Emily while Spencer's work phone rang causing Spencer to see that Garcia was calling him as he answered his phone.

"Hey, what's up?" asked Spencer.

"Hey, boo, I tracked the ISP of the user who entered the spam comment to an Internet cafe, but he used a prepaid credit card, so I don't have an I.D.," said Garcia.

"All right, thanks, Garcia," said Spencer before hanging up and looked at his former teammates, "He used the same code that was broken years ago in a riddle we cracked in seconds. He knew we'd solve it. It was a decoy," said Spencer as he pocketed his phone.

"No, it's a taunt. He wants to prove that he's smarter than everyone," said Hotch.

"And we fell for it. Well, if he's trying to compete with me, then it means he's most likely within five years of my age. The question is why," said Spencer.

Hotch looked at his former subordinate.

"But the message might not have been meant for you, Reid," said Hotch.

"A letter was hand-delivered to me last night," said Spencer.

Emily thought about her, Spencer, and Maeve being in Chicago at the time that the comment was written in the newspaper.

"The comment to the paper was written at 9:03 A.M. We weren't even in the city yet, so how would the unsub know you'd be involved in the case?" asked Emily.

JJ looked at Spencer.

"You did give your name to the press later that day, and you said yourself he knew we'd be in the park," said JJ.

If he's doing his best to emulate the Zodiac, killing in such quick succession would be a mistake," said Emily.

JJ thought about what she knew about the Zodiac.

"The shortest time span for a Zodiac was two weeks?" asked JJ.

Spencer nodded.

"Maybe the unsub doesn't have a choice. Maybe he's experiencing a time pressure that he has no control over," said Emily.

Hotch looked at Spencer, JJ, and Emily.

"We're ready to give the profile," said Hotch as he walked away while JJ and Emily followed him.

Spencer stayed rooted in his spot as his shoulders slumped before he followed his former teammates.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Spencer was going through the emails in a coffee shop that Agent Lin told him that other agents would go when Hotch told him that he could sit out from giving the profile when he saw Emily enter the coffee shop and sit down across from him.

"Hey. Are you gonna tell me what's up?" asked Emily.

Spencer stayed silent as Emily thought about how Spencer was still adjusting to having her back in his life again because of not being able to see her every day because of not returning to the B.A.U. after the Senate hearing and her therapist telling her to try and talk to Spencer outside of cases.

"Reid, it's me," said Emily.

Spencer clicked his pen and set it down on the table and looked at Emily.

"Do you ever wonder if you lived up to expectations?" asked Spencer softly.

"Mm... I beat them. I figured I'd be a bored socialite by 25," said Emily.

"I thought I'd cure schizophrenia by the time I was 25. You know, when I was a kid, people told me that I could do anything," said Spencer.

Emily realized what Spencer was thinking about.

"You're afraid you've let people down?" asked Emily.

Spencer shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid I've let myself down," said Spencer.

Emily sighed as she thought about Spencer's mother dealing with schizophrenia and now Dementia.

"By not curing schizophrenia?" asked Emily.

"No, just because... I don't know why I'm a consultant for the FBI and chemistry professor," said Spencer.

Emily nodded as she thought about finding out that Spencer left the B.A.U. because of his migraines getting worse, his mother having Dementia, and his mother-in-law currently battling leukemia despite finding out that Spencer's health has improved since leaving the B.A.U. so he could work a job that allows him a nine to five schedule.

"I see. You're a genius, but you're working as a freelance consultant for the FBI and other agencies while being one of the most popular chemistry professors at Georgetown University," said Emily.

"Yeah, exactly," said Spencer before realizing his own blunder, "No, that's not what I'm saying. It's just sometimes- sometimes I kind of get this feeling like- like maybe I should have done something more with my life," said Spencer.

"Even though you turned 30 three months ago, the fact of the matter is you're young. There's still time for you to do more with your life because you were able to accomplish getting married and becoming a father when you used to work in the B.A.U.," said Emily.

Spencer thought about one of his favorite inventors that caused him to get a Ph.D. in engineering.

"By the time Nicola Tesla was 30, he'd already invented the induction motor," said Spencer.

Emily nodded.

"You know what? You might be right. You don't hear that much about child prodigies once they grow up. In fact, most of them turn out average," said Emily.

Spencer chuckled.

"That's not true. Are you trying reverse psychology with me?" asked Spencer.

"I'm just telling it like it is," said Emily before she grabbed the papers that Spencer was writing on earlier.

A confused Spencer looked at Emily.

"What are you doing?" asked Spencer.

Emily clicked the pen that Spencer was using.

"Well, you just told me yourself you're washed up. I should take a look at this," said Emily as she started to write on top of the cipher that Spencer was writing on.

"That's not what I'm saying. It's-seriously, what are you doing?" asked Spencer.

Emily looked at Spencer.

"I'm just looking to see what you missed," said Emily as she started to write on the papers.

"Don't do-you're gonna actually mess it up. Emily- give it back," said Spencer as he grabbed the pen and papers from Emily and looked at it as his mind caused him to see another cipher, "Wait a minute, that's it. The real code is in the words," said Spencer as he grabbed his pen and started to write on it as he talked, ""China Weekly Post, " page F-4," said Spencer.

Emily smiled as she called Hotch and told him that Spencer found something.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer walked in step with Hotch as he talked about the cipher he found.

"The spam had to be converted from matrix code to binary code, then switched to base eight before being translated back into letters. I can go into more detail if you want," said Spencer.

Hotch thought about how much he missed having the discussions he had with Spencer while knowing that lives were at stake.

"You can tell me during the flight home. How smart would a person have to be to write code like that?" asked Hotch.

"Beyond smart. Profoundly gifted. An I.Q. Of at least 160," said Spencer as they entered China Weekly Post.

"That changes the profile, then," said Emily.

Spencer who was already starting to go through newspapers looked at Hotch and Emily.

"The unsub could still hold a menial or low-level job. Many believe that beyond an I.Q. of 120, success is determined by other factors," said Spencer as he noticed a paper that had some English, "This is a bilingual paper. The English version should be somewhere," said Spencer while Emily started to help him search for a paper while Hotch went outside to call Garcia.

A minute later Spencer and Emily found the paper that they were looking for and paid for it before they joined Hotch outside.

"All right. All right, this is it," said Spencer as he found the message that was sent to him,

Hotch quickly found the same message that was sent to Spencer.

"'You could do some much better.'," read Hotch.

Emily looked at Spencer and Hotch.

"I'll talk to the manager, see if they know who placed the ad," said Emily as she went into the China Weekly Post.

Spencer looked at Hotch.

"Who's this message for? The writer's a genius, but the recipient would have to be, too, in order to decode it," said Spencer just as Hotch's phone rang.

Hotch quickly saw that it was Rossi calling him as he answered his phone.

"Yeah, Dave," said Hotch as he listened to Rossi, "All right. A cabdriver's just been murdered," said Hotch as he looked at Spencer after hanging up.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer was staring at the clear board as he listened to his former male teammates talk.

"Got it," said Rossi as he hung up his phone and looked at Hotch and Rossi, "The cabdriver's last fare was in the Marina district, the 500 block of Chestnut. Lots of bars, restaurants, shops there," said Rossi.

"Garcia says nobody's been reported missing in the area," said Morgan.

"Passengers from the Marina, they'd be young, educated, well-to-do," said Hotch.

Spencer decided to try a different approach and started to take down everything from the clear board only for his former male teammates to see what he was doing.

"What's he doing?" asked Morgan as he looked at Rossi.

"We've been thinking about this case too linearly. Based on the complexity of the code, it's obvious this unsub is operating on several different levels, so we need to start thinking in multiple dimensions," said Spencer.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer was quickly paging through the crime scene photos when Emily and JJ joined him, Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi.

"Hey. We went through all the surveillance footage near the newspaper. There's nothing," said Emily.

JJ noticed that Spencer was quickly paging through the crime scene photos that he removed from the clear board.

"Spence, you OK?" asked JJ.

"Nothing is accidental. Nothing this unsub does is accidental," said Spencer as he taped a picture back onto the clear board, "The message in the "China Weekly Post" was on page F-4. Why F-4?" asked Spencer.

"That's where the classifieds were," said Morgan.

"It's more than that," said Spencer before realizing something, "I think I know what F-4 means," said Spencer as he hurried away to find an agent that could help him.

A few minutes later Spencer was having an agent do the geographical profile on a computer before having a grid put onto the map.

"Can you rotate that?" asked Spencer.

The agent followed Spencer's instructions before Spencer looked at his former teammates.

"See, F-4 is a chess square," said Spencer.

A shocked JJ looked at her former teammate.

"He murdered people according to a chess game?" asked JJ.

"Specifically game six of Fischer versus Spassky in 1972, one of the greatest chess matches ever played. The murder locations correspond with the final three moves of the game," said Spencer as he pointed at the map while Hotch got Garcia on the phone.

"Garcia's lair of knowledge and wisdom," said Garcia.

"Garcia, you have the list of Zodiac case experts?" asked Hotch.

"Yes. Standing by for you. I have everyone who's ever written or blogged about it. FYI, there are way too many people obsessed with this sicko," said Garcia.

"All right, cross-reference that with professional chess players," said Hotch.

"Oh, that totally helps. Yeah. OK," said Garcia as she started to type, "List is getting smaller and smaller... Down to nothing," said a dejected Garcia.

"All right, open it up to high-level amateurs as well," said Hotch.

"OK," said Garcia.

xxxxxxxxxx

A few minutes later Garcia called them back causing Hotch to answer the phone.

"Go ahead, Garcia," said Hotch.

"Get ready to love me more. I did a search of chess players rated 2, 200 or higher, which would make them Masters but not necessarily professionals. I cross-referenced that search with Zodiac experts and came up with two former chess prodigies and best friends who used to write about the Zodiac in their junior high school newspaper. And I get bonus points because they both have IQ's over 160," said Garcia.

"Where are they?" asked Hotch.

"In San Francisco. Caleb Rossmore is a city parks employee. Harvey Morell is an engineer at a Chinese computer firm. He's about to get married, and, yes, I just emailed you all this information right now," said Garcia.

JJ grabbed a tablet and pulled up a picture of Harvey and his fiancee.

"The fiancee Marisa Devon looks like the two female victims. They were surrogates for her," said JJ.

Morgan thought about how he was slightly jealous of Spencer and Hotch both having wives and children to go home to despite himself not being ready to settle down yet.

"Caleb could be jealous of his friend," said Morgan.

"Or what if he's afraid of losing Harvey?" asked Emily.

"If he was a child prodigy, he may no longer feel special as an adult. He could be trying to hold on to him," said Spencer.

"Harvey's engagement could have been a trigger," said Rossi.

Hotch looked at Spencer.

"Reid, I know Spassky conceded the match, but what would the next move have been?" asked Hotch.

Spencer pointed at a location on the computer in front of himself.

"Spassky would have been checkmated or he would have lost his Queen," said Spencer as the agent that assisted him added a dot on the map.

xxxxxxxxx

Spencer was sitting in the backseat of an SUV as he looked at Hotch and Morgan.

"Spassky's Queen was in square E-8, so that would land us in Richmond. Garcia, is there a connection between that location and the two men?" asked Spencer.

"Checking now," said Garcia as she did some typing before finding something, "Uh... Bingo. Harvey's dad worked there as a chemistry teacher in the sixties. And... Oh, uh, Caleb lived there in 2008. He worked at the Powerlinks Gym on Second and Hill and the Dragon Temple Restaurant at 636 Mason," said Garcia.

"All right. JJ, you go to the gym. We'll check out the restaurant," said Hotch.

"Copy that," said JJ.

Rossi who was with JJ and Emily spoke up.

"Zablonsky's wife recognized the photos of Caleb and Harvey. They interviewed the detective for an article they were writing about the Zodiac when they were kids," said Rossi.

"They wrote a crime beat column in the newspaper," said Garcia.

"One of them stole the photo left at the first crime scene," said JJ.

Spencer realized who their unsub was.

"It had to be Caleb. The message, "You could do so much better" in the Chinese paper was meant for Harvey," said Spencer.

"That means the original spam message was for him, too," said Emily.

"But how did Caleb know that Harvey wouldn't turn him in?" asked Morgan.

"Caleb has something on him or he's holding the fiancee hostage," said Spencer while Garcia found something.

"Shut the front door. They were interviewed by police in 2000 about a crime in their hometown," said Garcia as she started to explain about the crime.

xxxxxxxx

Spencer was already in his hiding place as he waited for Caleb or Harvey to confess about Robbie Shaw.

"And the police won't catch us because the murders were perfect. Just like Robbie Shaw," said Caleb.

At that moment Spencer decided to get out of his hiding place as he pointed his gun at Caleb.

"Not really," said Spencer causing Harvey to put his hands up while Caleb pointed his gun at him, "If they were perfect, I probably wouldn't be here right now," said Spencer calmly as he slowly walked closer to Caleb, Harvey, and Marisa.

Harvey looked at Spencer.

"I had nothing to do with this," said Harvey while Caleb looked at him.

Spencer looked at Caleb.

"You really went out of your way to impress Harvey, Caleb. The murders, the chess game, all designed to entice him," said Spencer smoothly.

"Yes," said Harvey while he pointed at Caleb, "He is pathological," said Harvey.

Caleb glared at Harvey while Spencer looked at Caleb.

"I don't know if Harvey's the best friend in the world to be selling you out like that. I mean, after you killed Robbie Shaw together, you probably thought that you guys had an unbreakable bond," said Spencer.

Harvey pointed at Caleb.

"He murdered Robbie by himself," said Harvey.

Caleb scoffed as he looked at Harvey.

"When we took him into the woods and strangled him... I've never seen you so exhilarated. The look on your face, you can't deny that, Harvey," protested Caleb.

Spencer lowered his revolver slightly.

"But afterwards, something changed. You two grew apart," said Spencer.

Harvey realized that the agent in front of him was right.

"I wasn't there," said Harvey loudly.

Caleb looked at the man that he thought was his best friend.

"You pulled away from me. Do you know how much that hurt? I would have done anything for you, Harvey. I looked up to you," cried Caleb.

Spencer looked at Harvey as he realized that Harvey wouldn't have the chance of getting married and starting a family like he did.

"You know what I think, Harvey? I think killing Robbie Shaw was your idea," said Spencer.

"No," said Harvey loudly.

Caleb looked at Harvey.

"You chose him because his brother used to pick on you in school," said Caleb.

Spencer looked at Harvey.

"You're successful, you're charismatic, you're dominant, which means that you most likely made the plans and Caleb followed them," said Spencer as he thought about the need to find Robbie's body so Robbie Shaw's family could have some closure and give Robbie a proper burial, "Let me ask you this- where did you hide the body?" asked Spencer.

"Listen to me-," said Harvey before Spencer interrupted him.

"If I was gonna kill somebody and hide a body, I think I would probably use sulfuric acid. Especially if my father was a chemistry teacher. Right, Caleb?" asked Spencer.

Harvey looked at Caleb.

"Caleb... Don't listen to him. He's trying to trick us," said Harvey.

Spencer looked at Caleb and realized that Caleb was starting to cry.

"Do you trust him, Caleb?" asked Spencer.

Harvey looked at his former best friend.

"Caleb! Hey, Caleb!" shouted Harvey causing Caleb to look at him, "Whatever happens, we'll protect each other," said Harvey.

Spencer thought about what he learned about Harvey.

"Oh, I'm sure that he'll protect you if he's around," said Spencer causing Caleb to look at him, "I mean, he is moving to Shanghai in a couple of months. He put the transfer in about a year ago," said Spencer before he noticed a surprised look on Caleb's face, "Did you-did your good friend Harvey not tell you about that? Well, I'm sure that he'll send you a postcard," said Spencer.

Harvey looked at his friend.

"I was going to tell you," said Harvey.

Caleb looked at his former best friend as he made his decision to confess about Robbie's remains.

"Robbie's bones are buried in his backyard," said Caleb as he dropped his gun.

Spencer holstered his revolver while Morgan grabbed Caleb.

"Let's go," said Morgan before he led Caleb away.

As soon as Caleb was led away, Spencer walked over to Marisa and ungagged her and led her away while Hotch arrested Caleb.

xxxxxxx

Over two hours later, Spencer was sitting on the jet with his former teammates when Emily looked at him.

"Even though you are no longer saving lives by being a profiler for the B.A.U., I hope you know that you are making a difference. I heard that you solved nearly 1,000 cases since becoming a consultant nearly eight months ago, helped a bunch of students earn their Ph.D. in chemistry last month, while you are doing a great job raising Jocelyn, Gabriella, Arthur, Joseph, Lynette, and even Stephanie because they are going to be doing great things with their lives because of having a father or big brother like you," said Emily.

"Thank you," said Spencer before looking at Hotch, JJ, Emily, Morgan, and Rossi, "Even though I ended up leaving the B.A.U. last May because of needing to focus on my health and my mom, Maeve, my children, my sister, and my in-laws needing me more, I hope that you guys know that I do miss working with you guys every day," said Spencer.

"We know," said Hotch.

Spencer looked at Hotch, Emily, JJ, Morgan, and Rossi while knowing that Garcia was already back home getting some sleep.

"Even though my relationship with you guys changed after the events of last year, I hope you guys know that I love you all because you guys became either the fathers, brothers, and sisters that I always wished for despite me meeting my little sister nearly three years ago," said Spencer.

"That's the beauty of family. We already know," said Emily.

Spencer looked at Hotch who was sitting next to him on the couch.

"Thank you for helping me become the man I am today," said Spencer.

"Your welcome," said Hotch before smiling a bit, "Even though you left this family so you can focus on the family you started with Maeve and spread your wings without any of us guiding you, I'm always proud to call you my second son," said Hotch as he pulled Spencer into a one-arm hug.

~The End~


End file.
